Recent Reports and Publications
The Cost of Late Intervention in 2024 report (COLI Report) has been released in recent months by the Front Project to highlight the true economic and social cost of waiting too long to invest in children. It shows that in 2024, Australia spent $22.3 billion on late interventions services for children and young people aged 0-24, including child protection, youth justice, unemployment support and health crises. This report emphasises the missed opportunities to change life trajectories through earlier, more effective support, and advocates for early investment in universal, community-based services including antenatal care, high-quality early learning and care, maternal and child health services, and supported playgroups.
The National Rural Health Alliance 2025 NOUS report (The Forgotten Health Spend report – National Rural Health Alliance) provides an updated analysis on the government health expenditure and access across rural, regional and remote Australia. The total gap of $8.35 billion is significant, but even more concerning is that it is most pronounced in MMM 5-7 areas*, in particular MMM 5, which the majority of WSM communities fall into. Children living in these areas are facing the greatest disadvantage, with the deficit being driven by shortfalls in a range of areas including primary healthcare providers, hospital care, private allied health services, dentistry, maternity care, nursing, and NDIS services. The key strategies identified to address this gap include:
- Defining levels of reasonable access to care and regional planning approaches to determine how these levels can be met at a regional level.
- Coordinated and flexible funding to support services across defined regions.
- Implementing localised multidisciplinary models of service delivery across sectors.
We are already seeing the benefits of the Royal Far West integrated, multidisciplinary model of allied health in several of our schools in Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack Shires which provides early and wrap around care. By Five will continue to work and advocate for all children in WSM to have access to allied health and other key services which are imperative in supporting their development.