Quality local healthcare and education choices

Our plan delivers a fairer share of funding to guarantee access to quality healthcare like bulk billing doctors, specialist advice and mental health professionals when you and your family need it.

We want better resourced classrooms where children get a good education that teaches the basics. Combined with local tertiary education and training opportunities that equip people for the workforce. We’re fighting for a local standard of health and education services that is as good or better than any capital city.

And we’re making sure communities have a strong safety net to help get you through tough times or times of trouble.

Delivering real benefits for local people:

Healthcare

  • Guaranteed Medicare services for regional communities – local and affordable.
  • More doctor training facilities and opportunities to practise in the regions;
  • Greater access to bulk-billing services in the regions;
  • Making more medicines affordable through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme;
  • Simpler, more affordable private health insurance;
  • Better access to mental health facilities and drug related health responses.

Education

  • Making sure each regional child is properly equipped with the required level of skills to enter university, TAFE, apprenticeship, training or skilled employment.
  • Better resourced classrooms to ensure children get the attention they need to learn the basics – reading, writing & arithmetic. 
  • More training and apprenticeship opportunities to get a secure, better paid job.

2019 Federal Budget Measures

  • A $525.3 million Skills Package that will deliver the skills Australia needs for its future. This includes $200.2 million for a new Additional Identified Skills Shortage Payment to boost incentives to support up to 80,000 new apprentices.
  • $453.1 million to extend access to 15 hours of quality preschool a week in the year before school, benefiting over 100,000 children who live in regional Australia.
  • $134.8 million to strengthen higher education in regional Australia with more study places, regional study hubs, scholarships and enhanced facilities.
  • A new $93.7 million Destination Australia Program will provide up to 4,720 scholarships of up to $15,000 to encourage students to study in regional Australia.
  • $448.5 million to improve continuity of primary care and convenience for patients.
  • $461 million for a national strategy to prevent suicide and promote mental wellbeing.
  • $282.4 million for more Home Care packages to allow more people to receive care sooner.
  • $62.2 million the National Rural Generalist Pathway to deliver more rural generalists.
  • $41 million to expand the Sporting Schools Program to more than 500 secondary schools and more than 5,200 primary schools.
  • $42.5 million for nine new MRI licences, $27.7 million for more McGrath Breast Cancer Nurses and $17.4 million for more Prostate Cancer Nurses to ensure regionals Australians receive care when they need it.