Outlining the opposition Labor Party's direction in health policy, this presentation describes a 'long-term vision for health' in rural Australia. Issues considered include: removal of duplication and inconsistencies between different levels of government in order to use limited health resources for patient based health services; Indigenous health; the importance of health promotion; and the prevention...

The most effective way to reduce poverty and marginalisation in society is through education, which results in high employment, greater expendable income capable of supporting a welfare system and increased personal leisure time; this leads to social stability and optimal conditions for good population health.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides a weekly child health clinic in the remote Indigenous community of Kowanyama, on Cape York Peninsula. The RFDS runs a playgroup as part of the program. This paper describes the establishment of the playgroup program, its goals, the challenges faced, the strategies used to tackle them and the...

The issues surrounding climate change and its implications for human health are complex. This presentation considers climate, climate change, the possible relationships to drought and the prospects for future climatic conditions in Australia, and their likely effects on public health. The paper provides some background information about the process of global warming, and describes future...

The Conference's 18 priority recommendations are presented. Two of the issues have been included in each of the nine biannual conferences. This Conference agrees that Indigenous life expectancy is still unacceptably low, and that there is still insufficient focus in national health research efforts on rural and remote communities.