p//g Working for good health and well-being in rural and remote Australia CONTENTS Part 1: Core Activity . .1 Policy Work . .1 Medicare . .1 Primary Health Care and General Practice . .3 The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) . .4 Rural and Remote Nursing Workforce . .4 Rural and Remote Allied Health . .6 Healthy Horizons . .7 Aged care . .8 Telstra and telecommunications . .8 Advocacy . .11 Promoting Policy . .11 Submission on Ageing . .12 PARTYline . .14 Conferences . .15 6th National Undergraduate Rural Health Conference (NURHC) . .15 7th National Rural Health Conference . .15 From Energy to Shared Action . .18 Planning for the 8th National Rural Health Conference . .20 Frontier Services . .20 Toowoomba: where it all started . .20 Meetings . .22 Council, Executive, AGM . .22 CouncilFest 2002 . .22 Networking and collaboration . .23 NRHA’s membership in other organisations . .23 NRHA’s representation on committees . .23 National Rural Health Alliance 2004 Rural Sub-committee of AHMAC . .24 Yearbook and Annual Report 2002-2003 Australian Health Reform Alliance . .25 National Healthcare Alliance . .26 ISSN 1441-8002 Rural Education Forum Australia (REFA) . .26 National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC) . .27 ISBN 0 9751220 2 9 Australian Rural and Remote Workforce Agency Group . .28 RHSET . .28 Editorial: NRHA COMMUNITYLife . .28 Design: Spectrum Graphics, www.sg.com.au Photographs: Irene Lorbergs, Sam Rosewarne, Stewart Roper Part 2: Managed Projects . .30 RAMUS Scholarships . .30 Overview . .30 Introduction of the Web-based Scholarship Database . .31 Implementation of a Range of Changes to Ongoing Eligibility . .32 Use of a Modified Application Process . .33 Evaluation of the Administration of the Scheme . .34 friends of the Alliance . .35 Australian Journal of Rural Health . .35 The John Flynn Scholarship Scheme (JFSS) . .37 Part 3: The Context for Rural Health . .39 Budget 2003-2004 . .39 AIHW — Australia’s Health in 2002 . .40 Highlights . .40 Pressure points . .41 Pillars of the (Australian Rural Health) establishment . .44 We Need vets too . .45 A Country Commission? . .46 Part 4: NRHA Secretariat . .47 Relocating the Office . .47 Birth of Oscar . .47 NRHA Staff . .48 Consultants to the NRHA in 2002-2003 . .50 Organisations Co-Located at the NRHA’s address . .50 Internship Program . .51 Part 5: Reports and Financial Statements . .52 Chairperson’s Report . ..