Rural Workforce Agency Victoria, RWAV, and East Grampians Health Service, EGHS, last week brought together health service, education, government and community leaders to discuss chronic allied-health workforce shortages across rural and regional Victoria.

Monday’s roundtable meeting built on a joint RWAV-EGHS statement, ‘Strengthening the Allied Health Workforce in Rural and Regional Victoria’, released in February.

The statement highlighted an urgent need for targeted workforce models, improved access to allied-health qualifications, and expanded recruitment and retention incentives.

The statement said allied-health workforce shortages and unequal workforce distribution ‘negatively impact the availability of allied-health professionals in rural and regional Victoria’.

Participants shared their perspectives and lived experiences from across the allied-health sector, with facilitators aiming to encourage dialogue, curiosity and constructive engagement, particularly where participants had differing views.

EGHS chief executive Nick Bush said the collaborative approach reflected a shared commitment by RWAV and EGHS to create sustainable, community‑focused allied-health workforce solutions.

“This roundtable reinforced the power of working together with a shared purpose,” he said.

“The perspectives gathered from participants, including universities, RWAV, health services, government and interested parties, will guide the development of practical solutions to build a stronger, more sustainable allied-health workforce for rural communities.”

Key themes emerging from the meeting included a desire to strengthen ‘grow-your-own’ workforce models, with participants backing localised workforce-development programs that focused on recruiting, training and retaining local people.

Mr Bush said the success of EGHS’s nursing pipeline, through which more than 60 locals have completed diploma or bachelor’s qualifications, could be replicated across allied-health professions.

Other themes emerging from the meeting were expanded access to allied-health qualifications, including a need for rural and regional training hubs; and enhancing recruitment and retention incentives, including scholarships and bursaries, relocation grants and accommodation support, placement payments and HELP debt reduction.

RWAV chief executive Lauren Cordwell described the roundtable as a landmark meeting.

“The roundtable was an important step toward co-ordinated, multisectoral action to increase the number of allied health professionals working in country towns,” she said.

“We deeply appreciate the openness and constructive spirit participants brought to the discussion; it’s clear that genuine collaboration is the foundation for meaningful change.”

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