WILLIAMSON BACKS BILL TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN REGIONAL NSW

State Nationals Member for Clarence Richie Williamson has spoken in in the NSW Parliament in support of the Health Services Amendment (Right to Primary Health Care) Bill 2026, saying people across the Richmond and Clarence valleys, and right across regional and rural NSW, should not have to fight harder to access basic health care simply because of where they live.

The Bill, introduced by Independent Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr, seeks to make it a formal function of rural and regional Local Health Districts to ensure residents have appropriate and timely access to in-person primary health care services.

Mr Williamson said the legislation addressed a challenge that communities across the Clarence electorate know all too well.

“Where people live should not determine the quality or accessibility of the health care they receive,” Mr Williamson said.

Mr Williamson said the issue was particularly important across the Clarence electorate, which covers more than 16,000 square kilometres and includes many smaller communities where access to health care can be challenging.

“In my speech I spoke about elderly residents who can no longer drive to appointments, parents managing the cost and time of travel for a child with a chronic illness, and people in small communities who simply need access to a doctor close to home,” he said.

“I am thinking of small outlying villages in my electorate, including Wooli, Minnie Water on the coast, Coutts Crossing, Copmanhurst, Rappville and Coraki.”

Mr Williamson said the challenges facing regional health care were reflected across the electorate’s three public hospitals - Grafton Base Hospital, Maclean District Hospital and Casino and District Memorial Hospital.

“Grafton Base Hospital is about to undergo a major redevelopment, which I strongly support and will continue advocating for,” he said.

“We also have Maclean District Hospital, where significant improvements are needed, and Casino and District Memorial Hospital, which continues to punch well above its weight in supporting local communities.

“These facilities and their staff do an incredible job, but they are operating in a system that is under enormous pressure.

“Emergency departments, GP services and ambulance services are under stress like never before.”

Mr Williamson said the Bill would create greater accountability around access to primary health care and ensure regional communities remained at the centre of health service planning.

“People in regional NSW are not asking for special treatment; they are simply asking for fair treatment,” he said.

“They deserve timely access to primary health care and a health system that works for them, regardless of their postcode.”

A copy of Mr Williamson’s full speech can be viewed here: Legislative Assembly Hansard - 04 June 2026 - Proof