Introduction by Croakey: Much of the election debate and media coverage of health has focused on commitments by Labor and the Liberal National Party Coalition.
We’ve heard relatively little about the health priorities or relevant experience of the community independents standing for election.
A Croakey survey of community independents identified widespread concerns about lack of access to healthcare.
The survey also found that, with some notable exceptions, few candidates raised concerns about the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or acknowledged climate change as a public health crisis affecting healthcare and the community’s health.
We have published the survey’s findings at length, as the insights may be useful for Croakey readers, especially those engaging in advocacy for health reform and health equity.
Alison Barrett and Melissa Sweet write:
Lack of access to mental healthcare and other health services, including dental care, is among the key health priorities for community independents this federal election.
Other health issues mentioned by multiple independent candidates included the need to address regional health, women’s health, domestic and family violence, access to general practice, preventive health, and to improve the NIDS and aged care.
Multiple candidates also highlighted a need for improved health infrastructure, such as the development of new hospitals and facilities.
Many described the difficulties of accessing healthcare – across rural, regional and metropolitan areas.
Suzie Holt, who is standing in Groom in Queensland’s Darling Downs, said people in regional areas like Toowoomba are missing out on healthcare or having to travel to access services.
“Currently patients travel to Brisbane for eye surgery, urology and much else, and almost unbelievably our public patients are being charged out-of-pocket for radiotherapy treatment. This is not good enough,” she said.
On Sydney’s north shore, Nicolette Boele said mental healthcare and access to GPs were key priorities.
“We’ve spoken to tens of thousands of Bradfield residents over the past months and by far the number one health issue they raise is the lack of affordable and accessible mental healthcare,” she said.
“It’s an issue for all ages – everyone from primary school aged children, teens, young adults, parents, the middle aged and elderly – and cuts across social and economic lines. This extents to suicide prevention as well.”
In nipaluna/Hobart, the Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, said he had “been living health policy for the 15 years I’ve been in parliament”.
“There’s not a day go by that a constituent doesn’t discuss their health challenges with me,” he said. “Having a wife who is a GP also helps to give me some insight.”
In the Riverina of New South Wales, Jenny Rolfe said access to healthcare is “undoubtedly one of the most pressing issues in my electorate”, with the shortage of GPs and other healthcare professionals the electorate’s “number one issue”.
“One of the biggest concerns I hear about is the difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled healthcare workers in the region,” she said.
“We need to rethink how we train, recruit, and retain medical professionals, ensuring that we’re equipping local communities with the healthcare workforce they need to thrive.
“We need a concerted effort to recruit and train doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals locally, while also providing them with appropriate support and employment models that encourage them to stay in rural areas. This will help ensure long-term healthcare access for our communities and reduce the need for travel to distant cities for care.”
Omissions
Few of the candidates mentioned the importance of efforts to address the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It was also surprising that so few nominated the climate health crisis or the environment as health priorities, given their support for climate action and that some are campaigning on environmental issues.
It’s a reminder of how often ‘health’ is framed so narrowly rather than being based on an understanding that the health of people relies on the health of Country, the environment and planetary health.
Phil Scott, who is running in Solomon in the Northern Territory, was one of the few to mention the importance of Indigenous health and addressing climate and environmental health.
Scott said he was committed to achieving Closing the Gap Priority Reform 1 – empowering local First Nations communities to drive decision-making, providing support to community-controlled organisations to meet challenges and grow stronger and that he would advocate for First Nations self-determination as the ultimate goal.
“I will ensure First Nations voices are heard in all federal policies that affect them – with particular respect for Larrakia leadership in the Solomon electorate,” he said.
“I will amplify the voices of First Nations women in national efforts to end violence against women and children.
“I will support Larrakia priorities – from language and culture programs to land tenure and opportunities for the wider community to learn from Larrakia knowledge.”
He would also push to keep “NT wealth in the NT by prioritising First Nations and other local businesses in government contracts”.
Scott was also one of the few candidates to mention the need to address the social determinants of health, saying it was important to invest “in keeping people well – in housing, education, mental health, good food, and early screening”.
“These are the foundations of strong communities, things that make a difference in people’s lives long before they ever reach a hospital,” he said.
However, it is important to acknowledge that many independent candidates have expressed support for improving the social determinants of health in other contexts. For example, crossbenchers have signed a joint statement with ACOSS and community sector representatives declaring that raising the income support rate is “the most important thing the next government could do to address the cost-of-living crisis”.
The statement said the current rates of JobSeeker at just $56 a day and Youth Allowance at $48 a day force people to go without food, healthcare and a safe place to call home.
The statement has been signed by 74 independent and minor party candidates including Zali Steggall, Dr Sophie Scamps, Zoe Daniel, Helen Haines, Andrew Wilkie, Dr Monique Ryan, David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie, Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, Kate Chaney, Lidia Thorpe, Fatima Payman, and Greens representatives and candidates.
Croakey’s survey of independents also revealed that many candidates have a background in health, from general practice to allied health to nursing, community development and health service management.
Some shared their own personal experiences. Nicole Arrowsmith, running for Moncrieff, which takes in the Gold Coast, said she drew upon her experience as a mother of a five-year-old, while her mother has Parkinson’s disease and brother-in-law has down syndrome.
“So, I understand the challenges of navigating our health system and the challenges that the more than 20 percent of Australians living with a disability will experience,” she said.
The survey
We asked 35 community independents supported by Climate 200 the following three questions, with responses received from 14 candidates:
- What are the top three health issues on your radar?
- Why does each issue matter?
- What experience or expertise do you have in health, whether professional or personal?
Climate 200, founded by Simon Holmes à Court in the lead up to the 2019 federal election, is a community crowd-funded initiative that supports political candidates committed to:
- A science-based response to the climate crisis
- Restoring integrity to politics
- Advancing respect and safety for women.
Climate 200 is not a political party and does not start campaigns, select or speak for candidates, dictate policies or have members – “We simply give strong community campaigns a leg up with funding and support”.
The community independents are nominated by their local communities and have their own policies and platforms.
It is also important to note that “teal” is a media construct and community independents supported by Climate 200 choose their own campaign colours, some teal, but also include orange, yellow, purple and pink. There is no such thing as a “teals party”.
Of the 35 community independents we reached out to, ten are in New South Wales, eight in Victoria and six are in Queensland. There is at least one in each jurisdiction. Eight of the community independents we reached out to are incumbent.
Regional health matters
1. Rebekha Sharkie, Mayo, SA (incumbent)
Priorities?
- Improved funding for regional health (including mental health).
- Increase in regional GPs, via incentives for junior doctors and changes to locality rules (Distribution Priority Areas) for overseas doctors.
- Increase in health services near regional centres, including diagnostic facilities, cancer treatments, specialty women’s health clinics and palliative care.
Why?
Health outcomes for regional Australians are poorer than those of their city counterparts. Figures show there is a discrepancy of $6.55 billion when it comes to spending on regional versus metro health. That equates to a spending shortfall of almost $850 for each regional resident every year. There needs to be fairness in funding.
Only 10 percent of current medical students are choosing to study general practice. People living in the regions (in Mayo and across the country) need better access to GP services. Projections show the shortage of GPs is expected to worsen unless governments act quickly. This shortage impacts access to healthcare, potentially leading to longer wait times for treatment and a reduced quality of care. The issue is further exacerbated by a lack of specialists in regional areas.
Almost 30 percent of Australians live in the regions. On average they live shorter lives and have higher levels of disease. To improve health outcomes, there needs to be much better access to health services. Those facilities need to be prioritised for the regions to improve health outcomes. This includes diagnostic facilities, cancer treatments, specialty women’s health clinics (such as endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics) and palliative care.
Expertise?
My experience with the health system is through personal experience and extensive conversations with people who live in the Mayo electorate.
Prevention critical
2. Erchana Murray-Bartlett, McPherson, Queensland
Priorities?
Firstly, preventable chronic lifestyle diseases such as type two diabetes, heart disease and obesity related co-morbidities are at the top of my list of health priorities. These conditions are increasingly common in Australia and are largely preventable through access to healthier food, physical activity, and education.
They’re not just individual challenges – they place a huge burden on our healthcare system and reduce quality of life for millions of Australians. As a nutritionist, I’ve spent my career focusing on a holistic approach to preventive healthcare with a focus on how we can work together to be a healthier, happier community.
I am committed to the full implementation of the National Preventive Health Strategy including advocating for greater investment to help reduce chronic diseases.
Secondly, the mental health crisis continues to grow, particularly among young Australians. Loneliness, financial stress, and lack of purpose are contributing factors.
I am seeing this worsening as the cost-of-living pressures tighten, particularly in McPherson which has recently been listed as one of the top ten most expensive electorates in the country to rent in.
I’ve seen first-hand how connection through movement – like running together – can have a powerful positive impact. But there are so many ways we can invest in mental health services. We need more funding and proactive, community-based solutions that prioritise prevention and early intervention.
Thirdly, access to healthcare in general is an important issue in our community. Across the southern Gold Coast, many residents cannot access suitable healthcare for many reasons including cost, availability and accessibility. We know that poor health outcomes due to this lack of access can impact other areas of life, including housing and job security. To make healthcare more affordable and accessible, I’ll be fighting to:
- Expanding Medicare to include basic dental care, starting with seniors.
- Making it cheaper to see a GP by ensuring that the Medicare rebates for bulk billing are boosted.
- Support an improved and streamlined NDIS and other foundational supports.
Expertise?
I have a Master of Human Nutrition and am the founder of Project Run – an Australia-wide nutrition, strength and run coaching business. Prior to running as a federal candidate, I have spent my career in the allied health space with a focus on early prevention in areas such as nutrition as well as strength and conditioning. I have also spent a large portion of my life as an elite athlete – and used my platform to inspire others to get active.
I am a huge advocate for active transport and physical exercise, for both physical and mental health. In 2023 I broke the world record for most consecutive marathons by a female and used this expedition to encourage people to lace up and run with me throughout the journey.
I also champion the deep connection between environmental and human health – because protecting nature means protecting the wellbeing of our families and communities.
Local health services
3. Deb Leonard, Monash, Victoria
Priorities?
One of my top priorities is securing full funding for the new West Gippsland Hospital. The Baw Baw region is growing rapidly, but our health infrastructure hasn’t kept pace. I will collaborate with the State Government to secure full funding and prevent further delays in the construction of the new hospital. Additionally, I will advocate for key worker housing, expanded specialised services, local job creation, and the development of supply chain industries to support the hospital and boost our local economy.
Another pressing issue is the mental health of our community, particularly our young people, who have suffered greatly in recent years. We urgently need more accessible and affordable mental health support across Monash.
It’s unacceptable that we currently don’t have any acute mental health beds in our region. I’ll also work to expand outpatient services and step-up step-down facilities, making sure they are accessible across the entire electorate. Increasing the number of Medicare-covered mental health sessions will be another priority. Addressing this shortfall is at the top of my list to ensure people in our community get the care they need when they need it most.
Our seniors also deserve dignity and top-notch care. That’s why I’m committed to securing $40 million in federal funding for the Woorayl Lodge Aged Care facility in Leongatha to increase its capacity. This funding is crucial to give our elderly residents the quality of life they deserve after a lifetime of contributing to our community.
As a community independent, my sole focus is delivering real health improvements for Monash. The major parties have taken us for granted – it’s time for an independent voice to put our local health needs first.
Expertise?
As a community lawyer, I’ve seen first-hand how our health system too often fails the people who need it most. I’ve worked with countless clients who have struggled to access mental health services, afford medications, or get the care they need close to home.
In particular, my work supporting women and families escaping domestic violence has shown me the devastating mental health impacts of abuse and trauma. I’ve fought to help my clients access counselling and support services that are so desperately needed but are underfunded and oversubscribed.
On a personal level, as a working mum, I understand the pressures local families are under and the importance of high-quality, accessible healthcare in our community. When wait times blow out or services get cut, I feel the impact just like every local.
Access to healthcare
4. Andrew Wilkie, Clark, Tasmania (incumbent)
Priorities?
As the local Member for the Greater Hobart area, I hear constantly about the parlous state of Tasmania’s health system.
The concerns I hear repeated most often are:
- an inability to access general practitioners, and especially bulk billing GPs
- the extreme wait times for public hospital specialist appointments and elective surgeries
- woeful access to mental health services and care.
Why?
General Practice
Accessible primary healthcare is a critical component of the health system, and GPs are most people’s first engagement with any health concern. Unfortunately, Tasmania has one of the lowest rates of GPs of any jurisdiction in the country.
What’s more, recent data confirms that no GPs in Clark routinely bulk bill all adults without a concession card and, concerningly, constituents increasingly tell me that even holding a concession card does not guarantee access to affordable GP services.
This leaves people locked out of the health system, as they are unable to access prescription medications, referrals to specialists, routine screening and preventative healthcare or, the myriad of other essential services provided by GPs.
Specialist wait times
The Australian Medical Association’s 2024 Public Hospital Report Card found that Tasmania ranks among the worst performing states across all critical indicators, including planned surgery wait times. There’s also a roughly four-year wait time to see the public dentist in Tasmania.
This means that even if someone makes it through to see your GP and get a referral, they can then be languishing on a list for years while their health gets worse and worse.
This isn’t just bad for individuals, it’s bad for the health system which then has to deal with more complex and costly health issues caused by the delays.
Mental healthcare
With 42.9 percent of Australians aged 16 to 85 having experienced a mental health issue at some point in their lives, it’s no surprise that the mental health system is thinly stretched.
While mental health issues are often invisible illnesses, the burden on individuals particularly left untreated can be catastrophic for individuals and their families. I hear regularly from constituents and their families overwhelmed by poor mental health who simply can’t leave the house, let alone access the support and treatment they need. Also, despite recent progress, there is also still a lot of stigma around mental health which is a continuing barrier to seeking help.
Expertise?
Although I’m not a medical professional, I have been living health policy for the 15 years I’ve been in parliament, and there’s not a day goes by that a constituent doesn’t discuss their health challenges with me. Having a wife who is a GP also helps to give me some insight.
The personal is political
5. Nicole Arrowsmith, Moncrieff, Queensland
Priorities?
I’ve been working in consultation with our community and experts to understand the top priorities of our electorate of Moncrieff.
The key policy priorities in relation to health include:
- Supporting the implementation of funding to increase bulk billing
- Support the recommendations of the Royal Commission Recommendations into aged care
- Support an improved and streamline NDIS that people can navigate easily and fairly.
We have an additional 12 policy priorities that also address things like housing, education, environment, domestic and family violence and other measures that improve overall health outcomes.
Why?
In a cost-of-living crisis our community needs to be able to access and afford healthcare and as we advance in age have the support to live full lives.
Expertise?
I headed up the communication team at Mater Foundation for five years working across areas including mothers and babies, cancer, medical research and access to health services. Within this role I had the privilege of communicating the messages of leaders and experts with the public and sharing important patient stories.
I’m also a mother of a five-year-old, my mother has Parkinson’s disease and my brother-in-law has down syndrome. So, I understand the challenges of navigating our health system and the challenges that the more than 20 percent of Australians living with a disability will experience.
Access and prevention
6. Francine Wiig, Fairfax, Queensland
Priorities?
Wiig referred us to her website, which says:
“Our region faces critical shortages in affordable and available GP practices, specialist care and mental health services, forcing many to travel to Brisbane for routine care.
“Medicare reform: Support GPs to deliver quality, affordable, future-focused healthcare. Increase rebates for preventative and mental health consultations. Advocate for higher and smarter Medicare rebates in underserviced areas.
“Mental health expansion: Advocate to double local mental health services capacity and reduce waiting times.
“Preventative healthcare: Champion investment in preventative health programs that reduce long-term healthcare costs and increase our community’s wellbeing.”
The website also talks about broader determinants of health though these are not framed as such. These include cost of living, infrastructure and transport, housing, climate action and energy, domestic violence, equality and integrity in governance.
Dental care and other health services
7. Peter George, Franklin, lutruwita/Tasmania
Priorities?
So much is needed, it’s hard to know where to start. However, free and subsidised dental care is critical – you can’t have good health without good dental care and too many people struggling to make ends meet skip the dentist because it’s too demoed expensive. Free or subsidised dental care for those doing it tough is bottom line in Tasmania and nationally.
Investment: We need a complete revamp of Commonwealth/State financing to build facilities of which Tasmania is in desperate need. A step-down facility for patients who can move from intensive to less intensive care will free up overcrowded beds in the Royal Hobart and save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Similarly, a facility for day care is urgently needed.
A new fit-for-purpose facility for mental healthcare is long overdue and should be built on green acres land on the eastern shore of Hobart in the Cambridge area. It should be planned in conjunction with care providers’ complete input and include around five acres of landscaped outdoors areas know to be efficacious for peace of mind and tranquility.
There are so many other needs that include Urgent Care Clinics, incentives for family GP practices to operate as small businesses, not corporate health centres, more nurse practitioners … the list goes on and on as do the failures of Labor and Liberal.
Why?
A healthy state is built upon a healthy, well-educated community, both of which are lacking in Tasmania where the entire health system is creaking and close to collapse and around 50 percent of young people leaving school do not have adequate literacy to see them through life in the 20th century.
These issues matter because they each make up part of the jigsaw that completes the picture of a state’s population building towards a better, healthier future. The complete failure of the old parties to attend to these issues is holding back Tasmania from achieving its real potential.
Expertise?
I have no professional experience at all. However, as a former ABC foreign correspondent and Four Corners reporter, my entire working life has involved investigating issues, understanding them and then setting out to make sense of them.
In the interests of understanding the failings of the Tasmanian health system and the possible ways of rectifying it, I have spoken widely with GPs, nurses, specialists and with health policy specialists like Martyn Goddard.
As a consumer, of course, I have experienced the delays in GP appointments, the closure of clinics, hospital overcrowding and nurses and doctors working well and hard under extremely trying circumstances.
Peter George was one of a number of independents who spoke at and was supported by a #VoteSalmonOut rally in nipaluna/Hobart on 27 April 2025, organised by the Bob Brown Foundation.
Watch his speech to the rally urging support for fish farm workers and communities during a transition to land-based farming – and also see the speech by author Richard Flanagan, author of Toxic.
First Nations, climate action and prevention
8. Phil Scott, Solomon, Northern Territory
When it comes to health – our most basic human right – we are failing. Our health system is stretched, and prevention is almost missing from the national conversation. We spend around $250 billion a year on health, but only three percent of that goes toward preventing illness in the first place.
We need to flip this around by investing in keeping people well – in housing, education, mental health, good food, and early screening. These are the foundations of strong communities, things that make a difference in people’s lives long before they ever reach a hospital.
Here in the Northern Territory, grinding poverty, lack of opportunity such as access to meaningful employment, trauma and overcrowded housing are leading to devasting levels of chronic disease, domestic, family and sexual violence, alcohol and other drug abuse, mental illness and crime.
Responses must include building healthy, safe, strong, and supported communities through prevention and care. We need to get serious about funding frontline services and tackling the root causes of crime.
So complex and interconnected are the NT’s health issues, choosing the top three and why they matter is difficult but the following are relevant:
1. Climate change is increasing temperatures year on year and our community is on track to be unlivable, that is, outside of the human climate niche by the end of this century.
Heat stress kills more Australians than any other natural disasters. It can also worsen existing health conditions and increase the risk of certain diseases. This is made worse by high humidity for people living in Darwin and Palmerston. The extreme health season lasts for six months of the year here in the Top End from October to March.
All the evidence shows that climate change is real and we know what what needs to be done. I will take a strong, pro-climate action on the cross bench and push to accelerate action on climate in the next term of government.
People of Solomon deserve better than “living in a sacrifice zone”, where the pollution from the proposed Middle Arm petrochemical gas hub will result in catastrophic health impacts, from breathing difficulties to increased rates of cancer. I don’t want this for our children, or our great, great grand-children.
This is the kind of future supported by the two major parties. The next Australian Government will take us most of the way to 2030, and shape our climate trajectory for decades to come. Every bit of climate pollution we avoid by burning less coal, oil and gas will help create a safer future for our kids.
I therefore don’t support the expansion of fossil fuel projects in the NT and will stand up against corporate interests that threaten our environment and way of life by:
- Boosting our renewable energy investment to reduce emissions, cut power bills and create sustainable jobs
- Stop the proposed Middle Arm gas hub that would create pollution equivalent to 12 coal-fired power stations
- Redirect the $1.9 billion Middle Arm funding to infrastructure that benefits local businesses and services
- Keep NT wealth in the NT by prioritising First Nations and other local businesses in government contracts
- Protect our harbour air and water, fishing spots and outdoor lifestyle from industrial pollution
- Ensure environmental protection laws are properly enforced for all projects
- Protect biodiversity and native habitat – we don’t need to clear more habitat, we have other options.
2) Preventable chronic disease and the unacceptable health gap between First Nations people and non-Indigenous people.
Territorians have higher levels of chronic disease, and less access to preventative and primary care health services than other Australians.
The Top End needs more health staff and support workers to provide the health, mental health services, aged and disability care services in Solomon.
Most chronic diseases can be prevented by not smoking, eating well, being active and reducing alcohol intake. However, there are significant structural drivers such as the social determinants of health that are driving chronic disease, particularly in First Nations people.
The life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is over 15 years.
There has been a nine-year improvement in life expectancy for men (from 56.6 years in 1999 to 65.6 years in 2018); and a five-year improvement for women (from 64.8 to 69.7 years); however only five out of the 19 targets are on track to be met by 2031.
The Closing the Gap Agreement is not delivering the improvements that we need.
The Productivity Commission 2024 review found significant challenges in the NT.
We require a fundamental shift in the approach – enhanced partnership between government and First Nations communities, with focus on culturally appropriate programs and campaigns.
The evidence is clear in the actions that need to be taken to address the continuing deep inequities in education, housing, poverty, and inequality and other social determinants of health, which are holding back further improvements in First Nations health and wellbeing. Neither of the major parties have made real commitments to progress self-determination for First Nations peoples.
Listening, learning and empowering
I am committed to achieving Closing the Gap Priority Reform 1: empowering local First Nations communities to drive decision-making, providing support to community-controlled organisations to meet challenges and grow stronger and will advocate for First Nations self-determination as the ultimate goal.
I will ensure First Nations voices are heard in all federal policies that affect them – with particular respect for Larrakia leadership in the Solomon electorate.
I will amplify the voices of First Nations women in national efforts to end violence against women and children.
I will support Larrakia priorities – from language and culture programs to land tenure and opportunities for the wider community to learn from Larrakia knowledge.
Keep NT wealth in the NT by prioritising First Nations and other local businesses in government contracts.
Campaign for universal coverage for dental health. I understand that we will need to grow the dental workforce and it will cost money so will support a phased introduction starting with the elderly and First Nations Australians.
I will back our vital Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Danila Dilba, to lead the delivery of health services and broad wellbeing programs, including violence prevention, to Close the Gap.
I will fight to extend Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, who have a track record in providing comprehensive primary healthcare that achieves better results, employing more Aboriginal people, and are typically preferred by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over mainstream services.
I will advocate for needs-based funding and support for all health services, including investment in health promotion and preventative healthcare and prevention programs to improve lives and reduce treatment costs.
Support a nation health prevention funding agreement with the states that implements evidence based prevention reforms overseen by the Australian Centre for Disease Control (note the Liberals has said they will defund ACDC).
3) Cost of living including access to nutritious food and affordable, quality, safe and stable housing are core determinants to having good health and wellbeing.
The cost of living is the number one pressure I am hearing from the people of Darwin and Palmerston, the cost of groceries, unaffordable housing and high power bills.
Improving access to healthy, affordable foods can help prevent and reduce obesity among children and families and is key to strong healthy lives. Coles and Woolworths control a staggering two-thirds of grocery sales in Australia, with combined profits exceeding $1 billion last year.
This is a direct outcome of the inaction of successive governments allowing a corporate duopoly to dominate our grocery market.
Long transport distances, high operating expenses and weather extremes results in higher food prices in Solomon.
Key cost of living measures I will advocate include:
- Supporting the Government’s agenda to increase access to bulk billing
- Pushing to expand Medicare to include basic dental care
- Adequate resources to meet the health, aged care and NDIS needs of people living in Solomon
- Working urgently to increase aged care places in Darwin and Palmerston
- Boosting access to mental health services for individuals, families and in our schools
Food insecurity disproportionately affects First Nations people living in remote communities, where stores commonly operate in challenging environments.
I will push the government to tackle the cost drivers – including corporate profits, the supermarket duopoly, and tax reform.
This includes increasing the power of regulators to stop companies from overcharging and boosting funding and enforcement powers for them to undertake greater surveillance and higher penalties for price gouging.
We need a massive reset on housing. Housing has become an investment, but it should first be a human right.
- I will work to secure safe housing for all children so they can be healthy, get to school, and stay out of harm’s way.
- I will prioritise fast-tracking social and affordable housing projects to tackle homelessness and rental stress.
- I will push for immediate increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, Youth Allowance, Job Seeker and disability income support payments.
- I will fight to increase the total amount in Housing Australia Future Fund
- I support increased investment in public and community housing with a focus on domestic violence support and homelessness.
- I will work to support our local construction industry with practical investments including training and climate-appropriate design solutions.
We need to transition to solutions that are fair to everyone.
This includes looking at every mechanism possible such as bringing down the cost of construction, education pathways for skills needed to build homes, increase supply, and a wider range of housing options.
An increase renters’ rights and protections is needed and I will work with the NT Government to progress this and support the establishment of a National Renters Protection Authority and National Tenancy Standards.
Address root causes of crime including rough sleeping, alcohol abuse, housing stress, social isolation and intergenerational trauma.
Expertise?
- A degree in Human Movement and Social Science (Psychology)
- Implementation of alcohol and other drug peer education for the Australian Red Cross
- Blood/plasma donor
- Work in sub-saharan Africa on HIV/AIDS service delivery by an Australian NGO
- A career in community capacity building focused on collaboration and collective impact with community organisations, health agencies and civil society to address social and health needs of communities
- Campaigning and lobbying to protect communities from the environmental harms of fracking and petrochemical industry expansion in the Northern Territory.
Regional hospital funding
9. Suzie Holt, Groom, Queensland
Priorities?
Increase Federal proportion of hospital funding to match that of State Health Departments in line with calls from the AMA and major health bodies.
Fund Radiotherapy services in Toowoomba where public patients are receiving out of pocket costs when sent for treatment by the public system.
Develop a health hub in Toowoomba to deliver end to end training for health professionals in Groom who will then stay in Groom. This will especially involve the training of an increased cohort of rural generalist doctors.
Develop a shared Health, Research and Education campus at the new hospital.
Paid university training placement for all health professionals training regionally.
Funding for the Capital expenditure on the new Toowoomba Hospital, which has become an increasing concern. The blow out in the budget is at risk of us being left with a hospital providing yesterday’s services to tomorrow’s Groom.
Appropriately fund the outsourcing of public patients to the private medical system to ensure that the efficiencies offered can be of benefit to both the not-for-profit private hospital system and our community.
Why?
I have spent my working life as a social worker in both mental health and community services. I was involved in developing allied health outreach services in Southern Queensland and in changing the model of psychiatric care from institutionalisation to community-based care.
Moreover, together with my husband and his work colleagues we opened and operated both the private Intensive Care Units in Groom, and my husband continues to work as an anaesthetist in Toowoomba. We have had significant experience in setting up a private anaesthetic practice with more than 20 private practitioners.
The next Parliament has a choice to make. It can head down either the US or NHS pathways with limited and expensive healthcare and thereby abandon our most vulnerable or we can act to repair the amazing health system that we have always had.
Regional areas like Toowoomba are missing out on healthcare, close to home where people need it. Our local hospital was due to be completed in 2027, but disappointingly, all parties are playing the blame game, rather than getting on with the job.
Currently patients travel to Brisbane for eye surgery, urology and much else and almost unbelievably our public patients are being charged out-of-pocket for radiotherapy treatment. This is not good enough.
We have three hospitals and a day surgery in Toowoomba and GP’s both in town and in the smaller communities. We provide health services for regional people, covering 300,000 people to the Western Border of Queensland and well into North-Western NSW. Healthcare services are our biggest industry, employing around 17,500 people.
Expertise?
Health has been a major part of my life and of my campaigns, please refer to my website and media releases to witness my advocacy for better regional health over many years.
Mental healthcare
10. Nicolette Boele, Bradfield, NSW
Priorities?
We’ve spoken to tens of thousands of Bradfield residents over the past months and by far the number one health issue they raise is the lack of affordable and accessible mental healthcare.
It’s an issue for all ages – everyone from primary school aged children, teens, young adults, parents, the middle aged and elderly – and cuts across social and economic lines. This extents to suicide prevention as well.
Number two is the affordability and availability of GPs. Families are putting off going to the GP until there are a number of issues to discuss at once. Wait time to see a family GP can be up to a week.
Number three would be dental, particularly for older Australians, and the lack of affordable dental health options.
Other issues on my radar include addressing the rise in vaping, and the accessibility of tobacco and other types of vape products, strengthening the NDIS, and making sure aged care is funded to ensure dignity and high-quality care is available for all older Australians.
Why?
We know that access to timely, appropriate, and affordable mental healthcare can avert the worst effects of mental illness. There’s a critical lack of accessible mental healthcare in Sydney’s north shore, just as there is across Australia.
I’ve heard of families waiting 12 months or more to get help for a struggling teenager and then paying fees of hundreds of dollars per consultation – and they’re the lucky ones. For most people this sort of support is simply unavailable.
The failure of the mental health system results in lives damaged, limiting people’s economic and social capacity, destroying families and communities and putting a huge burden on Australia’s economy.
Similarly, the fact that families and individuals often can’t access Medicare funded GP visits is unacceptable. Getting an appointment at a bulk billed GP on Sydney’s north shore is like winning the lottery – forcing people to delay getting treatment – and potentially escalating health issues.
Both these examples stem from complex but similar issues – a lack of coordination and forward planning on the part of state and federal governments, particularly around workforce planning. On mental health, we’ve seen report after report from the government and government agencies detailing the need and the fix, but we’ve been way too slow to make the changes that are needed. These needed changes won’t fix things overnight, but we need to start in earnest to improve conditions to attract, retain and support service providers in both psychology and psychiatry.
Expertise?
I’ve watched at least the first two seasons of Grey’s Anatomy but it didn’t prepare me for parenting two kids. Congenital hip-dysplasia to speech therapy. Sprains and breaks needing diagnosis at difficult times of the night (love Acute Care Clinics), to post-injury care with physios. Let’s not forget the usual family bonding at the dentist and optometrist.
Later it was adolescent mental health, and then my own climate change anxiety in 2008 (when it wasn’t really labelled as such); with women’s health challenges – at every life stage.
Just being a woman is an experience – misogyny of the medical system is real. It’s why I treasure my local GP, she and I are in the same life stage and she completely understands the intersectionality of issues and pinpoints solutions. Unfortunately, she’s moved to part time clinical work as she transitions into retirement soon.
She proposed moving to one of the government’s mental health phone services, illustrating the value of local GPs in triaging mental and other health situations – having ‘the best’, as people’s first point of call, helps individuals, families and the efficiency of the whole system.
I had spent two weeks in Canada as a patient advocate for my step-dad and saw first-hand the downside of a hospital run as a private business where the profit motive impacts on staff and therefore patient care.
I am the proud aunt to two nephews with congenital disability whose lives ended in two completely different environments – the eldest at home and the youngest at Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice. I hope anyone reading this never has to make this choice but if so, it would be the wonderful AYAH; every time.
Invest in prevention and early intervention
11. Nathan Barton, Moore, WA
Priorities?
The top three issues I am hearing from our community in Moore are:
- Cost and wait times to see a GP
- Difficulty accessing mental health services, especially for young people
- Wait times to see a medical specialist.
When people can’t get the care they need early and promptly, it leads to greater suffering for the affected person and increased costs for care as their illness progresses to more acute or complex stages. This exerts even more pressure on tertiary and crisis services.
Governments respond to this pressure by directing the lion’s share of health funding to tertiary services, neglecting prevention and early intervention. This only perpetuates the cycle.
Expertise?
I am a registered psychologist who runs a small group private practice in Perth. I have extensive experience working with veterans and their families, and collaborating with mental health peer workers on service design and delivery.
As part of my election campaign, I hosted a panel on mental health prevention alongside experts such as Professor Ian Hickie AO.
Regional health workforce, women’s health and aged care
12. Jenny Rolfe, Riverina, NSW
Healthcare is undoubtedly one of the most pressing issues in my electorate, and has been raised by residents in every single one of the 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Riverina.
Overview of issues raised by residents in Riverina
Residents have told me that access to healthcare remains a major challenge in regional areas. There is a significant shortage of GPs and other healthcare practitioners, making it difficult for people to get timely care. In many parts of the Riverina, individuals are having to travel long distances just to see a doctor, sometimes facing weeks-long waiting lists. This is compounded by the lack of trained professionals who are willing to work in rural communities due to concerns about the working conditions and inadequate incentives.
In recent years, we’ve seen a concerning trend of centralising healthcare services, with hospitals like the one in Cootamundra reducing services. The trend toward consolidating services in major regional hubs is leaving rural towns with limited or no access to essential health services.
This centralisation not only places undue pressure on remaining facilities but forces patients to travel, often at great cost and inconvenience. This leaves people in smaller towns with fewer options for local care, forcing them to travel further for essential health services. As a result, many people are being left behind, particularly those in remote or isolated communities who struggle to access the care they need.
Mental health is a growing concern, particularly for farmers and youth. Rural communities often face unique stressors like drought, financial hardship, and isolation, which can have a serious impact on mental health. We need to ensure that mental health services are accessible, well-funded, and tailored to the unique needs of our communities. Likewise, aged care remains a critical issue, with many seniors lacking access to quality care and support, especially in rural areas. This issue will continue to grow as our population ages, and we need to act now to ensure our elderly residents receive the care they deserve.
Women’s health, particularly reproductive health services, is another key area of concern. Too many women in the Riverina do not have access to a full range of reproductive health services close to home. There is a clear gap in services, including maternity care and safe birthing options (like home birth and birthing on Country) but this is not just about pregnancy care and birth – includes family planning, mental health support for new mothers, and women’s health advocacy at every stage of life. This issue is compounded by a lack of evidence-based best practice care and inadequate funding for research. It’s also vital that we address the needs of women experiencing domestic violence, which is alarmingly prevalent in our region, by providing better support services.
Aged care is another area where our rural communities face significant challenges. The Riverina is home to an ageing population, many of whom are increasingly finding it difficult to access the care they need as they age. Whether it’s through in-home care, assisted living, or aged care facilities, there is a growing gap between demand and available services. With fewer aged care providers in regional areas, elderly residents are often forced to relocate to larger cities to receive care, which can be both emotionally and physically disruptive for them and their families.
Priorities?
Based on these conversations, issues raised, and themes:
1. Recruiting, training, and supporting local healthcare workers
The shortage of GPs and other healthcare professionals is the number one issue in the Riverina. One of the biggest concerns I hear about is the difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled healthcare workers in the region. This is due to a combination of factors including inadequate support for professionals, insufficient incentives for relocating to rural areas, and the unique pressures of working in a regional setting.
We need to rethink how we train, recruit, and retain medical professionals, ensuring that we’re equipping local communities with the healthcare workforce they need to thrive. We need a concerted effort to recruit and train doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals locally, while also providing them with appropriate support and employment models that encourage them to stay in rural areas. This will help ensure long-term healthcare access for our communities and reduce the need for travel to distant cities for care.
2. Mental health support
The mental health of our farmers, youth, and other vulnerable populations is a critical priority for me, and it’s an area where we urgently need action. Mental health issues are widespread in rural and regional communities, and the stigma surrounding mental health often prevents individuals from seeking the support they need.
We must ensure that mental health services are accessible, affordable, and specifically tailored to the unique challenges faced by our regional communities.
For farmers, the mental health burden is particularly heavy. They are often isolated, facing financial pressures, extreme weather events, and the uncertainty of the agricultural industry. This combination of stressors can lead to high rates of anxiety, depression, and, tragically, suicide.
We need to establish targeted mental health programs that are culturally appropriate for farmers, providing them with access to local support networks, resources, and early intervention services. This also means integrating mental health support into existing agricultural services and ensuring that farmers are aware of available services and feel comfortable reaching out when needed.
In addition to supporting farmers, there is a growing need for youth mental health services in our region. Young people in rural and regional areas often face challenges that are unique to their communities, such as limited access to social opportunities, economic hardship, and a lack of anonymity in small towns. We must provide better access to youth mental health services that are both locally available and discreet, so young people can seek help without fear of judgment or isolation.
Domestic violence is another area where mental health services are crucial. In rural and regional areas, women and children escaping domestic violence often face additional barriers to accessing the support they need, such as distance, stigma, and a lack of local resources. We must ensure that survivors of domestic violence have access to not only immediate crisis support but also long-term mental health services, including trauma-informed care and counselling to help rebuild their lives.
One of the biggest barriers to improving mental healthcare in regional areas is the lack of adequate telecommunication infrastructure. Telehealth has the potential to revolutionise access to mental health services, particularly in isolated communities. However, without reliable internet and mobile phone networks, many people in rural areas cannot access these vital services. It is essential that we invest in upgrading our telecommunications infrastructure to ensure that every person, regardless of where they live, can access telehealth services when they need them.
Telehealth has already proven to be a lifeline for many people, enabling them to access mental health professionals without the need to travel long distances. By improving internet access and expanding mobile networks, we can ensure that these services are not only available but are easy to use and accessible to all, particularly in remote areas. This is essential for bridging the gap in mental health service delivery and ensuring that no one is left behind.
We also need to ensure that mental health services are affordable, as many people in regional areas cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs associated with seeking help. I will advocate for greater government investment in mental health services, including expanding Medicare rebates for telehealth consultations, and support for local mental health providers who are familiar with the unique needs of regional populations.
3. Women’s health
Women’s health is an area where we need significant improvement. This includes ensuring access to the full suite of reproductive health services, including maternity care and family planning, as well as focus on endometriosis and menopause. I strongly support the five election priorities of the Australian College of Midwives and will push for funding for research and evidence-based models of care across Australia and within Riverina.
While reproductive health services like maternity care and family planning are vital, women’s health encompasses much more. We must ensure that women have access to the full spectrum of healthcare services, including those that address conditions like endometriosis, menopause, and other chronic health conditions that disproportionately affect women.
It’s alarming that women’s health, particularly non-reproductive health conditions, remains under-researched. Conditions like autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, and mental health disorders affect women at much higher rates, yet they are often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This lack of research and awareness has led to delayed diagnoses and inappropriate treatments, leaving many women to suffer in silence. I am committed to advocating for better research into these areas, as well as improved diagnosis and treatment pathways that are tailored to the specific needs of women.
In addition to focusing on reproductive health, I am also deeply committed to improving outcomes for women experiencing menopause, which is often ignored in health discussions despite affecting every woman. Access to informed care for menopause, including education and symptom management, is essential. Furthermore, we need to ensure that endometriosis, a condition that affects one in nine women, is diagnosed early and treated appropriately, not just as a “normal” part of being a woman. Women deserve access to high-quality care across their entire lifespan, and we must work toward systems that reflect this.
Another critical issue is the high rates of domestic violence in our region. Domestic violence is a silent epidemic, and our communities are not immune. We must not only provide immediate support and services for women in crisis but also ensure that there is ongoing care, including trauma-informed counselling and rehabilitation, to help women rebuild their lives. Too often, these services are underfunded and overburdened. I will work to ensure that adequate funding is provided for domestic violence prevention, support services, and long-term recovery programs.
Ultimately, my goal is to create a healthcare environment where women’s health is treated with the same level of seriousness and investment as any other area of health. This means more funding for research into women’s health, better training for health professionals to recognise the unique health challenges women face, and improved access to care in both urban and rural areas. Every woman deserves a healthcare system that listens to her, understands her needs, and supports her health and well-being at every stage of her life.
Expertise?
I’m not a health practitioner, and my perspectives have been informed through consultation with experts in the sector as well as local residents.
I served as the President of the Wagga Women’s Health Centre Management Committee for six years where I led efforts to advocate for better women’s health services in the region. For the past 15 years, I have been a consumer advocate for maternity services within the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD). This hands-on experience has given me invaluable insight into the real-world challenges our communities face in accessing healthcare. I am deeply committed to supporting a full range of professional health services in these areas.
Access and prevention
13. Caz Heise, Cowper, NSW
Priorities?
Accessible healthcare (including GPs)
There is a critical shortage of doctors, particularly in regional Australia. It is more and more difficult to find a general practitioner who bulk bills — and bulk billing should be our default funding model for seeing a GP.
I watched as the Liberal and National Parties stripped funding from the health system and gutted Medicare. The Medicare rebate simply hasn’t increased in line with the cost of providing care. If we want more doctors, more bulk billing, and better access to care, we need to properly fund primary healthcare.
We need to train more local GPs, improve career pathways, boost the Medicare rebate for bulk billing, and offer stronger incentives for regional practice to fill critical shortages. This is the only way we will actually see more bulk billing services delivered.
Supporting aged care and NDIS reform
Without substantial and real investment in aged care, our system will continue to fail older Australians. We need to address severe workforce shortages by recruiting more nurses and doctors, improving pay and conditions, and enforcing strict oversight for dignified, high-quality care.
It is time to make aged care a priority, because every senior deserves dignified, safe, and high-quality care after a lifetime of contribution to our society.
Currently, under the NDIS, too many people in our regions are not getting the support they need. Reform is needed to strengthen the NDIS, streamline the application processes for participants, and enhance support services to ensure individuals with disabilities can thrive within their communities.
I support action to address the 222 recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission on how to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to ensure a more inclusive and just society that supports the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Mental health
Mental health is in crisis in our region, with suicide now the leading cause of death for young people under 25. We know that early intervention saves lives, yet the very organisations that provide critical lifelines are desperate for funding.
We need to fix this by expanding trauma-informed, community-based services, secure equitable funding for regional mental health, and enhance access via telehealth and integrated support networks.
Preventive health
We need to take prevention seriously.
Health promotion and prevention saves lives and money and delivers the best return on public investment in health. Unfortunately, Australian public investment in health promotion and illness prevention has progressively declined and lags compared with other OECD countries.
Future investment should reflect the best available evidence on how to tackle the underlying causes of ill-health and inequity.
Prevention is as important as treatment.
We must invest in early intervention by expanding access to screening and community education, and promoting healthier lifestyles through better nutrition and exercise. By empowering our community with the tools to stay well, we can ease the pressure on our health services and build a healthier future.
Expertise?
I’ve spent my life working to improve health in our region — on the frontline as a nurse, in senior roles managing nursing and midwifery, and as a disaster response coordinator managing our hospitals through bushfires and floods.
I know our system inside out, meaning I know where the problems are and how to fix them. Decades of underfunding by the major parties have stretched our system to breaking point. I’m committed to securing greater funding, improving patient outcomes, and ensuring quality care close to home – whether through GPs, hospitals, aged care, disability support, or mental health services.
I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspectives and look forward to representing my community of Cowper by contributing to meaningful discussions on health priorities in regional areas.
Before being selected to run as the community independent candidate, Caz was the Director for Nursing and Midwifery, and Disaster Response Coordinator for the Mid North Coast Local Health District.
Caz is also a Board Director of the Cancer Council and the mother of adult children and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Addressing climate anxiety, housing affordability and financial stress
14. Dr Verity Cooper, Sturt, SA
Priorities?
Mental health, aged care and the NDIS are the key health issues on my radar.
Access to mental health support is out of reach for many. We should improve this by tackling the root causes, which includes climate anxiety, identity, loneliness, social media, housing affordability and financial stress. I agree with the Liberal proposal to increase the number of psychological consults under the GP Mental Health care plans.
Aged care is stretched, and we should simplify access and cut the red tape. This includes challenging for-profit dominance, implementing all Aged Care Royal Commission reforms and incentivise care for patients with special needs.
The NDIS is operating inefficiently and needs critical attention. We should implement all 222 Royal Commission recommendations and upgrade IT systems to reduce fraud.
Of course, to make this all work, our healthcare system needs our attention. I will advocate for:
- Improved bulk billing – Index Medicare to CPI.
- Training more GPs – Increase placements and fairer pay.
- Expanding Urgent Care Clinics in areas of need in Sturt.
- Ensuring Medicare does not incentivise fast patient turnover at the expense of quality consultations.
Why?
These issues matter individually and as a whole, not only to the people of Sturt in South Australia, but for people all over the country.
We must understand that every issue faced by our communities has a knock-on effect to all other issues. As a GP, I’ve seen how true this is when it comes to healthcare, both in terms of quality and access. Looking after people and their health should always come before party politics.
Expertise?
With 35 years as a GP, I know where our system is under strain, and I know it can be fixed. Australia has an excellent healthcare system, which is envied throughout the world. Our doctors, physiotherapists, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and other allied health providers are world class, as are our health researchers.
We can afford better access to these providers, but only when governments decide that the good health of all the community is a priority as a society.
I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege, for everyone. We must support the people and structures that keep us well, because when we are well individually, we are better as a community.
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