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Australia¡¯s opposition has pledged more funding for rural health training, in an election campaign that has largely bypassed the higher education sector.

The promised A$100 million (?48 million) will help upgrade regional health training facilities, according to shadow health minister Anne Ruston, who said the money would ¡°kick-start¡± works to enhance teaching facilities, laboratories and student accommodation used for medical, nursing and allied health courses.

Ruston also promised an additional 200 places in regional medical schools to help plug a chronic shortage of health workers in the bush. She said the extra places would be additional to earlier commitments to boost doctor training numbers.

Both major parties have promised to bankroll an extra 100 medical places each year from 2026, increasing to 150 a year by 2028.

The conservative Liberal-National party coalition has also matched the governing Labor Party¡¯s promise to contribute A$150 million towards a new health training centre at Flinders University in Adelaide.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the coalition would ¡°bring more doctors to the regions¡±. He said a ¡°comprehensive¡± rural, regional and remote health strategy would be developed within six months of the 3 May election, if his side proved victorious.

Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson said there was ¡°clear evidence¡± that students who trained in the bush were more likely to work there.

Health education has been a common factor in the few spending promises directed at universities, in an election campaign mostly focused on other issues. Labor has pledged A$27.5 million to fund the construction of a health and engineering wing at Central Queensland University¡¯s Cairns campus, and A$80 million towards a new academy for health sciences collaborating with the university in its main hub of Rockhampton.

Universities Australia (UA) said the latest promise from the coalition was a ¡°vote of confidence in our sector¡± and a ¡°major boost¡± for regional Australia.

¡°Access to quality healthcare is not a nice to have, it¡¯s a need to have, and we know that there aren¡¯t enough doctors and nurses and other health professionals in the regions,¡± said chief executive Luke Sheehy.

¡°It¡¯s great to see funding for new university places supported by investment in campus infrastructure. Regional universities often face unique challenges due to their location, including higher operating costs and increased infrastructure and service delivery expenses.¡±

UA has been campaigning for a dedicated infrastructure fund ¨C something the sector has lacked since the demise of the Education Investment Fund last decade. Universities have compensated with money from international students, but this income stream is now threatened by the policies of both major parties.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com