NATIONALS leader David Littleproud says Dr Anne Webster’s work on regional health policy will be part of their 2025 election aspirations as they try to win back women voters.
At the weekend’s federal Nationals conference, Mr Littleproud’s leader’s address expressed the party’s need to re-engage with voters who lost confidence in the party at the last federal election.
“While we held onto all our seats, there were clear signs that there were cohorts that left us. And we’ve got to be honest, they were women,” Mr Littleproud said.
“And so what you’ll see as we go towards the next election is a real emphasis on what’s important to them about a greater investment in regional health.”
Dr Webster was appointed as the Opposition’s assistant spokesperson for Regional Health on January 4 this year.
Alongside her consultation across Australia, she has organised two health summits at Mildura Sporting Precinct, one on regional health workforce, the other about regional aged care provision.
Mr Littleproud said her work on forming health policy, and Gippsland MP Darren Chester’s work on education policy will help rebuild trust and re-ignite enthusiasm.
“Anne Webster’s been piecing this together with local forums, with health professionals across regional Australia, to make sure that we have a tailored solution to regional Australia,” he said.
“That’s what’s at the hearts and minds of regional women.”
Mr Littleproud was later questioned about re-engaging women voters through the coalition’s upcoming health policy, and whether the option to remove the Medicare levy surcharge was the best way to do that.
“Well, again, we’re not bound by resolutions, but what Anne Webster’s been doing has been a body of work that’s been engaging with regional health professionals to make sure that not just the funding, but the policy levers are set,” Mr Littleproud said.
“To ensure there’s an enticement of professionals, particularly into regional Australia, to protect us, but also about how we can spend the Australian taxpayers’ money more wisely.
“So you’ll see our policy come out in the ensuring 12 months. It is going to be pivotal.
“As Perin (Davey) and I went around, we heard in nearly every regional community, apart from childcare, regional health was a real worry, for regional women.
“They were worried for their families. So we’ve got a responsibility to make sure that we build on what we did in government, but understand where we didn’t get it right. We’ve got to be big enough to say, let’s go back and revisit and get it right.”
