Guy Rowlison, Brainstorm

National Rural Health Alliance Chief Executive Susi Tegen said mental health in women is ‘an enormous issue in rural and remote Australia’ and called for action to improve rural healthcare accessibility.

Ms Tegan was a guest on the first episode of Brainstorm, the new mental health podcast produced by Plus Communications, released on 4 April 2023.

‘Some women above the age of 60, in particular if they are single, live in poverty; about 34 per cent of women live in poverty,’ said Ms Tegen.

She also said ‘only 2.3 per cent of the research dollar goes to rural and remote even though we have 30 per cent of the population.

‘This population has some major access issues, partly because of workforce shortages and partly because of the tyranny of distance. But they have been so resilient and active in ensuring that the Australian economy is doing well. So, people think they don’t need that support.’

Speaking about the work of the Alliance, Ms Tegen said, ‘We are here to pull like-minded entities together to ensure that access, support and policy is developed at a national level to work on key initiatives, so that the communities are serviced.’

Listen to Brainstorm at https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Zlbm40fUHBbdG0EZUq8Oz

Summary of the podcast

Susie Tegen is the Chief Executive of the National Rural Health Alliance, a peak body which represents over 40 national organised relations from health consumers, healthcare professionals, and service providers through to health educators, students, and the indigenous health sector. Tegen came to Australia from her native Austria as a teenager and has since lived and worked in rural and remote Australia, advocating for the cause and achieving remarkable successes. Tegen’s journey to this point has been one of opportunity, as rural and remote Australia has been forgiving and welcoming of her exploring different career paths. She has had successful careers in agriculture, primary industries, education, medicine, health and tertiary education. The National Rural Health Alliance supports almost 50 different national organisations representing health consumers and healthcare professionals, such as allied health, health service management and paramedicine.

The National and Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) is an entity that looks after the 30 per cent of the Australian population that live in rural and remote areas. The NRHA works to ensure that these areas have access to the same medical and health services, research, and policies as those living in more populated areas. Additionally, the NRHA focuses on emotional wellbeing, a particularly pressing issue for women living in rural and remote areas. These women face challenges such as access to support, the tyranny of distance, and workforce shortages. The NRHA works to address these issues and provide the necessary emotional health and wellbeing support for these women.

This conversation explores the issues that women living in rural and remote regions of Australia face in terms of health, both physical and mental. The speaker notes that women often support their families, in-laws, and their own parents, and yet come out with less savings and superannuation than men, leaving many single women over the age of 60 in poverty. 34 per cent of women live in poverty despite making up 47.4 per cent of the workforce, having to deal with stressful careers, family life, and the added challenges of climate and perinatal depression and anxiety. It is noted that access to mental health services and professionals is not on the same level in rural areas as it is in cities, and that communities often do not want to talk about their issues. The speaker concludes that it is important to have a better understanding of mental health and health professionals from a rural perspective.

Research on farmer mental health has mainly been conducted in urban areas, with only 2.3 per cent of research dollars going to rural and remote areas. Young people in rural and remote areas are particularly at risk for mental health issues, due to increased alcohol consumption, car accidents, and a lack of support for mental health. The issue is not likely to improve soon, due to a lack of resources and advocacy. Additionally, women in rural and remote areas are at a higher risk for perinatal depression or anxiety and parenting stress due to limited services.