Spinifex Network
Supporting rural health & medical research for a stronger and healthier rural Australia
About
Media & advocacy
Member Organisations
Member Locations
About
What is the Spinifex Network?
The Rural Health and Medical Research Network – the Spinifex Network – is a consortium and coalition of more than 50 rural and regional health organisations that have joined forces to address the paucity of funding for rural medical research.
Purpose & Activity
What we do and why
Thirty per cent of Australians live in rural, regional & remote Australia, but have substantially poorer physical & mental health than those in cities. People living in rural, regional & remote locations deserve better health.
Spinifex will address these inequities through a range of activities, including lobbying for dedicated funding for rural health & medical research; connecting rural health researchers; and participating in national discussions about issues that concern our communities.
People living in rural, regional and remote locations deserve better health.
We will be rigorous, and use creative and non-traditional research approaches to improve health outcomes for these Australians.
Our strength is in our rural roots, our will to collaborate and make change happen.
Spinifex, where it grows in the desert and near the coast, is a symbol of resilience. It can withstand storms, winds and king tides. It has deep roots, it resists drought and stabilises the earth.
– a collective statement of purpose and intent for the Spinifex Network, endorsed by participants at the Spinifex Symposium, Alice Springs, November 13, 2019.
News & Events
Governments ‘tin-eared’ to the importance of regional health sector
Professor Christine Jorm and Dr Lou Conway recently shared their thoughts on the important role of health as an employer for our regional economies...
Spinifex lobbies Treasury in a pre-budget submission
The Spinifex Network was pleased to provide a submission for the 2020–21 Federal Budget this week. The submission proposes three years of funding...
Evaluating telehealth for rural and regional Australia
The role of telehealth in its widest sense has been increasingly a focus of health services and implementation research as a valuable mode of rural...
Contact Us
Contact: Liz Egan
Address
Office of Strategy Management, VC Unit
University of New England
Armidale NSW 2351
Phone
+61 (0)2 6773 1868
0404 418 573
eegan@une.edu.au