Federal assistant Minister for Health Dr David Gillespie toured the university’s medical faculty.

He is currently conducting a review of undergraduate places for medical students at 19 universities across Australia.

Dr Gillespie said it was his second visit to the CSU campus in Orange and he was impressed by the facility.

“It’s really kicking some goals in their dental school, in their nursing and allied health students,” he said.

“They have a really good product and I’m really proud that they’re doing it.

“They’re doing a really good job, in fact an excellent job.”

Dr Gillespie said country areas were “crying out” for doctors and rural training could help ease that problem.

“We like the effect of rural clinical education for medical practitioners.

“It does inspire them to end up practising rural,” Dr Gillespie said.

CSU director of government and community relations Peter Fraser said the visit gave CSU the chance to state its case for increasing the number of student doctors training in rural and regional areas.

“Today’s meeting with Dr Gillespie was very positive,” he said.

“Charles Sturt University was able to outline the benefits of establishing a medical school in Orange, Wagga Wagga and Bendigo.

“We are continuing to fight to ensure we have a medical school in Orange.”

CSU and Melbourne’s Latrobe University are seeking to have an initial 120 places for medical students across the three campuses [Orange, Wagga Wagga and Bendigo] which would be known as the Murray Darling medical school.

Mr Fraser said it was intended that the allocation would rise to 180 places – with 60 students in each campus.

“The next step will be continuing to make the case at a Commonwealth and State level and we will be working with our communities to ensure our message is heard in Canberra.”

Mr Fraser said the visit followed a meeting between the CSU vice-chancellor Professor Andrew Vann and the Latrobe vice-chancellor Professor John Dewer with the deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce last year.

He said Mr Joyce backed the regional proposal.