04/12/2025
Working with Rural, Remote, and Very Remote communities under the NDIS has taught me so much.
If you live in these areas, you often only receive Telehealth support — and even then, it may be limited to updating your place on a waitlist or completing yet another report confirming that you need urgent support. That need is often identified, but rarely met.
So let’s look at just one example — a small town called Broadford, located 1 hour and 9 minutes from Melbourne CBD.
For many people living here, over half of their therapy budget is spent on travel just to receive face-to-face support.
A typical annual therapy budget of $28,000 becomes $7,000 per quarter.
If 50% goes to travel, only $3,500 remains for actual therapy.
That gives roughly 18 hours of face-to-face therapy every four months, averaging just 1.5 hours per week.
And then we still need to allocate around 10 hours required NDIS reporting.
Suddenly, that 18 hours become just 15.5 hours of real, meaningful support per quarter — for only one allied health discipline. This means people may miss out on Physio, Exercise Physiology, Speech Therapy, OT, or other essential supports.
You might wonder, “Amanda, what’s the point of all this?”
Well… imagine the quality of life people in rural areas could have if they didn’t lose half their budget to travel. If more of their funding actually went into therapy, the possibilities would be endless. People could improve, regain mobility, feel supported, and thrive.
🌿 Introducing a New Allied Health Space in Broadford
We have a dedicated room in Broadford that we are turning into an allied health consultation space available to book:
once a week
once a month
once every two months
or whenever it suits your practice
$100 per week — flat rate.
Whether you use the space for 1 day or all 5 business days, it’s still just $100.
Using our space as your base means people in rural areas can spend more of their budget on actual therapy, not travel.
We will also:
help advertise your services locally
send referrals for people who need face-to-face support
help increase choice and control for participants in our region
This space is not limited to NDIS providers — it is open to TAC, My Aged Care, private clients, and more.
If you're an allied health professional who wants to make a difference in rural communities, I’d love to chat.
📧 amanda@localcountrycare.com.au
