The latest National Rural Health Alliance report has found the healthcare funding gap between rural and urban Australians has widened to $9.23 billion, leaving more than 7.4 million people without reliable access to essential services. NRHA Chief Executive Susi Tegen says rural communities are being left behind by a funding system that favours established urban services, calling for long-term investment and greater accountability from governments.

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia is encouraging rural communities to recognise unpaid carers and offer practical support during National Carers Week, which runs from October 11 to 17.

IMAGE: Coorong District Council By FlowFM press team Tintinara, one hour south of Murray Bridge on the Dukes Highway toward Melbourne, has a purpose-built medical centre just like many small towns. However, due to severe staff shortages, it has not had an occupant and today sits largely vacant despite the attached SA Ambulance facility. The Coorong Council and the Local Health Network (LHN) have been in communication to try and find solutions to the lack of doctor and nursing

Rural and remote Australians are being encouraged to speak with their local doctor about changes to memory, thinking or behaviour during Dementia Action Week.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine is urging people in regional communities to keep checking in on friends, family and neighbours, as recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the suicide rate in remote and very remote Australia is almost two-and-a-half times that of major cities.

GrainGrowers is encouraging farmers to make use of free mental health resources, following new findings showing more than one in three Australian farmers are experiencing moderate to high psychological distress.

The Senate has voted to hold an inquiry into the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority's decision to allow continued use of paraquat under tighter restrictions.

Targeted vaccinations have begun in New South Wales to help protect vulnerable native birds from the threat of H5 avian influenza. The program includes captive insurance populations and selected wild populations, with Little Penguins at Manly and Barunguba Montague Island among those being considered.

Australia’s red meat industry is being urged to monitor and report signs of bird flu as the H5N1 strain of avian influenza continues to spread across the country.

A long-nosed fur seal has died from H5 bird flu at Beachport on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, marking the first confirmed case in a mammal on mainland Australia. The detection comes as the virus spreads among wildlife, with South Australia recording 183 confirmed events, including mass deaths of more than 1,000 greater crested terns on offshore islands.

South Australian pet owners and backyard poultry keepers are being urged to take precautions against H5 bird flu, with 163 confirmed cases now recorded in wild birds across the state.

The push to establish radiotherapy services in South Australia’s Limestone Coast has regained momentum, with Health Minister Blair Boyer making a commitment to “reconsider” whether a regional facility could be feasible - and engaging with private providers about its potential delivery. Limestone Coast Radiotherapy Working Group chair Lachlan Haynes joined FlowFM's Jessica Dempster on the Country Viewpoint to share the details on this promising update.

Students undertaking rural health placements are set to receive greater financial support, with the Federal Government expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment to ten additional health professions from July next year.

Australian vegetable growers are urging households to eat more locally grown produce, saying it could help ease cost-of-living pressures while improving public health.

Access to radiotherapy treatment in South Australia’s Limestone Coast has again been pushed into the spotlight, with local advocates meeting election candidates to discuss the region’s healthcare needs.

The Rural Doctors’ Association of South Australia has welcomed a proposed $13 million medical training investment in Mount Gambier, but warns infrastructure alone will not fix workforce shortages.

Rural communities across Australia are set to benefit from a strengthened network of health and wellbeing programs, with Active Farmers and the Fat Farmers Rural Health Initiative joining forces to expand their reach and impact.

Rural and remote Australians are being encouraged to make preventative health care a priority as the new year gets underway. The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine said the start of the year presents a natural opportunity to check in on long-term health and follow up on any lingering concerns.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine says increasingly severe weather events are placing growing strain on health services in rural, remote and First Nations communities.

As part of National Skin Cancer Action Week (November 16 -22 2025) Dr RT Lewandoski from the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, joined FlowFM's Jess Dempster on the Country Viewpoint to discuss the heighten risks faced by rural and regional Australians when it comes to skin cancer.