It was a great privilege this week to bring together supporters of my Rural Health Action Plan alongside parliamentarians to discuss why action is needed to improve healthcare in regional and rural NSW.

We heard from Temora-based GP Dr Rachel Christmas (Rural Doctors' Association of NSW), Country Women's Association (CWA) of NSW leader Danica Leys, birth services advocate Jen Laurie, Health Minister Ryan Park, Shadow Minister for Health, Sarah Mitchell, the Independent Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, and the Greens Health spokesperson, Dr Amanda Cohn.

At this event we saw powerful bipartisanship agreement that something needs to be done.

There was consensus that:

• Everyone needs timely access to a GP and primary care because when access is limited it costs the community and the health system

• Women should be able to give birth close to home and births shouldn’t occur on the side of roads because local birthing centres have been closed or put on bypass

• Rural and regional communities are resilient but won’t settle for substandard health services

I look forward to continuing to work with all my parliamentary colleagues to see what they commit to in the lead up to next year’s election.

Thanks to everyone who attended yesterday and to all those individuals and groups who are demanding better healthcare. The fight will continue until real reform is delivered.