Listening first to build better access to healthcare

At a glance 

• 166 multicultural community members contributed to the Murrumbidgee Multicultural Health Needs Assessment  

• 21 health and social service providers participated in interviews and surveys 

• Priorities needs identified: language and community support, health literacy and system navigation, culturally responsive care, targeted support for vulnerable groups, community led approaches, availability, affordability, and addressing discrimination, racism and exclusion 

Almost one in five people in the Murrumbidgee was born outside Australia. But behind that statistic sits an extraordinarily diverse community, including refugees, skilled migrants, international students, seasonal workers and families who have called the region home for generations.  

In 2025-2026, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) undertook a dedicated Multicultural Health Needs Assessment to better understand these experiences and build a stronger evidence base for future planning and commissioning informed not only by data, but by the people using the health system. 

“What really stood out was how diverse people’s experiences are,” MPHN’s Executive Commissioning and Health Equity Anita McRae said. “There are some great examples of what’s worked really well for people, doctors who are passionate about supporting refugee health and community members who are really invested in welcoming people into their communities and helping them to connect and thrive.”  

The assessment also exposed significant barriers. Language and interpreter access emerged as the most consistent concerns, alongside difficulty understanding the health system, financial barriers, service availability, wait times and transport. We know that children can become interpreters at medical appointments, while others struggled to understand when to see a GP rather than attend an emergency department.  

“This work is extremely important because multicultural communities are not one homogenous group. Different communities have different experiences, cultural practices, levels of health literacy and expectations of healthcare,” Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga CEO Belinda Crain said. 

“People who use the health system are often the best people to explain what is working and what is not working. Hearing directly from multicultural communities means that health planning is based on their real experiences rather than assumptions about what they need.” 

“What is learned from this could be the difference between a service being available, and it being genuinely accessible, culturally safe and responsive to the needs of these communities.” 

The assessment gives MPHN a clearer evidence base for deciding where support is most needed and how it can make the greatest difference. Importantly, that evidence combines population and service-use data with the experiences of communities and providers themselves. 

These voices will now help shape MPHN’s ongoing work. The goal is to embed the assessment findings into the business as usual activity of the PHN, strengthening interpreter access and culturally appropriate resources, building primary care capability and developing lasting relationships with trusted multicultural community organisations.  

As Ms McRae said, the priority is “building meaningful relationships so that the voice and experience of multicultural communities will continue to be embedded in the work that we do.”