Mayors from across rural NSW have thrown their weight behind a push for increased public funding for the RFDS, with the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) calling on the NSW Government to ensure the Service’s ongoing sustainability by committing to ongoing core funding.
The Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) passed a motion at its General Meeting in Sydney on Friday (8 May) applauding the NSW Government’s $15m payment to the RFDS last year – and calling on the Government to “continue this funding on an annual basis, to ensure these vital services are maintained into the future and in recognition of the significant health benefits this delivers for people in rural, regional and remote NSW”.
The CMA speaks for rural and remote communities across NSW and is the peak body for non-metropolitan councils, with 89 members. Speakers at its General Meeting on Friday included NSW Premier Chris Minns, NSW Minister for Skills Steve Whan, and Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University Prof Renee Leon, as well as RFDS South Eastern Section CEO Greg Sam.
Mr Sam presented an overview of the RFDS’s contributions across NSW, including a compelling video highlighting powerful first-person accounts of rural rescue and survival through RFDS interventions. He also made the point that the RFDS continues to deliver essential frontline healthcare where others can’t, amid ongoing pressures from supply chain and other shocks affecting economies globally since 2020.
The motion, which was approved unanimously by the CMA members in attendance, “acknowledges the Royal Flying Doctor Service has faithfully served rural and remote NSW for 90 years”.
The motion also noted that the recent economic analysis by Marsden Jacob Associates, which showed the RFDS’s lifesaving aeromedical services alone create over $1.3 billion annually in economic benefits for the NSW economy in avoided mortality and morbidity, demonstrated that “modest investments in rural and remote healthcare services deliver disproportionately significant healthcare benefits and outcomes, reduce pressure on the healthcare system and provide broader social and economic returns”.
“The CMA applauds the NSW Government’s $15m assistance grant to the RFDS in 2025–26, and calls on the NSW Government to continue this funding on an annual basis, to ensure these vital services are maintained into the future and in recognition of the significant health benefits this delivers for people in rural, regional and remote NSW,” the motion concluded.
Executive General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Fundraising, Annabey Whitehead, thanked CMA Chair Cr Rick Firman, Mayor of Temora Shire Council, and the CMA’s members for the motion, which she said reflected the organisation’s longstanding partnerships and the depth of support for the RFDS across rural communities.
“Local councils are key partners for the RFDS across NSW, as we consult with communities about their needs and tailor services to fill service gaps – providing essential healthcare where others can’t,” Ms Whitehead said. “The RFDS is deeply honoured and grateful to the CMA for this recognition and resounding expression of support.”
You never know when you are going to need it, I think is the big issue there… if you ever get the opportunity to support them, please do so.
Cr John MetcalfSeconding the motion, Lachlan Shire Council Mayor John Medcalf OAM said Mr Sam’s presentation “showed how important this important this organisation is not just to NSW, but also nationally”.
