Murray Darling Basin Plan delay must not mean buybacks

The Albanese Labor Government has rightly extended the Murray Darling Basin Plan deadline beyond 2024, but not without Water Minister Tanya Plibersek adopting a partisan approach. Member for Mallee Anne Webster said the Minister has not assisted the debate by using terms like ‘guerilla warfare’ and ‘sabotage’ in announcing the delay. “In her first briefings…

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Aged Care Summit findings an urgent priority

The closure of two regional Aged Care facilities is further proof the Federal Labor Government’s ham-fisted staffing changes are hurting the sector, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Dr Anne Webster says. Mount Morgan’s Carinity Summit Cottages and Petrie Gardens Aged Care Service in Tiaro announced this week they will shut their facilities – displacing…

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LABOR FAILS TO DELIVER FOR REGIONAL DOCTORS AND NURSES

Labor has failed to deliver on a key incentive to alleviate the regional health workforce crisis, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says. Almost five months after the legislation passed parliament, a Coalition-era policy of reducing or waiving doctor or nurse practitioner HELP debts if they practice in the regions is still not…

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Labor needs regional rethink to rescue Mallee projects

The potential investigation of two of the Albanese Labor Government’s grant programs by the Auditor-General obliges the Government to rescue key Mallee projects in Labor’s 90 day Infrastructure Pipeline review firing line, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says. The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) Works Program of performance audits for 2023-24 includes a review…

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Federal Government’s Fiasp Fiasco

The Federal Labor Government has provided only a bandaid solution to the removal of fast acting insulin Fiasp from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says. Novo Nordisk will remove Fiasp, an innovative mealtime insulin that improves blood sugar control in diabetes patients at a faster rate than other…

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Government admission a win for Regional Aged Care

The Federal Labor Government has been forced to admit it won’t reach its target of 24/7 Registered Nurses in all Aged Care homes, which is an acknowledgement for battling smaller regional aged care facilities. Earlier this week Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells revealed to media not every facility would be fully staffed by July…

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Thank Your Pharmacist Day 2023

The below story is from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to acknowledge Thank Your Pharmacist Day 2023 As a consultant and GP pharmacist, Brooke Shelly MPS, based in the regional Victorian town of Mildura, offers a holistic healthcare service to patients. ‘I love the time I can afford patients as a consultant pharmacist, [however], the…

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Diabetics facing higher cost for life-changing Insulin

Mallee diabetics are being left facing higher costs with the removal of a life changing insulin from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Anne Webster says. “Fiasp is an innovative mealtime insulin that improves blood sugar control in diabetes patients at a faster rate than other diabetes medications,” Dr Webster said.…

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Questions remain over Labor’s Superannuation changes

Farmers have a right to be concerned with the fallout from the Federal Labor Government’s Superannuation reform, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. In the wake of Labor’s decision to levy a tax of 30 per cent on earnings from Superannuation funds with balances more than $3 million from 2025, there are fears this could…

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Westpac pauses regional bank closures

Westpac’s Robinvale Branch will remain open for now after the bank paused its regional closure program while it engages with an ongoing Senate Inquiry. Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster successfully advocated for the pause, which comes after continued pressure on the entire banking sector to halt regional closures. “This is great news for the…

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