At the centre of the petition is the case of an allied health worker who has lived in Australia since 2018 and worked as a physiotherapist since 2019, including in regional areas with workforce shortages.
The latest commitment adds to $6 million already provided by the federal government to the appeal, which supports treatment, research and training at the hospital.
Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services, Penioni Koliniwai Ravunawa, attended as chief guest, joining India’s High Commissioner to Fiji, Suneet Mehta, and scores of early morning participants from across the community.
A key part of the negotiation was $2 billion designed to help hospitals move more than 3,000 patients stranded in hospital waiting for discharge to a more appropriate aged-care facility.
Melbourne-based neurosurgeon Dr Rondhir Jithoo has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for his decades-long service to neurosurgery, as part of the Australia Day 2026 Honours List announced by Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
The crash killed 42-year-old mother Nancy Lefrançois and her 11-year-old son Loïc Chevalier, who were travelling in a passenger vehicle struck in the collision.