Speak Out
December 2014
5
As the SPA representative
on the
National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA)
I was fortunate to attend ‘CouncilFest’
– the annual face-to-face meeting of
the NRHA from Friday 19 – Tuesday
23 September 2014 in Canberra.
CouncilFest brings together the 37
member organisations of NRHA with an
interest in improving the health of people
living in rural and remote areas.
The agenda for the meeting included
a standard council meeting, reports
from staff in the organisation, several
sessions developing a “top five priorities
for the NRHA” list, presentations from a
variety of “Friends of the Alliance”, a full
day visit to Parliament House and the
Annual General Meeting.
I was very nervous about attending
my first CouncilFest, mainly because
it included preparing for the first
session titled “Councillors’ (musical)
reflections”! I was required to reflect on
my interest in and aspirations for rural
and remote health using one or more
of the following: a musical instrument
(including voice); musical terminology;
rhythm; and/or musical allusions.
I survived this session with a successful
avoidance strategy – we ran out of time
for me. However over the course of the
weekend I did participate in the morning
line dancing and a choir performance.
I must admit the activities were an
excellent way of keeping the group
energised as well as quickly breaking
down any barriers.
Fun times aside we were
there to discuss serious
issues. We spent many
hours discussing a
variety of broad issues
that affect rural and
remote health and came
up with the following “Top 5” list:
1.
Primary Health Networks (PHNs)
that serve rural and remote areas
must be locally managed.
2.
Improvement in internet connectivity
in rural and remote areas.
3.
Opposing the deregulation of
university fees.
4.
The development of an
implementation plan for enacting
the National Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Health Plan.
5.
Increased investment in public
dental services.
With the issues clarified our group
of approximately 40 descended on
Parliament House wearing our newly
issued
t-shirts. We were
stopped abruptly in our tracks by the
increased security measures which had
been implemented only a few hours
previously. After an hour or so
of negotiations we were escorted to
our meeting room in Parliament
House. We spent the day in small
groups presenting our issues to over
45 politicians, including meetings with
Minister Peter Dutton and Minister
Fiona Nash. We also had the
opportunity to attend Question Time
and observed both the Prime Minister
and Leader of the Opposition deliver
speeches.
The day was exciting, exhausting
and left me feeling hopeful that those
in positions of power are listening,
asking the right questions and share
our vision for rural and remote health.
Other sessions during CouncilFest
included conversations with
representatives from the National
Disability Insurance Agency and the
Department of Health as well as
presentations from Royal Far West and
Voices for Indi.
Overall I found CouncilFest to be inspiring
and educational. It was heartening to
know there are similarities in the issues
faced both across professional health
practitioner groups and the various
geographic locations. There are definitely
lessons to be learnt and support to
be gained from our colleagues in the
National Rural Health Alliance. It is also
an excellent platform to raise awareness
of our profession specific challenges. I
look forward to developing in my role on
the NRHA as representative for speech
pathologists in the SPA Rural and
Remote Member Community.
Amanda O’Keefe
Speech Pathology Australia Rural &
Remote Member Community
and
SPA representative on the
National Rural Health Alliance
Speech Pathology Australia
is pleased to welcome Trish Johnson to
National Office as the incoming Senior
Advisor Ethics and Professional Issues.
Trish has commenced in this role to
provide advice and support for SPA
members and the general public regarding
ethical queries or complaints. Trish has
many years of experience in clinical and
leadership roles within speech pathology,
including senior clinician in a stroke unit,
speech pathology manager, and most
recently as a manager of a multidisciplinary
allied health practice. Trish has recently
completed a Masters in Management
which will assist her to support speech
pathologists in appropriate decision-
making as well as valuing each individual’s
experience and expertise.
Welcome, Trish – Senior Advisor Ethics and Professional Issues
Insights from the 2014 National Rural Health Alliance
(NRHA) CouncilFest meeting
Amanda O'Keefe
