The joint Latrobe and Charles Sturt University “Murray Darling Medical School” concept has been touted by The Nationals as a way to solve a doctor shortage in the bush. The proposed school would train up to 180 doctors a year in Orange, Wagga and Bendigo, in what would be a major challenge to the big city dominance of medical training.

Excerpt from Mr McCormack’s speech were released to media late on Wednesday and he will declare “there must be a better way” to address the problem.

“It is simply not good enough that regional Australians should be made to suffer through doctor and nurse shortages or that they be forced to travel thousands of kilometres to see a healthcare provider,” he will say, noting the party has wanted more medical students to be trained in regional Australia “for a while”.

However, Sydney and Melbourne institutions have intensely targeted Liberal Health Minister Greg Hunt in a bid to stop the proposal, backed by Australian Medical Association head Michael Gannon who made his opposition “crystal clear” to Mr Hunt.