PROVIDING SERVICES IN REMOTE AND RURAL AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITIES

A needs analysis was conducted of people with disabilities living in r emote and rural areas of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The nature of service provision generated the widest range of comments during dat a collections which were conducted through consultations, interviews, and field trips. This paper integrates issues raised in the literature about the nature of work in rural and remote areas with information g athered from service providers and consumers working in country areas of NSW. Clients or consumers (people with disabilities, their families , and care-providers) reported many negative encounters with services. Many service providers said that they were working under difficult co nditions and felt that they, did not obtain adequate support or recogn ition from their organizations. Many city-based agencies had given lit tle attention to the appropriateness of their services within remote a nd rural areas. Other agencies were aware of deficits but were unclear as to how to address them. The article closes with a discussion of ac tion-oriented strategies designed to address issues associated with th e nature of work in Australian rural and remote areas. (C) 1997 John W iley & Sons, Inc.