On 11 November 2017, The Department of Health appointed Professor Paul Worley as first National Rural Health Commissioner.
His role is to work with regional, rural and remote communities, the health sector, universities, specialist training colleges and government to improve rural health policies, champion the cause of rural practice, and to build a National Rural Generalist Pathway that creates a sustainable locally trained medical workforce to meet the needs of regional, rural and remote communities across Australia.
The National Rural Generalist Pathway (the Pathway) is intended to provide a nationally consistent training framework that will provide trainees with the medical skills needed to meet the specific needs of rural and remote communities.