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Nationals committed to regional pharmacy access and fair healthcare by calling for leadership and action

The Nationals support for healthcare heroes and rural pharmacies, calling for fairness and leadership in government needs urgent action.

By news@gippsland - 4th September 2023 - Back to News

Thank you. I want to thank you, the heroes of the pandemic. The men and women who stayed in our communities and now are being discarded by this government because it's politically expedient and saves them money. What sort of government does that to the health professionals that got us through one of the biggest challenges this country has ever faced since the Second World War.

Government must assume the role of Prime Minister, supersede Butler, and personally lead negotiations for resolution by Christmas. The Nationals fully support this effort

Healthcare in Regional Australia

But for The Nationals, let me say this is deeply personal. This is about the viability of healthcare for the men and women and children who live in regional, rural and remote Australia. Over 400 pharmacies are the last line of primary healthcare defence for us.

And this mob wants to rip it away from us where our government, long after the AMA and their friends left us, and we've got no doctors. It is the pharmacists that stuck with us. It's the pharmacists that have stuck in region and rural Australia.

They believe in their communities and deliver to their community in the good and the bad. It's for that reason The Nationals are with you every step of the way.

Fairness in healthcare

Make no mistake, you are not asking for something special. You are asking for a fair go. Our model is our fair go. Do you want cheaper childcare? We didn't ask the childcare centres to pay for it. No. We want cheaper medicines. And we all want cheaper medicines. That's a better way to do it. And listening to you and giving you a seat at the table is a way to do that.

This is about leadership now, real leadership of this government, Butler's not up to it. He should go. It's up to the Prime Minister to show he's got the ticker. He's got the ticker to understand what this will do, not just in the bush but what it will do right across the country. Tearing away the livelihoods of those men and women who have invested in their community, invested in a community pharmacy and employing local people.

And when you've got to tear away at a feminised industry, you've got to ask the question about all the narrative that's come out of this, that it's all spin and no substance. It is time for Anthony Albanese to step up and be Prime Minister. To walk over Butler, get rid of Butler, and take over the negotiations personally and make sure this is done by Christmas. The Nats are with you all the way, we are going over the cliff all the way. We will fix this for you.

Pictures from The Nationals for Regional Australia website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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