Training more rural doctors

As both Minister for Regional Health and Member for Parkes, I’m focused on addressing the maldistribution of doctors in the bush. That’s why I was proud to announce last week that 100 additional training places have been allocated to the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) to train more rural generalists.

Research shows that doctors who train in the bush are more likely to stay and work in the bush upon completion of their training. This announcement further demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting more regional doctor training to better care for our regional, rural and remote communities.

Expanding the training will ensure there is pipeline of rural generalists coming through to support a viable and sustainable workforce. Those of us in the bush deserve the same access to high quality health services as our city counterparts.

ABC Heywire winners

It was my pleasure to open the ABC Heywire Morning Tea in Parliament House last week. This year we welcomed 37 Heywire winners and 18 Trailblazers to Parliament House. I was particularly pleased to welcome Fenella Jamieson (Narrabri), Kirra Hampson (Dubbo) and Jade Cicak (Menindee) from the Parkes electorate.

Heywire supports young rural and regional Australians to develop skills in networking, project pitching and leadership. It provides a megaphone for young people and the communities that they come from. Over the past 22 years, over 11,000 young Australians have used Heywire to share their stories and ideas with a wide audience.

Peru-Australia FTA in force

The Peru-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is now in force, which removes 99.4% of tariffs on Australian goods exported to Peru. This builds on a $108 million agricultural trade relationship between both countries.

The deal will open doors for Australian farmers in the Peruvian market. Our producers will be more competitive against United States, Europe and Canada – all who have deals with Peru.

The key tariff outcomes for Australian agriculture through this FTA will include immediate elimination of all tariffs for seafood, sheep meat, kangaroo, most horticulture products and wheat, elimination of all beef tariffs by 2025 and immediate elimination of most pork tariffs. For more information on PAFTA visit: https://DFAT.gov.au

Uni students should claim early

If you’re planning to start university in 2020, it would be a good idea to lodge your claim for Youth Allowance or Austudy now.

Youth Allowance provides financial assistance for eligible young people who pursue further study or an apprenticeship after leaving school. Austudy provides assistance to eligible students and apprentices aged 25 or older.

Applying now will help to avoid the last-minute rush at the start of the new semester, and gives new university starters the best chance of having their payment approved when their course begins. The claim process has been streamlined, with tailored questions based on the information provided. Eligibility for additional support will also be assessed.

All the best to students in the Parkes electorate for a great year of study.