IT was a less than optimistic Vice Chancellor from Charles Sturt University when he made the trip to Canberra for Tuesday night's federal Budget.

Professor Andrew Vann was in the nation's capital hoping there would be some sort of funding for the university's push to establish a medical school out of the Bathurst campus.

However, his concerns the initiative wouldn't be on treasurer Wayne Swan's agenda was vindicated.

"Given the state of the Budget, I wasn't very optimistic given that any funding announcements would be coming our way on this occasion," Professor Vann said.

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"We have been working with the government and are starting to think the health minister is starting to speak our language.

"But the way the polls are at the moment, we are also working closely with the Coalition to get bipartisan support and I really think they believe this (a shortage of rural doctors) is a problem that needs to be fixed."

Professor Vann said given a federal election is due in September and with such a short timeline, the university will be pressing hard to get a firm election announcement before the nation goes to the polls.

"Things are tight, but the university needs to know where it's headed," he said.

Originally posted here:

Medical school misses out again