EXPERT: Rural and remote health inequalities ‘unacceptable’

EXPERT: Rural and remote health inequalities ‘unacceptable’

25 NOVEMBER 2025  

Who: Menzies School of Health Research Associate Professor Alexandra Edelman 

Topics: 

• Health policy and improving health systems in regional, rural and remote populations in Australia 

Contact details: Call +61 8 8946 6721 or email [email protected] to arrange an interview. 

Quotes attributable to Associate Professor Alexandra Edelman: 

"The health and health system inequities we see reflect decades of insufficient and poorly targeted government investment in social, economic and health infrastructure in rural and remote Australia. We have seen decades policy being made for, but not with, rural and remote communities, meaning that people living rural and remote Australia are still largely recipients of services, programs and policies designed in urban centres that are disconnected from local experiences and priorities. 

“These persistent health inequities in a wealthy country such as Australia are unacceptable. The status quo is not working, so we urgently need new innovative strategies and approaches. Critically, the barrier is not a matter of lack of knowledge – there is a solid body of evidence about what works, where, and why. 

“The challenge we are facing is a failure to translate our current knowledge into policy – and evidence shows that even modest investments in a context of high need can deliver huge benefit. Practical solutions at a community level include investing in place-based planning approaches that bring policymakers together with local community, service providers and researchers to generate shared solutions. At a more macro level, we need to coordinate policy across different levels of government so that we address fragmented planning and funding. 

“If we are unable to improve our health system and the conditions in which people living in rural and remote Australia are born, grow, live, work and age, we will continue to see higher rates of preventable disease and premature mortality, particularly among First Nations people. 

“Healthy populations are the foundation of robust and productive societies. Despite representing only 30 percent of Australia’s population, people living in regional, rural, and remote regions contribute disproportionately to Australia’s economy through key industries such as agriculture, water, forestry, fishing, mining, energy production, recreation, and defence. Improving rural and remote health in Australia must be front and centre of government policy in Australia.”