Addressing the Rural Health Funding Gap: UDRH SW In Canberra

Professor Beth Armstrong and Joanne Hutchinson, CEO of ARHEN outside Parliament House

University Department of Rural Health South West (UDRH SW) Director Professor Beth Armstrong was in Canberra in late August for a meeting of the National Rural Health Alliance to release- The Forgotten Health Spend: A Report on the Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia. The launch of the report was hosted by the Honourable Emma McBride MP, at Parliament House at a function of the Parliamentary Friends of Rural and Regional Health.

The report revealed that Australians living outside metropolitan areas receive $8.35 billion less health funding than their urban counterparts and that the gap is growing. The deficit is driven by shortfalls in various areas including hospital care, primary care, private allied health services, nursing, maternity care, dentistry, aged care and NDIS services. The UDRH network (Australian Rural Health Education Network CEO Joanne Hutchinson pictured) is on the case nationally and UDRH SW is proudly working to increase the allied health, nursing and midwifery workforce in South West WA. Lots of work still to be done!

The Forgotten Health Spend: A Report on the Expenditure Deficit in Rural Australia at Parliament House

Ian Thompson, Principal, Nous Group presenting The Forgotten Health Spend Report at Parliament House

Recent News

Australian Journal of Rural Health explores landmark study on Aboriginal brain injury rehabilitation

30 Oct 2025

Professor Beth Armstrong and her research colleagues across Western Australia, V

Building Collaborative Research in the South West

28 Oct 2025

On Wednesday 23 October 2025, the first Research Skills Workshop- Participatory

Connecting the Dots: Aboriginal Health in the South West

24 Oct 2025

UDRH SW Staff and Workshop Facilitators UDRH SW staff came together for an engag