A re-elected Coalition Government will invest $3.3 million to build new bio medical science and nursing labs at La Trobe University’s Mildura campus.
Minister for Regional Education, Bridget McKenzie said along with investment by La Trobe University, the $5.8 million project will deliver dedicated education and training facilities to attract new students to the region to complete their end-to-end training.
“The new labs will mean La Trobe can meet the increased demand for nursing and health care professionals, to address the workforce needs of the region,” Minister McKenzie said.
“Once these state of the art facilities are built, La Trobe University will offer a new Biomedical Science Degree, attracting more students to Mildura.
“Our investment will improve the health care outcomes for people across Australia, but particularly here in Victoria.
“There will be amazing career opportunities for students who choose to train at this incredible facility, and we know they can go straight into jobs here in the region once they graduate.
“The Coalition Government continues to build on its more than $120 billion investment in regional Australia – the engine-room of our nation’s economy – to ensure a sustainable, prosperous and secure future for people living in the regions.
“By contrast, Labor has no plan or vision for regional centres like Mildura. Labor Leader Anthony Albanese can barely bring himself to mention the word ‘region’.”
Nationals Member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster was thrilled to finally be able to announce this investment into end to end health training for Mallee.
“Access to health care and local training for health practitioners has been a key priority of mine,” Dr Webster said.
“I have worked hard to see this funding secured for our local aspiring health practitioners, which will result in more doctors in our region which in turn will see improved delivery of sustainable health care for our residents.
“I instigated this concept with Vice Chancellor Dewar early in my term, and have kept fighting for this funding. Together we have fought to secure it and I thank Minister McKenzie for her focus on this for Mildura.
“One of the advantages that I have being a member of the Nationals Party is that I get to fight together to see key local funding delivered for the regional people. Our focus is regional Australia, not major cities.
“This Bio Med laboratory will see locals able to train to become doctors or nurses from high school in Mildura. I am very excited about this.
“For too long, we have lost young students to capital cities, because we cannot provide a pathway for end to end medical training locally.
“A re-elected Coalition Government will see tertiary STEM learning brought into the Sunraysia region for the first time. In many ways this is my biggest win for Mallee.”
La Trobe University Vice Chancellor, John Dewar AO said regional communities like Mildura are crying out for more nurses and other health care professionals, and with modern, high-tech facilities to complement our strong links into partner healthcare organisations across the region – La Trobe University is even better placed to ease some of that pressure with this investment.
“The new infrastructure will also allow La Trobe to introduce a new biomedical science course at Mildura in 2024, bringing us one step closer to realising our ambitions to establish a new rural medical training pathway in the Mallee region,” Mr Dewar said.
“Our Mildura graduates are vital to the local community, with 87 per cent staying and working locally after graduation. Nursing graduates are in particularly high demand, with almost all securing employment before they even finish their studies.”
The Coalition Government continues to build on its more than $120 billion investment in regional Australia – the engine-room of our nation’s economy – to ensure a sustainable, prosperous and secure future for people living in the regions.
The $2 billion Regional Accelerator Program is part of a $21 billion investment in our regions and infrastructure across the nation unveiled through the 2022-23 Federal Budget to make our nation wealthier and stronger, create tens of thousands of regional jobs and drive our economic growth.
Only a Coalition will continue to deliver a better future for Mildura, and this is part of our plan to build a strong economy and a stronger future.
More information on the 2022-23 Budget can be found at www.budget.gov.au.
