I’ve spent my career working as a nurse and midwife and I’ve seen first-hand the importance of having health services that are accessible. 

Federal and State Governments have underfunded our regional health services for decades. 

We’ve also got fewer doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other health workers per capita compared to those living in the cities. 

In the regions, we wait longer and travel further to access the care we need. This is unacceptable.  

I’m fighting for the healthcare we deserve. 

Let’s get one thing straight: the Border region deserves a single-site, world-class hospital.  

The community is on board and has been fiercely campaigning for one, and many of us welcomed the Victorian and New South Wales Governments’ commitment to fund a redevelopment on the existing Albury Hospital site. But there remain serious concerns about the adequecy of this funding to deliver what we need. 

The population on the Border is growing rapidly, and by 2040 our hospital will need to service over 150,000 emergency presentations, 40,000 surgeries and 1,900 births every year.  

Thousands of locals have written to me and shared what a new world-class hospital on the Border would mean for them. You can read their stories here. 

I will never give up the fight for a properly funded single-site hospital for Albury Wodonga.  

For regional Australia to have the healthcare we deserve, we must train and retain a strong workforce.  

I’ve presented the Government with a plan to establishing a Collaborative Education and Research Centre in Albury-Wodonga. The Centre would be a a purpose-built facility bringing together clinical practice, education, training and research, something our local health services and education providers have been calling for. 

In our region, we have some truly outstanding people ready to be trained, we just need the facilities.  

This is a pathway for local students and mid-career health professionals to get the training they need close to home, to upskill and specialise, and to be mentored by local experts. It would  means we are more likely to keep them in our local health service.  

Accessing the mental health services we need has always been a problem here in regional Australia. Following the pandemic, bushfires and flood experiences in Indi, the crisis has been even more urgent.  

As Indi’s Independent MP, I’ve delivered real wins in funding for local mental health programs.  

I hear heartbreaking stories from individuals and families of people in Indi who are experiencing an eating disorder and can’t get the support they need.  

Living in a rural or regional town shouldn’t mean you have to drive for hours to Melbourne or Geelong to get care. Yet this is exactly what is happening for people in Indi.  

I’m working to deliver the services we need right here in regional Australia because for something so important, access to help close to home is vital.