NO.063

FUNDING BOOST FOR NEW STUDENT ACCOMMODATION IN DUBBO

The Treasurer today announced that new student accommodation would be built for medical students at the University of Sydney School of Rural Health in Dubbo.

He announced $665,650 of new Commonwealth funds to build 10 bedrooms at the school while visiting Dubbo with Nationals candidate for Parkes, Mark Coulton, and local Coalition MPs John Anderson and John Cobb.

The Australian Government is to spend more than $8.9 million on infrastructure across Australia over the next 12 months to increase opportunities for medical students to train in a rural setting.

Construction of new student accommodation will help students who undertake their rural clinical placement in Dubbo, as part of their medical training.

The funding has been provided under the Government’s $830 million Rural Health Strategy.

The Treasurer said the Coalition Government was committed to training and retaining doctors in rural and regional Australia.

Medical students who are trained in centres like Dubbo develop links to those communities and are more likely to stay and work there and establish local practices.

Rural clinical placements expose medical students to the social and community benefits that living in regional Australia affords.  It also opens their eyes to the many rewarding professional opportunities available in regional and rural health in New South Wales.

DUBBO

17 July 2007

Contact: Renae Stoikos – 0418 568 434