AMA NT Special General Meeting
At a Special General Meeting of AMA Northern Territory on 7 October 2025, members voted to transition AMA NT from an incorporated association to a branch of AMA Limited (AMA Federal).
This change, which is expected to come into effect in mid to late November, will ensure the long-term sustainability of AMA Northern Territory and allow us to continue advocating for our local members. It will also help us to strengthen support for our members and improve our overall operational capacity by sharing more resources and accessing skilled staff in the Federal AMA.
Maintaining a strong voice for Northern Territory issues is a priority and our Council, Divisions and President and Vice President roles will continue. New by-laws include safeguards to ensure that our local concerns are not overshadowed by broader national matters.
Membership fees are not expected to change because of this change; however, it is hoped by merging we will create efficiencies which can lead to a better resourced service for members.
FaQs
What is the AMA NT and AMA Federal? Why are there multiple branches?
The AMA is a Federation. AMA Federal is the central organisation and is the peak representative body for doctors in Australia. Each state and territory has AMA branches. Until recently, these were all separate organisations that had links to Federal but ultimately were separate legal entities. A year ago, AMA Tasmania faced sustainability problems and became a branch of AMA Federal. This has allowed Tasmania to maintain independent advocacy while minimising unnecessary costs. The Tasmanian experience has greatly informed our decision to make the change. You can read an article written by AMA Tasmania CEO Lara Giddings on Tasmania’s experience of becoming a branch on the federal AMA website.
How will we preserve the NT voice?
New bylaws have been developed that ensure we maintain local representation and continue to have representation on the AMA Federal board.
What are the benefits to the NT?
Last year, we formed a Strategic Plan for 2025‒2028. This plan has five key pillars of governance, financial sustainability, membership, advocacy and partnerships. Quite simply, becoming a branch of AMA federal will allow us to achieve the goals we have laid out for ourselves. It will increase our access to federal resources, help support our branch staff, and improve our member services.
What does this mean for ASMOF NT?
AMA is your professional representative. ASMOF is your union. Over the past years, we have worked hard to minimise the barriers between AMA and ASMOF. ASMOF had representation on the governance working group to ensure we didn’t make a structural change that would harm industrial representation in the NT. This change provides a framework that allows us to continue to work more closely with ASMOF.