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Rural health: why it matters

John Wakerman and John S Humphreys
Med J Aust 2002; 176 (10): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2002.tb04514.x
Published online: 20 May 2002

Australia needs a distinctive “rural health” approach that recognises the valuable role played by the “outback” in our economy and our national psyche

The year 2002, the "Year of the Outback", is an opportune time to reflect on why rural health matters and why it continues to be important for Australia. It is the culmination of a decade of initiatives and activity by governments, health organisations and communities seeking to address the "problem of rural health".


  • 1 Centre for Remote Health (a joint centre of Flinders University and Northern Territory University), Alice Springs, NT.
  • 2 Monash University School of Rural Health, Monash University, North Bendigo, VIC.



  • 1. Humphreys J, Hegney D, Lipscombe J, et al. Whither rural health? Reviewing a decade of progress in rural health. Aust J Rural Health 2002; 10: 2-14.
  • 2. Australian Health Ministers' Conference. Healthy horizons 1999–2003: a framework for improving the health of rural, regional and remote Australians. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1999.
  • 3. Humphreys J, Lyle D, Wakerman J, et al. Roles and activities of the Commonwealth Government University Departments of Rural Health. Aust J Rural Health 2000; 8: 120-133.
  • 4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It's different in the bush — a comparison of general practice activity in metropolitan and rural areas of Australia,1998–2000. Canberra: AIHW, 2001. (AIHW Catalogue No. GEP-6.)
  • 5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health in rural and remote Australia. Canberra: AIHW, 1998: 14. (AIHW Catalogue No. PHE 6.)
  • 6. Bureau of Rural Sciences. Country matters: social atlas of rural and regional Australia. Canberra: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, 1999.
  • 7. Worley PS, Prideaux DJ, Strasser RP, et al. Why we should teach undergraduate medical students in rural communities. Med J Aust 2000; 172: 615-617.
  • 8. Lawson KA, Chew M, Van Der Weyden MB. A revolution in rural and remote Australia: bringing health education to the bush. Med J Aust 2000; 173: 618-624. <eMJA full text>
  • 9. Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. Better health care: studies in the successful delivery of primary health care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, 2001.

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