Country towns around Australia have resorted to free housing, fundraising, million-dollar offers and even musical jingles to recruit local doctors.
But rural groups say communities shouldn't have to sing for their supper as the regions grow and prepare to be the centre of a renewable energy transition.
The Regional Australia Institute is urging the federal government to invest in health, housing, and childcare in next week's budget, as country areas become home to developing clean energy industries.
"The hard infrastructure projects seem to get all the attention and the majority of the investment," chief executive Liz Ritchie told AAP on Wednesday.
"People are not at the centre of that investment.
"We need to ensure ... that is not just a conversation about how business it going to do that ... but what does that investment mean to a regional community."
The think tank has also called for the creation of a national regional cabinet that would form targeted policies.
"With the best of intentions, we get these national policies that do not deal with the nuance of regional Australia," Ms Ritchie said.
"The national cabinet is an opportunity to change the nature of how the government leads, to signal to the almost 9.8 million Australians who live in regional Australia: we care about you, and we're prepared to do it differently."
The National Rural Health Alliance, which represents 51 organisations, last year released financial modelling that showed a $6.55 billion annual shortfall in healthcare spending outside the cities.
The alliance said the government should form a rural health strategy and support a community-led primary healthcare model with block funding, worth up to $16.65 million over five years.
"Small grants and non-ongoing and innovative funds - while welcome - are not the solution for the lack of core and sustainable funding," the alliance's submission said.
More junior doctors should be given exposure to rural general practice under a training program first announced in the 2021-22 budget to address workforce shortages, the Rural Doctors' Association said.
The government should also look to fund childcare centres at rural and remote hospitals, beginning with an initial trial of 10 sites, its submission said.
"There is a genuine access-to-childcare issue that needs to be addressed in order to make rural practice an option for training and employment, and maximise the number of hours staff are available to work."
