The Nationals failure to deliver on the 2013 election commitment to establish the Murray Darling Medical School was highlighted today with the announcement of funding for a new medical school in Gosford.

The news of a $32.5 million capital investment by the Turnbull government in the Central Coast Medical School, which will operate as a branch of the University of Newcastle, is at odds with assurances that the key impediment to announcing the Murray Darling Medical School is the availability of capital funding.  

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann said "Doctor shortages exist in rural areas, not in the cities. This announcement will be met with dismay in rural New South Wales.

"Rural people feel that the safer their political seats are, the less they get. The loyalty and trust rural people have shown towards their elected members is not being repaid," he said.

La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar said, "We have consistently been told by the government that they understand the importance of a rural medical school to address chronic shortages of doctors in our regional areas, but that the current fiscal environment prevents the capital investment that would be required.

"I think the people of Bendigo and northern Victoria will now be asking why their needs are less important than people in Gosford and Perth," he said.

The newly announced Central Coast Medical School will be located in the City of Gosford within the Liberal held seat of Robertson (margin of 3.1 per cent). Robertson adjoins the Liberal held seat of Dobell (notionally an ALP seat after redistribution with a margin of 0.2 per cent). Gosford is located one and a half hours from five existing medical schools in Sydney, and a little over an hour from the medical school in Newcastle. 

The Gosford announcement follows the decision by the Government to approve a new medical school in the City of Perth located in the Liberal seat of Hasluck (margin of 6.0 per cent). There is already a medical school at the University of Western Australia located in Perth. 

The Vice-Chancellors of Charles Sturt and La Trobe Universities will be stepping up their campaign on behalf of rural and regional communities to get the Nationals to honour the promise made to rural and regional communities in 2013 to deliver the Murray Darling Medical School.