They include Kari Arbouin has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner, Operations North and Rural and Remote ; Officer Matthew Green has been appointed Assistant Commissioner, Northern Region and Officer Rita Kelly has been appointed Assistant Commissioner, Far Northern Region.

QAS Commissioner Craig Emery said this was the first time a Deputy Commissioner, Operations North and Rural and Remote had been formally appointed, with the position created to address changing demographics, population shifts and increasing rates of chronic health complaints in north and rural and remote Queensland.

The North Queensland Deputy Commissioner oversees three 'Regions' which include the Far Northern Region, Northern Region and Central Region.

"I know Deputy Commissioner Arbouin will do an incredible job for the northern half of our state, to make sure emergency care means the same thing for Queenslanders living in Brisbane as it does for someone in Georgetown or Innisfail," Commissioner Emery said.

"Deputy Commissioner Arbouin's background in healthcare delivery and her proven commitment to the regional rural and remote areas of our state is exactly what I had in mind when I first spoke about this position being created for the QAS.

Deputy Commissioner Kari Arbouin's new patch covers North West Queensland and she comes with a wealth of experience in the rural and remote health sector. Previously working as Queensland Health's Executive Director Office of Rural and Remote Health, Deputy Commissioner Arbouin was responsible for the development of the department's very first Rural and Remote Health and Wellbeing Strategy, undertook a project to improve the management of patients in public general practice and was responsible for relocating the Office of Rural and Remote Health to Townsville from Brisbane.

Deputy Commissioner Arbouin has also previously worked as CQUniversity Associate Vice Chancellor (Townsville and North West region), James Cook University, Wesley Private Hospital and Julia Creek Hospital. She has an Australian Defence Force Leadership Medal, an Australia Day Medal, a Queensland Government Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was a torchbearer for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She has plenty of experience in the North West having spent time in nursing and was based in Julia Creek for many years and has also spent time in Mount Isa, Cloncurry and Normanton and was a board member of the North West Hospital and Health Service.

Deputy Commissioner Arbouin said adding QAS to her resume just made perfect sense.

"I started my career in health as a Registered Nurse back in Glasgow in 1987, and I have never lost my passion for the health industry," Deputy Commissioner Arbouin said.

"Relocating from Scotland to outback Queensland and living there for many years, I grew to understand and love these rural and remote communities and I found myself advocating very passionately for equity of access to the health care they deserved.

"I am incredibly excited to take on the challenges of this role. I want Queenslanders, no matter where they are, to continue to feel confident in the incredible care our service can provide when they are at their most vulnerable."

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