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The Deputy Director of the National Institute for Rural and Regional Australia (NIRRA) has welcomed the package for rural and regional Australia announced by the government, but says more needs to be done to ensure long-term sustainability for regional communities. Dr Anthony Hogan, Fellow in Rural Health at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at The Australian National University, and Deputy Director of NIRRA, says the new government is off to a good start with supporting rural and regional communities. ?Members of NIRRA have already identified as priorities many of the issues addressed in this package including the urgent need for a national broadband network and the development of regional transport infrastructure including roads, ports and high-speed rail. Development of educational infrastructure and resources would also be greatly welcomed in country Australia, as would improvements in a variety of health services,? said Dr Hogan. 'However, this package doesn't address the long-term future of rural Australia. There has been no announcement of a national strategy which has substance in ensuring the sustainability or rural communities and their industries, particularly agriculture. The policy underpinning the forthcoming Basin Plan must include an equity component which recognises the historical contribution rural Australia made to our wellbeing.
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