Latest wins: President and CEO update August 2025
Our Workforce Working Group Action Plan and our exciting digital upgrade lead off our August update.
It has been a busy few months at AMA Queensland headquarters as we prepare for our exciting website and database upgrade.
This kind of work is always technically complex, and our team has done an outstanding job putting all the pieces of the digital puzzle together.
The result will be the best security for your data, and a smoother online experience.
You will need to take some actions once we go live on 14 August, so please make sure to read your emails.
Advocacy efforts
Workforce plan
After six months of hard work, we were excited to release our Workforce Working Group Action Plan.
This blueprint offers practical, profession-led solutions to our medical workforce crisis.
We need to get more doctors into the health system and then get them to where they’re needed most across Queensland. The state government is set to release its own needs-based workforce plan by the end of the year, and we hope to see many of these policy recommendations included.
The Workforce Working Group Action Plan covers six key areas:
- The health system - this creates the ecosystem in which doctors work, and it must be fit-for-purpose for the needs of patients and doctors into the future.
- The role of the doctor - how it was, how it is now and what it needs to become to continue delivering the healthcare patients deserve.
- The medical training pipeline - where we attract and grow the next generation.
- General practice - the backbone of our health system, providing world-class preventive and early intervention health services for the entire community, from the cradle to the grave.
- Public hospitals - that provide Queenslanders with life-saving tertiary services and essential training grounds for our medical graduates.
- Private hospitals - that ensure patients and doctors have healthcare and workplace choice and encourage innovation.
The plan launched on 29 July with media coverage in the Courier Mail and on 4BC radio, and we are continuing to roll out media releases delving into more detail of the plan.
GP training placements
We have raised serious concerns about GP training placements after the inclusion of a new guideline in the next federal grant tender that would require the RACGP and ACRRM to prioritise training places in practices that bulk bill only.
We support the federal government’s aim to build Australia’s GP workforce, but this move has the potential to backfire.
It is harder for practices that 100% bulk bill to operate in smaller centres, particularly in a decentralised state like Queensland. This guideline could see deserving clinics that offer high quality training and supervision, including a broad scope of practice for trainee GPs, miss out on being able to develop that critical relationship with new doctors.
The move could also disincentivise new registrars, who might choose other specialties rather than a path with narrower training options and less variety.
Medicinal cannabis prescribing
We welcomed moves by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the National Boards to strengthen guidelines around the prescribing of medicinal cannabis.
There is a concern the industry has been putting profits over patient safety, and doctors have reported an increase in the number of patients with no previous history of mental illness presenting to our EDs with psychosis after using these substances.
However, we also need focus on unscrupulous vested business interests who may be driving higher rates of prescribing. This includes instant online prescribing models and delivery services that provide rapid access to medicinal cannabis products, sometimes containing unnecessary yet extremely potent concentrations of THC.
AMA Queensland is advocating for reform alongside RANZCP, RACGP and the Pharmacy Guild. The group will be meeting with the Health Minister to discuss proposed solutions in September.
News
MOCA 7 update
Queensland Health has presented its formal offer for the Medical Officers' Certified Agreement (MOCA7).
ASMOFQ has been working hard for six months on negotiations and has now sent around this offer for review and feedback. The offer is open for acceptance until 22 August 2025.
AMA Queensland and ASMOFQ ask you to update your details by contacting our Membership Team on 07 3872 2222 or membership@amaq.com.au.
We will continue to post updates through our channels, and you can also keep an eye on the ASMOFQ website.
Flu cases surge
July saw a spike in patients being admitted to hospital with influenza. The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital was forced to pause elective surgery for 48 hours due to the added pressure on the system.
AMA Queensland board member Professor Paul Griffin joined Health Minister Tim Nicholls and Pharmacy Guild Queensland Branch President Chris Owen at a media conference to once again urge Queenslanders to roll up their sleeves, and we continue to partner with Queensland Health to promote the use of safe, effective and free vaccines for the flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
Bare-knuckle boxing
The announcement by a bare-knuckle boxing league to stage a fight in Brisbane later this year is the epitome of a ‘no-brainer’.
There is clearly no justification for this kind of fighting. Cuts, bruises and soft tissue damage are the at-best outcomes, and more serious injury is very possible.
At a time when other sports are starting to act on what we know about brain injury, and when we have seen success with public health campaigns such as “One Punch Can Kill”, we will continue to vocally oppose bare-knuckle fighting.
AMA Queensland Foundation offers support for domestic and family violence programs
Thanks to the generosity of our members and donors, the AMA Queensland Foundation has split $154,000 in grants across nine organisations working to reduce domestic and family violence in our community.
The worthy recipients are The Mount of Olives Foundation, Multicultural Families Organisation, Women’s Centre FNQ, Sisters Inside, Australian Women’s Chinese Federation, WillowTree 37, Yulu-Burri-Ba, Queensland Positive People and Divine Ministries.
The chosen organisations primarily work with vulnerable Queenslanders who may be facing geographical, cultural, social or language barriers to support.
Events
National Conference
We spent a full and engaging three days at AMA National Conference in Adelaide on 1-3 August – along with a large Queensland contingent.
Some highlights included the AMA Federal Council’s formation of the International Medical Graduate committee, Dr James Mueke's keynote address on the drivers of Australia's chronic disease crisis, the inspiring stories of award and scholarship winners, and the opportunities to connect, network and share ideas.
The biggest thrills came when our members Adjunct Professor Tony Rahman and Dr Dominic Edwards won excellence awards, and our Immediate Past President Dr Maria Boulton was added to the Roll of Fellows.
Health Minister Mark Butler was a welcome guest at the conference. We applaud his commitment to more doctors and cheaper medicines, but we retain some caution about his pledge to open more urgent care clinics. In a decentralised state like Queensland that is already struggling to recruit doctors, having more of these Commonwealth-funded services could further drain the available pool of experts.
Townsville events
We spent a beautiful few days in wintery Townsville in July for a number of events.
The biggest was our sold-out Women in Medicine Breakfast, hosted by Vice-President Dr Emilia Dauway and featuring an array of inspiring speakers. Our Private Practice Refreshed and Member Networking session also saw great attendance, with 200 people turning out across the three events.
We also made a visit to the Townsville Hospital and Health Service, and thanks to our corporate partners Cutcher & Neale and MDA National, took along a Subway lunch to treat staff!
Upcoming events
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!
