DAN REPACHOLI MP

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR HUNTER

MEDIA RELEASE

HUNTER ALLIED HEALTH WORKFORCE SUMMIT SINGLETON

Federal Member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi MP, is today hosting a workforce forum in Singleton that brings together Hunter-based and other regional service providers – in health, disability services and aged care – with educators and Commonwealth and NSW State Government officials.

The Forum is looking at how we can make sure local people can access the services they need and are entitled to, while improving access and opportunity for local people to develop these skills, get the jobs and build careers in the services and communities that need them – here in the Hunter and in other parts of regional and rural Australia.

The Forum will look especially allied health services and jobs such as physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dieticians, occupational therapists and many more.

They are not doctors, nurses or personal care workers, but often work closely with them. It also includes VET trained Allied Health Assistants (AHA), who work as part of the allied health team delivering skilled therapy and support.

Demand for allied health professionals and allied health assistants is very strong growing and like other health and care professions, they are part of the Health and Social Assistance workforce, which is by far the largest sector for jobs growth across Australia.

Quotes attributable to Dan Repacholi, Federal Member for Hunter:

“In the five years to November 2026, experts have projected we’ll need 250,000 more people working in Health and Social Assistance jobs that we do now, just to meet demand.

“Around a third of those will be in regional and rural communities and that means thousands of extra jobs in the Hunter,

“The truth is we need more now.

“A lot of the service providers here today want and are trying to employ people in skilled, local jobs now, but there just are not enough to match the need.

“Some jobs require university and others require VET qualifications, we need both.

“People living in regional, rural and remote Australia often find it difficult to access these services.

“A major reason being there are nowhere near enough allied health professionals or assistants to meet community need.  

“Anyone living in the Hunter who wants a skilled job in these areas and is interested in accessing VET or university training to kick off or take a further career step should have access to the education and training they need.

“We all benefit from that investment.

“We can’t produce the workforce overnight, but we can act and get closer than we are now.

“By working with groups like Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health, with local health, disability, aged care and other service providers, providers, with educators across schools, VET and universities, government officials from local, state and national government we can put a spotlight on how everyone’s effort can come together in a place like the Hunter to make a real difference to improve services and job opportunities where it counts: in our communities.”