Rural health advocates have nominated equitable access to high-speed broadband as a critical election issue. It was the top priority recommendation from the recent National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide, where delegates stated that high broadband speeds are crucial for facilitating new and emerging best practice models of healthcare. As well as its importance for enabling [...]
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FEDERAL ELECTION
Some important questions about health policy and the federal election (aka your #qanda cheat sheet)
Health policy is up for debate this week thanks to ABC TV’s Q and A program, featuring Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and the Opposition’s health spokesman Peter Dutton. You can pose a question online and see some of the other questions that have already been lodged, including: Large corporate organisations have become major players in [...]
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If we weren’t so busy calling a horse race, how might we cover health in the run-up to the federal election?
It’s hard to turn a corner these days without running into someone who’s unhappy about mainstream media reporting of politics, and the lack of investigation and analysis of important policy matters. These are global concerns, however, as Professor Robert Picard, Director of Research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of [...]
READ MOREWhat does the new Ministry mean for health, especially Indigenous health?
Update, Sept 14: Warren Snowdon will retain his portfolio of Indigenous health after a last-minute change to the Ministry line-up. From what the Cabinet health minister Nicola Roxon told Lateline last night, Snowdon is happy about this, and so is Roxon and the PM. According to the posts below, from yesterday, some Indigenous groups will [...]
READ MOREJohn Menadue’s sizzling critique of politics, the media and more
Thanks to the many Croakey readers and contributors who came along to the New News conference in Melbourne last week, to discuss the opportunities of the digital revolution for supporting a healthier public debate. It was good to see you there and from Croakey’s perspective, it was a reminder of how the Internet can be [...]
READ MOREWhat the independents were advised on rural health
While the wait for a Government continues, here is the advice that the National Rural Health Alliance gave the independents last week: “The NRHA proposes that interested parliamentarians seek a formal written commitment that the new Government should: 1. Plan and deliver broadband access to homes and businesses throughout the nation. Fast broadband is essential [...]
READ MOREIf Banjo Paterson was here, what might he say to Gillard, Abbott and the rest?
As mentioned in the previous post, we were well entertained at the National Rural Health Alliance’s dinner in Canberra last night. Amongst other fare, the Alliance’s executive director Gordon Gregory was channeling Banjo Paterson…. IN DEFENCE OF THE BUSH by The Doggreller – with apologies to Banjo Paterson, whose poem of the same title was [...]
READ MOREBroadband is THE critical rural health issue, the independents are told
The National Rural Health Alliance’s annual dinner in Canberra last night was pumping (please see bottom of the post for details of the revolutionary chanting that was going on). Just a few weeks ago, rural health barely rated as an election issue. Yesterday the three independents met with NRHA leaders for their advice on what [...]
READ MOREWant to get on your soapbox about journalists, the media, whatever? Here’s your chance…
Journalists and the media generally have been taking something of a hammering in recent weeks about our coverage of the election campaign. How many voters understood, for example, that the health policies of the three major parties (I assume it’s fair to call the Greens a major party these days) had some significant differences? How [...]
READ MOREWhat rural health needs: broadband and health service redesign
The importance of broadband for rural health and rural communities cannot be overstated, says Professor Lesley Barclay, head of the Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health in northern NSW. But there is also a need to redesign rural health services, she says. The Independents need to know that improving rural health is not all [...]
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