Welcome to the AMA Consultation Hub.

The AMA's consultation hub provides an opportunity to provide input into the development of AMA policy. Your feedback will help inform decisions made by the AMA Federal Council and its committees.

Your input is greatly valued. A list of current and closed consultations is below. 

If you have any questions about our policy or advocacy work you can email us at president@ama.com.au

We asked, you said, we did

Tasmania - OVA Change Proposal

We asked

Seeking feedback from members on the Department of Health’s plan to restructure Occupational Violence Prevention (OVP) services and training statewide, including abolishing the current Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) roles, establishing a new Safety and Security Quality Unit–led model, introducing a single accredited, standardised OVP and challenging behaviours training program, and creating new roles (such as Regional Training Coordinators) aligned with a future hybrid Safety and Security workforce. Employees and stakeholders are invited to comment on the proposed workforce changes, training model, transition arrangements, and impacts on staff and services, to help shape how occupational violence prevention, training, and safety support will be delivered across Tasmania.

You said

We did

AMA Tasmania appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Department of Health’s Change Proposal to strengthen Occupational Violence Prevention (OVP) as part of the Safety and Security Ten Point Action Plan. Every Tasmanian deserves safe care, and every health worker deserves a secure workplace.READ OUR FULL SUBMISSION HERE

Tasmania - Change Proposal - Clare House

We asked

AMA Tasmania sought feedback from members to inform our response on a proposed change to the Statewide Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) South, which involves relocating services from Clare House in New Town to a new hub in Watchorn Street, Hobart, and transitioning to a Hub and Spoke service model with additional sites in Brighton and the Eastern Shore. The proposals aim is to address limitations of the current facility, improve safety and accessibility, and enhance service delivery for children and young people with moderate to severe mental health needs.

You said

Members strongly objected to the proposal’s dismissal of Clare House’s “garden outlook” and “homely feel” as merely nostalgic, emphasising that adequate space, access to outdoor and natural environments, and a welcoming, non‑clinical setting are well‑established therapeutic requirements in contemporary mental health care. They noted that Clare House is not sprawling but appropriately sized, supporting engagement, assessment and treatment, encouraging return to care, and aiding staff recruitment and retention, while cautioning that smaller, internalised CBD facilities with limited parking and outdoor access risk being less welcoming for children, young people and families and may ultimately reduce engagement and service effectiveness.
 

We did

AMA Tasmania appreciates the opportunity to comment on the change proposal to close CYMHS services at Clare House and move services to Watchorn Street under a proposed hub and spoke model. READ FULL SUBMISSION HERE AND MEDIA HERE

Tasmania - Help shape a healthier future for Tasmanians

We asked

Members were encouraged to provide feedback to the Tasmanian Government draft "Health Revolution: 20-Year Preventive Health Strategy.

You said

General membership feedback recognised that the document sets out an ambitious, values‑based vision for prevention, but considered it to be very high‑level and lacking practical substance. Members felt it reads more like a discussion paper than a true strategy, with no clear priorities, measurable outcomes, timelines, funding framework, or accountability mechanisms. While the intent is broadly supported, there was concern that key elements—such as the role of general practice, social prescribing, and the practical application of existing models—are implied rather than clearly articulated, alongside gaps in addressing immediate health determinants including loneliness, climate change, environmental health, and gambling‑ or substance‑related harm. AMA Tasmania collated member views and provided further feedback to help guide development of the draft Health Revolution strategy, with an emphasis on clearer actions, stronger governance, and a sharper focus on implementation.

We did

AMA Tasmania welcomes the opportunity to comment on The Health Revolution: A 20-Year Preventive Health Strategy (2025–2045). We acknowledge that several themes raised in AMA Tasmania’s earlier submission have been reflected in this exposure draft, particularly the emphasis on prevention, social determinants of health and long-term thinking. We strongly support a prevention-focused reform agenda and agree that Tasmania requires a coordinated, whole-of-government strategy to address the root causes of poor health outcomes. READ FULL SUBMISSION HERE AMA Tasmania Submission to the Exposure Draft: The Health Revolution: A 20-Year Preventive Health Strategy (2025–2045)

Role of the Doctor position statement consultation

We asked

The AMA invited you to participate in a short survey to assist with developing an updated position statement on the role of the doctor. This consultation is a critical opportunity to ensure a new statement reflects the evolving expectations of the profession and society, and to reinforce the doctor’s central role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. 

You said

The survey drew a broad and geographically diverse cross‑section of the medical profession — GPs, specialists, doctors in training, career medical officers and retired/non‑practising doctors — from every Australian state and territory (plus some overseas‑trained and offshore respondents), spanning metropolitan and regional/rural practice and all career stages, with most respondents being AMA members. 

Across responses, the dominant message was to ensure the statement assertively defends doctors’ leadership as medical experts and clearly distinguishes their depth of medical training and accountability from other roles. This is especially clear amid concerns about scope creep and role substitution by non‑medical practitioners and the perceived risks to patient safety and continuity of care.  

We did

Over 430 submissions were received, providing valuable input on various aspects of the doctor's profession, system pressures and expectations, clarifications on role scope, and a firm endorsement of doctors' roles in leading multidisciplinary teams and performing as the lynchpin of holistic healthcare to patients. This feedback is being used to progress an updated Role of the Doctor position statement, which will be published in the first quarter of 2026.