Rural generalists program going well

Federal Member for Parkes reports the Rural Generalist Training Scheme (RGTS) to boost doctor numbers in the bush is going well.

Mr Coulton said the former Coalition Government put $49.7 million into the program in 2021.

“Recently in Parliament I caught up with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) who have been delivering this program, and was pleased to hear of its ongoing success in securing enrolments,” Mr Coulton said.

“The training of doctors takes time, however with programs like this my hope is that we begin to see more rural general practitioners emerge and take up positions across the Parkes electorate.

“I have received many constituent appeals for more doctors in regional areas, and this is only one of many programs established to attempt to overcome the challenge of attracting doctors to the bush.

“These outcomes take time and involve multiple complex factors; however I will continue to work with organisations such as the ACRRM and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia to find solutions,” he said.

“It is encouraging to see the popularity of the Rural Generalist Training Scheme.”

Cool nights and warm days continue

The current trend of cool nights and warm days is set to continue into the Easter weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting the mercury to reach a top of 30 degrees today after 13 overnight.

Tomorrow’s expected maximum is 29 after a low of 17 and Friday will be slightly warmer with a low of 18 and a maximum of 30.

The weekend is predicted to be a balmy one with Saturday’s gauge expected to top out at 25 (after 16 overnight) while Sunday should reach a maximum of 21 degrees after a much cooler night, with an expected low of 12. Monday’s forecast is sunny with 22 degrees and just eight degrees is the predicted low.

Last Friday was our coolest morning of the week with residents waking up to a fresh 7.9 degrees before the thermometer climbed to a top of 23.4 during the day.

Wednesday’s minimum only dipped to 20.3 degrees before warming up 27.6.

Overnight on Thursday the mercury dropped to 10.8 degrees before reaching 24.3 during the day. Saturday’s temperature was identical to Thursday’s with a low of 10.8 degrees and a top of 24.3.

Sunday started off fresh with a minimum of 8.5 degrees before warming up to 26.

Monday was our warmest day of the week when it reached a maximum of 29.4 degrees during the day.