Media Release

FEDERAL Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has welcomed the announcement of more than $590,000 to boost rural health services at Normanton, Atherton and Charters Towers under the latest National Rural and Remote Health Infrastructure Program federal funding allocations.

Mr Katter said Normanton’s North and West Queensland Primary Health Care has been granted more than $485,000 to increase office space, consulting rooms and outdoor meeting spaces to support new health professionals and the creation of a culturallyinclusive health experience, by unifying the community’s existing health services.

At the Atherton Clinic, more than $72,000 has been announced for refurbishments to provide three new consultation rooms and comprehensive training resources, with a central meeting room including video‐conferencing and other educational facilities. And almost $33,000 has been allocated for Bodyfix Physiotherapy & Massage at Charters Towers to improve the running of the practice and enhance existing facilities with new medical equipment and computer resources.

Mr Katter congratulated community members who worked tirelessly to improve local health services, and said that the NRRHIP initiative aimed to provide rural and remote area Australians with better access to doctors and allied health professionals closer to home.

“The decline in rural health services was among the key areas of concern to emerge right across the electorate during our pre‐election ‘balance of power’ meetings, with two people telling how they were forced to pull their own teeth for lack of access to a dentist,” said Mr Katter.

He added that the need for direct funding from Canberra to restored local hospital boards was on his 20‐point list of priorities issued during last year’s hung parliament negotiations.