Rural development in Australia

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDAug 23 2010

Rural health –

Rural health services in Australia are in bad shape. Cancer mortality rates are higher, waiting lines for doctor visits are longer, and budget share of Medicare spending is lower. Despite this the issue has not drawn the attention of the election campaign.

However health spokesman Gordon Gregory said that this Saturday he had heard more about rural health as a political issue in the preceding 40 hours than in the previous 40 weeks. He thanks the elevation of three country independent MPs who may now choose the next Prime Minister for this change of attitude. These three MPs were Tony Windsor, Bob Katter and Rob Oakeshott.

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia has written to the three independent MPs with requests for support for rural doctors. According to Nola Maxfield, the association's president, these MPs would know that “rural communities will no longer tolerate the poorer health status, the massive under spend on Medicare compared to cities, downgrading, closure and bypassing of hospitals, loss of local obstetric and after-hours services, and having to travel hundreds of kilometers just to get basic medical care.” Mr Gregory, the executive director of the National Rural Health Alliance, also said that the alliance has been working towards improvement of services but a pass was awarded only to the Greens, while Labor and the Coalition's offerings rated poorly. The Greens' policies included a $4 billion-a-year universal dental care scheme. While Labor promised to increase targeted rural health expenditure to nearly $800 million, the Coalition pledged more scholarships for rural medical and nursing students and more support for nurse practitioners.

According to local GP from Tamworth Jenny May, who is also chairwoman of the rural health alliance, the local MP and now pivotal independent, Tony Windsor, was “well-versed on health issues.” She feels that broadband is the top priority now because of its potential to deliver medical, diagnostic and other services to patients in the bush. She lamented the poor dental care services too.

Food production

After two years of inquiry the Senate looked into food production in Australia before releasing its report. The aim was to produce food that is affordable, viable for farmers and environmentally sustainable. The Senate Select Committee for Agricultural and Related Industries came up with four key recommendations.

First recommendation involved an audit of foreign ownership of commercial agricultural and pastoral land and ownership of water in Australia. Chair of the committee, Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan said, “We need to make sure, that as a policy for Australia's sovereignty and controlling our own destiny, that we have a policy that looks at selling our surplus food to foreign entities, rather than selling our farms to them.” He added, “The evidence we took from people like Professor Julian Cribb, globally he estimated about $40 billion is being spent on agricultural research…That should be doubled to $80 billion.”

Aboriginal land management documentary launched

A documentary has been launched showing the work of aboriginal people in managing land on the Furneaux group of Islands in Bass Strait. This is made in collaboration with NRM North and the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania. According to Manager of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land Council, Graham Gardner this documentary focuses on young Aboriginal people reconnecting with the land, taking responsibility for looking after it, and learning more about the natural landscape and their culture. NRM North CEO, James McKee added, “They're not just walking in, doing a job and walking away. They're actually, it's part of who they are, so they take a real ownership over it, which means you get a far more effective long term outcome.”