Better funding support for community health services in the Yarra Ranges was the topic of discussion at an engaging meeting between Access Health and Community (AccessHC) leaders and politicians.
Federal shadow health minister Anne Ruston and Casey MP Aaron Violi met with AccessHC chief executive officer Anna Robinson at one of Lilydale’s busiest community health centres, Inspiro on Tuesday 21 October.
Inspiro and AccessHC merged in May to combine resources and better serve its communities amid a lack of funding support from the State Government.
Ms Robinson is also a chairperson for Community Health First, and she said on 2 October that strategic investment of $75 million per year into community health services can unlock better care for Victorians.
“With strategic investment, community health can unlock up to $700 million in avoided healthcare costs, ensure tens of thousands more Victorians get the care they need when and where they need it, and deliver greater equity across our communities,” Ms Robinson said.
Community Health First represents Victoria’s 22 registered independent community health services and announced its 2026-27 Victorian budget submission.
Ms Ruston said it was important for investments into community health to be dictated by the community in order to address unique needs and circumstances.
“There’s an old saying that you’ve seen one rural and regional community, you’ve seen one rural and regional community,” she said.
“Each community has got different challenges, different resources and different opportunities.”
She praised AccessHC for its work with the community to identify what services needed to be prioritised for funding.
“This merged organisation is actually making decisions that are in the best interest of this community.”
Ms Robinson said record investments into acute care in the past two years by the State Government had laid the groundwork for further funding, and now it was time for the government to act.
“Over the past two years, record investments by the Victorian Government have strengthened acute health services and launched critical health reforms.
“With these foundations in place, now is the time to amplify that impact by investing in community health – the services that keep Victorians well, prevent hospitalisations, and ensure timely, affordable support close to home,” said Ms Robinson.
The importance of connecting Yarra Ranges townships through better public transport and innovative technologies was also highlighted.
Ms Ruston said the government needed to incentivise innovations so people who live in smaller townships aren’t being disadvantaged.
“We need to be making sure that we’re investing in innovations and technologies because many of these services are able to be delivered in innovative ways.
“But equally we also need to understand that the revision of a big group of services like we’ve got here [in Lilydale] probably isn’t possible in every community,” she said.
She pointed to telehealth and said it was “one of the greatest advances in provision of health services that we’ve seen in our lifetime”.
