Snowdon to spearhead rural health reforms

The Federal Government has moved to improve health services in regional Australia by setting up a new portfolio specifcally focused on the issue.

As part of the Prime Minister's Cabinet reshuffle on the weekend, Warren Snowdon was named as Minister for the new portfolio of Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery.

Minister Snowdon says the Government has a lot of work to do to improve services in the country.

"Well clearly indigenous health is a national disgrace and the Government has been investing heavily in it with the intention of closing the gap and life expectancy between indigenous and non indigenous Australians," he says.

"But also we understand that there real issues in the rest of rural and regional Australia."