Latest wins: President and CEO update July 2025
With the state budget now handed down, we’re pleased to see many of our key priorities reflected in this year’s record investment in health.
From patient flow improvements and training incentives to stronger vape law enforcement, our advocacy efforts are delivering real wins for members and patients across Queensland.
Since our last update, we have held a few fantastic events for the wider medical community to come together to network, learn and share practical insights to support their careers and businesses.
Advocacy efforts
State budget outcome
AMA Queensland has been championing priority areas for reform and investment to improve health access and equity for all Queenslanders for some time.
In early March, we released our Budget Submission 2025-26 detailing these priorities, and in the lead-up to this year’s state budget, we ramped up our advocacy efforts to urge the LNP Government to invest in them.
Our calls were heard loud and clear, receiving strong media coverage across the state.
The budget was handed down on Tuesday 24 June and we were pleased to see a record investment in health. This includes funding for initiatives to improve patient flow and utilise private hospitals to reduce elective surgery backlogs, which were key recommendations in our Surgical Wait List Roundtable Action Plan.
While it is a relief to see health remains a high priority, the government must now show how and when this funding will be delivered.
Learn more about our campaign.
Support for medical students
The Commonwealth Prac Placement offering nursing, teaching and social work students support while they’re undertaking mandatory placements commenced on 1 July.
With medical students excluded from the program despite lengthy mandatory placement requirements, AMA Queensland Committee of Doctors in Training Chair Dr Emma Hodge spoke with ABC Radio Brisbane about the challenges they face in balancing unpaid placements, study commitments and the need to earn an income.
She emphasised that the argument that medical students will ‘earn well later’ doesn’t help those who are struggling now.
At present, only those with financial support from family or savings can comfortably manage the demands of medical school placements, meaning we are likely not getting the diversity of students we need to serve our diverse community.
We continue to advocate for the inclusion of medical students in this program to help ensure we graduate the doctors we urgently need.
New vape and tobacco enforcements
The state government recently announced the employment of 43 new enforcement officers to strengthen compliance with vaping and tobacco laws across Queensland.
AMA Queensland has consistently called for stronger enforcement, particularly in response to the alarming rise in youth vaping, with reports of children as young as 10 using vapes at school.
We welcome this initiative as a long-overdue step in the right direction.
We hope these new measures will help protect young Queenslanders from the harms of nicotine addiction and crack down on the black market for illicit vaping and tobacco products.
This is a critical move toward safeguarding public health and ensuring vaping laws are properly enforced across the state.
Medicine in the age of AI
As advanced technologies like artificial intelligence become increasingly embedded in our daily lives, AMA Queensland Committee of General Practice Chair Dr Lee Jones has explored what this could mean for the future of medicine.
“Across regional Australia, doctors and healthcare workers are choosing not to stay. Many are retiring, burning out or quietly leaving the system. We have no sustained workforce strategy for these towns. No long-term plan for who will remain,” Dr Jones said.
“But there is a solution, and it’s not wishful thinking. It’s artificial intelligence.
“AI systems, deployed responsibly, could provide immediate diagnostic support, reduce dependence on overstretched staff, extend specialist care into the most remote communities and give patients real-time guidance when no clinician is physically present.
“It will not replace human care, but it may be the only way to preserve access where human clinicians can no longer stay.”
The full article is available for AMA Queensland members on our website.
Investment in active travel
We recently welcomed the Queensland Government's $19.1 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure as an important step towards improving community health and reducing the impact of climate change.
Recognising the significant health benefits of walking and cycling, we have been advocating for transport systems that support active travel.
In our recent Budget Submission 2025-26, we focused these calls on the need to reduce the impact of climate change and ensure health care services are sustainable.
This funding will help more Queenslanders make healthier choices and contribute to reducing our carbon emissions. However, sustained and long-term investment is essential to ensure real and lasting change.
We are pleased to see the government take this step and hope it is part of a broader solution to make active options like cycling and e-mobility devices safer and more accessible for all.
News
MOCA 7 update
Medical Officers’ Certified Agreement No 7 (MOCA 7) negotiations are still ongoing, and the expiry date for MOCA 6 is fast approaching.
In preparation for a possible escalation in negotiations, we have asked all members to ensure their details are up to date.
This includes, contact details, employment location (which hospital), classification with Queensland Health, and ASMOFQ member status.
As an ASMOFQ member, you will be supporting our work to achieve the best MOCA outcome and by providing your current details, we will be able organise meetings and co-ordinate action if and/or when needed.
Please visit the AMA Queensland Member Portal to update your details.
If you have colleagues who wish to join AMA Queensland and ASMOFQ, please refer them to this page: https://www.ama.com.au/qld/join
We also encourage you to share our ready-made social media resources with your colleagues. You can find this on our Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
AMA Queensland Digital Upgrade
There is action aplenty behind the scenes at AMA Queensland, as we work to upgrade our website and database. This will provide the most up-to-date, secure and user-friendly experience for our members.
We recognise our responsibility in keeping members personal details confidential, and this transition enables us to implement the latest security features.
We will be reaching out to our members when actions are required or if access becomes limited while changes are underway.
Get ready for a modern new look and feel, and a more streamlined member experience.
Campaigns
AMA Queensland Foundation reaches EOFY fundraising target
It came down to the wire, but we were thrilled to see AMA Queensland Foundation just ticked over its $30,000 goal for its End of Financial Year Tax Appeal!
It means the Foundation will be able to award scholarships to another three Queensland medical students in 2026 to support them in continuing their medical studies and pursuing their dreams of becoming doctors.
If you missed out, never fear! You can get in early on next year's tax appeal by donating now - everything over $2 is tax deductible.
Events
Private Practice Refreshed
AMA Queensland’s first Private Practice Refreshed event kicked off in Brisbane on Friday 20 June, bringing together members keen to grow and future-proof their private practice.
Attendees enjoyed a team-building sushi-making experience before diving into expert-led sessions on business structuring, legal frameworks, cyber protection, insurance costs, and real-world challenges facing GPs and specialists.
Thank you to our sponsors and speakers for making this a valuable and engaging event.
We look forward to bringing it to Townsville and the Gold Coast in the months to come.
Upcoming events
Are you based in North Queensland? Townsville doctors, we have the perfect weekend of networking and insightful discussion planned for you this July. Join us, your colleagues and other local doctors for our Member networking event on a Friday evening, before celebrating women supporting fellow women and our male allies at our Women in Medicine Breakfast.
Join AMA Queensland and the Australian Senior Active Doctors Association (ASADA) for our engaging and inspiring one-day Senior Doctor Conference tailored to senior active and retired doctors this August.
Are you thinking about travelling overseas this year? Join us for our Annual Conference 2025 in Vancouver, Canada to earn CPD points and learn key issues facing the profession while immersed in a unique tourism destination.
We can't wait to see you at one of our 2025 events!
