Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Everyone in country Australia knows that there is a chronic shortage of doctors in the bush. Despite well-intentioned efforts and a king's ransom in taxpayer funding, the current system of medical training has not been able to solve this inequity that country communities have been highlighting for many years now. Presently, less than 10 per cent of medical students trained in the big city universities go on to practise medicine in the country.

The Murray Darling Medical School aims to fix this problem by training doctors in the bush for practice in the bush. Planning for the Murray Darling Medical School continues at a rapid pace. Next week, the Murray Darling Medical School will be calling for expressions of interest from students, staff and suppliers for this game-changing new medical school. This will be welcome news for the communities of the Murray-Darling region.

A recently released report prepared by PPB Advisory showed that the Murray Darling Medical School would bring around $2 billion in additional economic benefits to the Murray-Darling region. PPB Advisory has also found that Murray Darling Medical School graduates would be four times more likely to practise medicine in the regions and that the doctor shortage in country Australia would be alleviated by the Murray Darling Medical School producing 90 new doctors a year.

The Murray Darling Medical School continues to gain huge support. I have here a letter from Fiona Simpson, President of the National Farmers' Federation, who supports the Murray Darling Medical School. I have a drawer full of testimonials just like that. The time for the Murray Darling Medical School has come. The communities of the bush are united in the push for this game-changing new medical school.