The Nationals will make it easier for health professionals who grew up in country Victoria to come home, build their careers and care for the communities that raised them.
If elected to government, the Nationals and Liberals will invest $40 million to establish a Victorian Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme to attract and retain doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and other healthcare workers in country Victoria.
The Nationals’ Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, said for too long, workforce policy had focused on trying to convince someone with no connection to a country community to move there.
“Meanwhile, we have incredibly talented people who grew up in places like Horsham, Hamilton, Stawell, Nhill and Edenhope who left home to study and are now working in healthcare in Melbourne,” she said.
“We want to help bring these amazing health professionals back home.
“They might be a nurse from Horsham who wants their children to grow up near their grandparents. They might be a physio raised in Hamilton with ageing parents they want to be closer to, or a doctor born in Warracknabeal who simply wants to raise their family with the space, community and lifestyle they enjoyed as a child.
“The Nationals’ practical plan will remove the barriers that stop people coming home, support health services to recruit and retain staff and create genuine career pathways in regional Victoria.”
Under the scheme, eligible healthcare workers will receive support packages including relocation assistance, accommodation support and professional development opportunities to encourage more professionals to establish long-term careers in regional communities.
“Coming home isn’t stepping backwards in your career. Our regional hospitals, health services and bush nursing centres offer extraordinary opportunities to build skills, take on responsibility and make a real difference in people’s lives,” Ms Kealy said.
“You can have a rewarding career in healthcare without spending hours commuting across Melbourne or paying Melbourne prices for a home, and we want to help make this happen for more health professionals who have been born and educated in country Victoria.
“Our plan will deliver long-term benefits for patients, healthcare workers and regional communities.
“It promotes regional Victoria as an attractive place to live, work and build a career, and delivers hospitals the support they need to recruit and retain skilled health professionals.
“Only the Nationals will rebuild our regional health workforce so country Victorians can get the healthcare they need, closer to home, and regional communities finally receive their fair share.”