Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) | Hansard source

On 6 July, I hosted the first regional aged-care summit in Mildura. Similar to my earlier Mildura Regional Health Workforce Summit in March, this event brought service providers and other key stakeholders to one place to discuss the dire issues facing Australia's aged-care sector in the regions and to workshop solutions to those issues. One thing was clear: there was a lot of passion in the room, from many professionals who are responsible for the wellbeing of our vulnerable older Australians. Mildura occupational therapist Kate Roberts, representing SARRAH, Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health, was one of those passionate people. Kate spoke specifically about the disparity that patients experience when trying to access allied health services, in comparison to those who are in aged-care facilities in the town itself. Those are funding constraints that actually impose those difficulties. She made an impassioned plea that the roof you sleep under should not determine your access to health care. This parallels what I have said, from my maiden speech onwards—that your postcode should not determine your health status. Policy needs to acknowledge the differences between urban and regional settings. Policy does not work with a one-size-fits-all approach. No matter where you live, Australians deserve equitable access to health services, including aged care.

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