THE HON WARREN SNOWDON MP
Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health
and Regional Services Delivery
Media contact: Paul Williams on 0407 990 723 or paul.williams@health.gov.au
MEDIA RELEASE
16 October 2009
NT DOCTORS INCLUDED IN CASH RETENTION SCHEME
The Northern Territory’s general practitioners would be offered retention grants of between
$2 500 and $12 000 under a Rudd Government initiative to encourage them to stay in the
territory, Rural and Regional Health Minister, Warren Snowdon, said today.
The Minister said the government’s General Practice Rural Incentives Program would also
provide eligible doctors relocating to the Northern Territory from a metropolitan area with a
relocation grant of $15 000.
“We want to ensure we don’t have a two-tier health system in this country, with metropolitan
Australians on the eastern seaboard enjoying better health than those in regional and remote
areas.
“Our reclassification of the Northern Territory from 1 July 2010 will mean extra incentives
for doctors to relocate and to remain here, resulting in a healthier and ultimately stronger
community.
The Minister said the government expected around 2 400 general practitioners currently
serving regional and rural communities across Australia to directly benefit from this initiative
for the first time.
He said the change would mean general practitioners caring for the health of around 100 000
Territorians in Darwin, Howard Springs, Palmerston, Robertson Barracks and Virginia-Bees
Creek could benefit from the extension of these financial incentives.
The Minister made the announcement while in central Australia today consulting the
community on the future of the country’s health system, hearing first-hand from local health
care professionals about their priorities for improving the delivery of health care.
He said all Australians were similarly invited to submit their comments and contribute to the
Today’s forum in Alice Springs—the first of two to be conducted in the Northern Territory—
was the 60th held across the country to publicly canvass the system-wide changes
recommended by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC).
The NHHRC report is available from the website, along with the two other reports presented
to the Rudd Government—the draft of the National Primary Health Care Strategy and the
report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce.
NEWS 
