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Stephanie
Gardiner

Rural birth care ‘crisis’ looms amid staff shortages

Women are travelling long distances to give birth, kids are waiting years to see specialists, and mental health services are struggling, a committee has found.

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Aussie families pocket thousands in childcare savings

Landmark childcare reforms have been firmed up in the federal budget, although calls to improve services in rural Australia have gone unanswered. The average Australian family will save more than $4000 a year in childcare fees as the federal...

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‘This is the time’: calls to prioritise rural health

While the federal budget confirmed sweeping reforms to Medicare and billions in health funding, it’s unclear how much will reach the bush, medical groups say.

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Food and fibre get millions to fend off Trump tariffs

The federal government has moved to defend Australia’s agricultural exports, as the sector prepares to have one of its biggest production years on record.

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Health and care spending to ease rural growing pains

Rural health funding is a centrepiece of the federal budget, though measures to boost the number of doctors and clinics are modest after decades of disparity.

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Stephanie Gardiner

26 Mar 2025

News Extra

Hold my chardy: how a warming world makes a cooler drop

A leading vigneron is encouraging Aussie drinkers to do the unthinkable and add ice to wine, as producers experiment with Italian styles in a changing climate.

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Stephanie Gardiner

22 Mar 2025

Regional News

‘Scuttlebutt’: information black-out after power outage

Outback communities cut off from reliable power for 19 days also experienced an information black-out when telecommunications systems failed.

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Stephanie Gardiner

17 Mar 2025

News Extra

How a country cafe cracked up the rural comedy scene

Nick Gleeson was worried about being accused of nepotism when he started a comedy club in his country cafe but his famous brother set him straight.

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Stephanie Gardiner

16 Mar 2025

Regional News

Election push for childcare as rural kids ‘held back’

Farmers, families and advocates are calling on all side of politics to improve “dire” access to childcare in the bush, where there are years-long waiting lists.

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Stephanie Gardiner

11 Mar 2025

News Extra

‘Wake up’: farmers face more pressure on deforestation

Glenn Morris, a farmer and an environmentalist, says crackdowns on deforestation can’t come soon enough as the cattle industry faces increased scrutiny.

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Stephanie Gardiner

08 Mar 2025

Regional News

‘Scary’: town could not call triple zero after storms

An outback town is still “flat out” recovering months after rolling power outages, which shut down a major mine and cut off phone services.

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Stephanie Gardiner

06 Mar 2025

Dubbo Works

Butchers, bakers and makers better off in the bush

Nearly 100 jobs pay better in country Australia, with 67,000 roles available outside the cities, according to new research encouraging workers to make the move.

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Stephanie Gardiner

04 Mar 2025

News Extra

‘Not my arm’: hard medicine brings doctors to the bush

The chance to travel the outback and help country Australians facing extreme medical emergencies is luring more doctors to the bush.

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Stephanie Gardiner

01 Mar 2025