The federal Minister for Health, Tanya Plibersek says she will investigate calls by the National Rural Health Students’ Network for nurses and allied health professionals to be included in the HECS reimbursement scheme.

The federal government will investigate an expansion of the HECS reimbursement scheme to include nursing and allied health professionals in an effort to attract more graduates to work in rural and regional areas. The Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek has responded to calls from student and professional peak bodies to widen the pool of health professionals that are eligible to receive HECS relief in return for working in hard to staff areas. Plibersek told Parliament on June 21 that she would work with the Minister for Tertiary Education, Chris Evans, to look at expanding the scheme, which...