President’s update: GP BB, thanks to the VP, and welcome to the ACDC

Annyeonghaseyo and Happy Friday!

I’m freshly back from a week in South Korea. It is beautiful there this time of year, and the walks at Seoraksan National Park and the smorgasbord of yummy food options were good for the soul. I managed to catch up with the Korean Medical Association while I was there. South Korea has an excellent health system but lacks the robust system of general practice that we have — that’s something they are seeking to change and we had a great conversation about how the Australian system works. At a time when many parts of the world are trying to be more like us, it’s more important than ever that we have a strong AMA fighting to protect what is great about the Aussie health system and refurbish the parts that need work.

A huge thank you to our VP Julian Rait for holding the fort while I was away — particularly with the 1 November GP bulk-billing changes.  

There were some pretty troubling comments in the media – recycled inaccuracies about GP incomes, threats from government to “intervene in the market” and recommendations to patients to seek out a new GP if theirs doesn’t participate.

This messaging undermines trust, at a time when it is needed more than ever. GPs want to help patients access care. We want that care to be affordable. But we also need to keep our doors open, and be adequately recognised for the specialist training we’ve undertaken and the high-quality care we provide. We have conveyed to the government that threats are not the way to improve our system.

We continue to recognise that the nearly $8 billion of extra investment is significant. It will provide further support for vulnerable patient groups and equip GPs with more options to help minimise out-of-pocket costs for patients.

However, as we have said from the start, it won’t be suitable for everyone. If it works for you, go for it! But if it’s not for you because of a range of issues, including where you are located and your practice running costs, you are under no obligation to sign-up. Only you can decide. 

We continue to fight for the MBS restructure needed to modernise medicare and provide better support for complex care. 

It’s been straight back to full speed on my return, in this parliamentary sitting week. Earlier this week I met with the Illicit Tobacco and E-Cigarette Commissioner, Amber Shuhyta, about efforts to combat the threat of illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes to the health of the Australian community. We reiterated that there needs to be a coordinated focus on enforcement and were pleased to hear the Illicit Tobacco National Disruption Group will have this in its purview.

I also met with the Department of Veterans Affairs about how we strengthen medical support for veterans. As an ADF spouse, this is an issue close to my heart. While DVA rates were significantly improved after AMA advocacy in 2007, they have not been properly indexed and our own surveys show that doctors are increasingly becoming frustrated by this. DVA recognises this and we’re planning work together to improve the system.

I nabbed one day in clinic before heading to Canberra and spending the rest of the week up on the hill. I met with opposition health spokesperson Senator Anne Ruston — a strong opposition is critical to driving good policy and so we’ll continue to encourage the Coalition to have health front of mine. I also caught up with Labor Senator, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah about a range of health policy issues. And lastly visited Sam Birrell MP, the Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, on initiatives to attract more doctors to rural and regional areas.

It was a busy week in the media as we welcomed passage of the CDC legislation —  this is something the AMA has been calling for since 2017. It’s wonderful to see this finally come to fruition…advocacy is certainly the long game!

A highlight this week was the launch of our Public Hospital Report Card: Mental Health Edition. Sadly the news isn’t good, but it was a great opportunity to shine a light on the urgency of supporting our mental health system. Patients are languishing far too long in ED waiting for mental health unit beds, and doctors are sick and tired of having to work in a system stretched to breaking point.

And in amongst all that there’s the wonderful work of our committees — this week our Council of Public Hospital Doctors met to discuss workplace culture, to review our position on public comment by hospital doctors, and to start planning for 2026 (we’re nearly there already!).

Finally, and coming full circle back to my opening remarks about protecting our health system…I am deeply concerned about the Pharmacy Board’s process to develop an autonomous prescribing standard for pharmacists. Their proposal to allow widespread pharmacy prescribing for Schedule 4 and 8 medicines would undermine the very fabric of our strong, safe health system. Global evidence shows clearly that for non-medical prescribing to be safe and effective, it must be coordinated and part of a collaborative clinical team. The consultation process to date has been unsatisfactory, and we are taking a stand for patient safety.

It’s great to be back, and I look forward to updating you again next week. In the meantime, have a great weekend!