La Trobe Leads the Way in Addressing Australia’s Healthcare Workforce Shortages

Transforming Healthcare: La Trobe’s $170 Million Investment in Health Innovation

La Trobe University is poised to make a transformative impact on healthcare and education with the upcoming La Trobe University Health Clinic, currently under construction at its Melbourne campus in Bundoora. Scheduled to open in 2026, the clinic is set to become the largest interdisciplinary university health facility in Victoria, further cementing the university’s reputation as a leader in allied health education and services.

This cutting-edge clinic will not only function as a public healthcare center but also provide vital clinical placements for students. Through hands-on training, the facility aims to equip aspiring allied health professionals with the skills necessary for successful careers. Impressively, the clinic is expected to train an additional 400 health professionals annually, addressing growing workforce demands and strengthening the healthcare ecosystem.

Offering a wide array of services, the clinic will encompass orthoptics, speech pathology, podiatry, psychology, dietetics and nutrition, physiotherapy, audiology, and occupational therapy. This interdisciplinary approach is designed to provide comprehensive care to the community while fostering collaboration among future healthcare providers. La Trobe's orthoptics students are already contributing meaningfully by partnering with the Royal Children’s Hospital to reduce patient wait times. As one of only two Australian universities offering orthoptist training, La Trobe will significantly expand its services when the new clinical teaching building is completed in July 2026. This development is part of La Trobe’s $170 million investment in health innovation, aimed at increasing Australia’s healthcare workforce by 4,000 professionals by 2030, with a focus on addressing critical needs.

The Health Clinic is a cornerstone of the La Trobe University City project, a long-term initiative designed to transform the 235-hectare Bundoora campus into a vibrant hub for sports, research, education, and commercial enterprises. Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell underscored the university’s strategic investment in health research and education to address Australia’s urgent health workforce shortages and position La Trobe as a center for innovation and collaboration. He also highlighted the community benefits of the new infrastructure, such as regional development and job creation, aligning with national policy priorities. In the 2025 Times Higher Education rankings, La Trobe was ranked among the top 175 universities globally for Medical and Health and achieved 42nd place worldwide for Nursing in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Professor Russ Hoye, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Health Innovation, elaborated on the importance of the new facility in preparing 400 additional allied health professionals and psychologists annually until 2030. He emphasized that the state-of-the-art facilities would provide students with an exceptional learning environment while addressing local and national workforce shortages. Allied health, the second-largest clinical workforce in Australia after nursing and midwifery, includes key fields such as physiotherapy, psychology, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and social work. Despite having around 300,000 registered professionals, the federal Department of Health has identified shortages in several areas, with demand expected to rise sharply in the next decade.

Professor Hoye pointed out that the shortages in allied health workers stem from factors such as the impact of COVID-19 and an aging population. He stressed that the new clinical teaching building will play a crucial role in increasing training placements, thus supporting the expansion of Australia’s health workforce. The development of the clinical teaching building is being managed and financed by the Plenary Group, La Trobe’s master development partner for the $5 billion La Trobe University City project. Managing Director Damien Augustinus expressed pride in collaborating with La Trobe to realise this significant project, which aligns with the university’s vision of becoming a hub for innovation and collaboration.

Beyond the Health Clinic, La Trobe’s $170 million health innovation strategy is funding new facilities across Victoria, including Nursing and Midwifery clinical simulations in multiple locations and a new Dentistry Clinical School in Bendigo. Additionally, the university is investing in groundbreaking research, particularly in rural health and the care economy, with the establishment of Australia’s first Care Economy Research Institute. This ambitious initiative underscores La Trobe University’s dedication to addressing Australia’s critical healthcare needs and its commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration for the betterment of society.

Editor's Note:

La Trobe University’s forward-thinking approach to healthcare and education is exemplified by its plans to establish the largest interdisciplinary health clinic in Victoria. This state-of-the-art facility will not only address Australia’s pressing health workforce shortages but also highlight the university’s dedication to innovation and collaboration. By offering hands-on training for future professionals and providing essential healthcare services, La Trobe is demonstrating how academia can effectively tackle national challenges. Given Australia’s increasing healthcare demands—driven by an aging population and post-pandemic pressures—such initiatives are vital. La Trobe’s strategic focus on training, infrastructure, and research is setting a new standard for universities across the country. 

According to Skoobuzz, the university’s impact extends beyond education, contributing to regional job creation and economic development, further solidifying its commitment to community betterment.