The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) has brought together policymakers, health leaders, researchers, and industry at Parliament House for its first Parliamentary Showcase, highlighting how high‑quality evidence can inform more equitable, effective, and accessible healthcare through digital innovation.
The Showcase demonstrated findings from three DHCRC‑supported research projects focused on improving access to care in rural, remote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, supporting the health workforce, and ensuring digital health models are safe, effective, and fit for national scale.
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health, and Women, the Hon Rebecca White MP, delivered the Ministerial Address.
“The work of the Digital Health CRC is helping bridge the gap in access to care, particularly for people in regional, remote, and First Nations communities.
“By combining digital health technology with in-person care, we’re seeing practical results that are improving access and supporting culturally safe care, ensuring people can get the care they need, where and when they need it,” Assistant Minister White said.
The Parliamentary Showcase highlighted how evidence‑based digital health solutions can support better policy decisions and practical implementation across Australia’s health system.
DHCRC Chief Executive Officer Annette Schmiede said the Showcase demonstrated the value of research designed from the outset to inform real‑world policy and practice.
“Digital health has enormous potential, but without robust evidence, we risk scaling solutions that do not deliver the outcomes communities and clinicians need,” Ms Schmiede said.
“DHCRC exists to generate that evidence and translate it into practical insights for decision‑makers, and that’s exactly what we showcased.”
The focus of the event was on three DHCRC projects addressing equity and access to healthcare in rural, remote, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.
Each presentation demonstrated how digital health can help shift the system from episodic, hospital‑centred care to more connected, preventative, and locally anchored models of care that can be scaled nationally.
Capturing the economic impact of emergency telehealth services
Associate Professor Sarah Norris from the University of Sydney presented a DHCRC collaborative project examining the expansion of emergency telehealth services to Aboriginal Medical Services in remote Western Australia.
The research explored the costs, impacts, and cultural appropriateness of providing specialist emergency support virtually, enabling care to be delivered closer to home and on Country.
Associate Professor Norris said the findings highlight how carefully designed virtual emergency models can support local clinicians, improve access to timely advice, and maintain cultural safety when implemented in partnership with Aboriginal communities.
Evaluating Western NSW LHD’s Virtual Support program
Associate Professor Georgina Luscombe from the University of Sydney School of Rural Health and Amanda Hunter from Western NSW Local Health District presented findings on how virtual support and remote monitoring services can help clinicians identify clinical deterioration early.
Associate Professor Luscombe said the virtual service represents an important investment in safety and efficiency, with the research providing valuable insight into improved patient outcomes in rural settings.
“Safer care, fewer transfers, and more completed treatments are all critical benefits for patients in regional and remote communities,” she said.
Western NSW Local Health District Clinical Nurse Consultant in Virtual Rural Care, Amanda Hunter, said providing an additional layer of support for stretched workforces is critical to ensuring patient safety.
“Digital tools must be embedded into existing clinical workflows and designed to strengthen, not replace, local services,” Ms Hunter said.
Improving access and equity for health care services in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Professor Tim Shaw from the University of Sydney highlighted the importance of co‑design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to support the adoption of digital health technologies in rural and remote settings.
He explained that the collaborative project works in partnership with community‑controlled health services, government agencies, and community‑based researchers to co‑design and evaluate culturally safe, contextually appropriate digital technologies that support continuity of care in highly remote communities.
“This approach emphasises local capability and trust, ensuring findings directly inform service design, workforce models and future digital health investment for rural and regional Australia,” Professor Shaw said.
Presenting alongside Professor Shaw, Associate Professor Deborah Russell from Menzies School of Health Research said digital tools can strengthen access, efficiency, and coordination of primary care, while reducing avoidable travel and reliance on fly‑in, fly‑out services.
The Parliamentary Showcase highlighted the strength of the CRC model, bringing together government, health services, researchers, and industry to tackle complex challenges collaboratively.
Ms Schmiede said DHCRC’s role is to support policymakers with independent, high‑quality evidence that can guide investment and reform.
“Good policy relies on good evidence,” she said. “By working in collaboration with our partners, we can ensure digital health technologies are implemented in ways that genuinely support communities, clinicians, and the health system.”
