Accessing Services in the Regions

Country Australians are being asked to accept less. Less access. Less reliability. Less choice. When it comes to the most basic services in this country.

That is not just unfair. It cannot last. And the gap is getting wider.

When you strip away services, you do not just annoy people. You weaken towns. It makes it harder to raise families. Harder to run a business. Harder to build a life outside the major cities.

The bush is not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the basics to work. Services that are reliable. Services that are there when you need them. Policies that fit country life. Not policies dreamt up by inner city desk jockeys.

Costs are rising. Pressure is building. Services are harder to get. They are less reliable. Often, they are simply not there at all.

Access to services is not a side issue. It is the difference between a town shrinking and a town growing. Until country Australians get a fair go, the job is not done.

Child Care

Childcare is a clear example of government spending more and delivering less. Billions are being spent. Yet in many regional communities, there is simply no childcare available. “Childcare deserts” are far too common in regional Australia.

Families are being told they are supported by subsidies for services that do not exist.

Where services do exist, they often do not match how regional families actually live.

Parents work on farms. They run small businesses. They do shift work. They travel long distances. Life does not fit neatly into a city based childcare model. The Albanese Labor Government’s system assumes it does.

Regional women are forced out of the workforce. There is no practical way to make childcare work. That hurts families. It hurts local economies.

When parents cannot work, businesses cannot find staff. When businesses cannot find staff, our communities stop growing.

If we are serious about strengthening regional Australia, childcare deserts have to be treated as the serious policy failure they are.

The Nationals are committed to ending childcare deserts in regional Australia. Families should have childcare where they live, when they need it. We support flexible childcare models that work for farming families, shift workers and small communities. Childcare is essential economic infrastructure.

Pharmacies

Getting basic medication in regional Australia should not be hard. Under the Albanese Labor Government, it is. Pharmacies are closing. Supply is unreliable. Regional people are forced to travel long distances just to fill a prescription.

For older Australians, that is not a small problem. For families with young children, it is not small. For people managing chronic illness, it is not small. It can mean missed treatment. Worsening health. Unnecessary hospital visits.

A pharmacy is not a luxury. Policy needs to recognise that delivery in the regions is different. Access to medicine is one of the most basic tests of a health system. In many regional communities, that test is failing.

The Nationals are committed to protecting access to pharmacies and essential medicines in regional communities. We will make sure local pharmacies remain the trusted way Australians get life saving medicines and pharmaceutical products.

No Australian should travel unreasonable distances for prescriptions or basic healthcare. We will back the policies that keep pharmacy services strong in the bush.

NDIS

The NDIS is supposed to provide certainty and support. Under the Albanese Labor Government, it is causing stress and confusion for many regional families.

The scheme has grown well beyond what was planned. Costs have blown out. Fraud is widespread. Too many people are being let down by a system that should be protecting them.

The Nationals will work to fix this.

The Albanese Labor Government has announced planned cuts. Families are left wondering if their support is about to disappear. People with disability and their families deserve certainty. They deserve honesty. Most of all, they deserve a system that actually works.

Under Albanese’s Labor Government, billions are being lost to fraud. Most providers are still unregistered. Participants are being openly price gouged. Families are quoted one price for basic services. The moment they mention the NDIS, the price jumps. That should outrage everyone.

In regional Australia, it is even worse. People may have an approved plan, but no provider is available. They are told to rely on mainstream services. Psychology. Speech therapy. Occupational therapy. Services that are already stretched or just not there. Choice means nothing if there is nothing to choose from.

The Nationals are committed to an NDIS that is sustainable and accountable. One focused on delivering real support for people with disability and their families in regional Australia. We support fixing fraud. Strengthening provider standards. Making sure regional Australians can actually access the services their plans are meant to provide.