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Bright stars in the sky?

Actions to improve the health of people in rural and remote areas are supported by people's ability as individuals and as a community to take part actively in the design, management and evaluation of their own health services. To do this successfully, people need information about their health, resources to support their actions and political support or legitimacy. This article focuses on the third requirement. At the beginning of 2000, there seems to be strong political interest in improving the status of rural communities and rural services overall, including rural health and health services. The constellation of events that contribute to this encouraging state of affairs includes the Regional Australia Summit that was held in October 1999, the existence of a strategic framework for rural health that was agreed on by all health jurisdictions (Healthy Horizons), improved clarity about the relative state of health and health service utilisation in rural and remote areas, and the Prime Minister's recent commitment to improve rural services. The next major national opportunity to convert these positive signs into action comes with the Federal Budget in May 2000, the content of which will be closely watched by people concerned about improving health in country areas.