Changes in membership and representation for Western Australian AMA members

Since late 2022, Federal AMA has been negotiating with the AMA WA Board following its decision to stop forwarding the full amount of federal member subscriptions collected by AMA WA on our behalf. These negotiations were extensive and involved multiple trips to WA by Federal AMA’s senior leadership team. Federal AMA also offered to enter mediation on multiple occasions. 

The importance of a unified AMA was key during these negotiations.  

In a health system spread across federal, state, and local governments; across private and public sectors; across a myriad of specialties; across primary care and hospitals; preventive health and aged care — if the AMA is to be effective in representing members where it matters, it must be united. Strong representation at a national level is essential because the federal government is a huge player in determining the conditions of our doctors and health system funding.  

Our members are represented by the Federal President and Vice President and experienced staff on issues such as Medicare; medicines regulation and medicines funding; Ahpra; private health insurance; the PSR; public hospital funding; prevention; scope of practice and eHealth, to name but a few. You are represented when we meet with key decision makers at the federal level, including the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler. 

During the negotiations with AMA WA, the AMA WA Board notified Federal AMA that any arrangements for remission of federal subscriptions would cease on 31 December 2023.  AMA WA communicated this decision to its members on 31 December

We agreed to continue to provide services to AMA WA members until 29 February 2024 in a last-ditch attempt to find common ground and resolve the substantive disagreement. This concession expired on Thursday 29 February 2024, and we are no closer to a resolution with the AMA WA Board.  

This means that AMA WA members are no longer financial members of Federal AMA, and there is no longer any arrangement for Federal AMA to continue to provide services to them.   

The Board of Federal AMA and the senior leadership team remains committed to a unified AMA and remains open to AMA WA rejoining the federation. To this end another offer of mediation has been extended to the AMA WA Board. 

We will keep our members updated and informed about the progress of any further negotiations.

If you would like to receive further updates on this issue as they occur, please email: memberservices@ama.com.au.   


Frequently asked questions 

Q: What does this mean for my membership of the AMA?   

This has no impact on AMA members outside of WA. 

AMA WA notified Federal AMA in June 2023 that any arrangements for remission of federal subscriptions would cease on 31 December 2023.  AMA WA communicated this decision to its members on 31 December

Federal AMA agreed to continue to provide services until 29 February 2024 in a last-ditch attempt to find common ground and resolve the substantive disagreement. This concession expired on Thursday 29 February 2024, and we are no closer to a resolution with the AMA WA Board. This means that AMA WA members are no longer financial members of AMA, and there is no longer any arrangement for Federal AMA to continue to provide services to them.   

Q: What services do AMA WA members no longer have access to?   

Members of AMA WA no longer have access to:   

  • the AMA List of Medical Services and Fees (AMA Fees List)    

  • the Medical Journal of Australia   

  • member only access to the AMA website   

  • the opportunity to be a member of AMA federal councils, committees, Federal Council and the Board  

  • the opportunity to be a representative of the AMA on federal government committees, working groups and consultative opportunities  

  • AMA Rounds, GPNN, eDIT and other newsletters   

  • member only communications from the AMA Federal President, Vice President and media unit  

  • Careers Services  

  • discounted tickets to the AMA’s National Conference  

  • all other Federal AMA services, communications and benefits.    

Q: How has this occurred?     

The subscriptions members pay support both their state and Federal AMA, which advocates on your behalf on federal policy issues.    

As a member of Australian Medical Association (WA) Incorporated, WA members were also members of Federal AMA. 

The AMA WA Board has decided not to remit any 2024 subscriptions to Federal AMA. This means that their members are no longer financial members of Federal AMA. 

The AMA Federal Board has written to all AMA WA members to advise them of the decision of the AMA WA Board and the impact on their membership and benefits.  

Q: Why am I only hearing about this now?    

Federal AMA has been negotiating in good faith with AMA WA for more than 12 months on the issue of unpaid fees. These negotiations were extensive. They involved multiple trips to WA by senior leadership team members and mediation was offered multiple times.  

We did not want to jeopardise negotiations by communicating about this issue earlier.    

Q: Who set the deadlines?

In June 2023 AMA WA formally terminated any arrangements for subscription of fees on and from 1 January 2024. They reiterated their position in July 2023, December 2023, January 2024 and February 2024.  

Federal AMA alerted AMA WA that if the subscription issues were not resolved, WA doctors would lose Federal benefits. This is why AMA WA issued a notice to members on 31 December 2023

An interim agreement was proposed by AMA WA and signed by Federal AMA for the period of January and February 2024. Both parties agreed to work together during the term of the agreement to negotiate a new arrangement acceptable to them, with the objective of reform that supports the long-term sustainability of the AMA as a unified federation and as a whole.

The interim agreement expired on 29 February 2024 without the parties reaching any agreement on the fundamental issues.  This meant there was no longer any arrangement for provision of services to AMA WA members.  This then triggered the notice to members.

Q: Has AMA WA paid or offered to pay any money to Federal AMA this year?

Federal AMA is a membership organisation, and it is governed by a Constitution that provides for individual doctors to pay subscriptions. 

AMA WA offered (in late February 2024) to make a "funding contribution" for 2024.  This offer was drafted on the basis that AMA WA does not collect subscriptions on behalf of Federal AMA and that it had no obligation to remit any of those subscriptions to Federal AMA.

While the interim agreement and the February 2024 offer involved payment of some money, the quantum of this payment was: 

  • not consistent with the fees paid by other State and Territory AMAs in relation to their members; and
  • not representative of the federal component of membership fees paid by members.

The February 2024 AMA WA offer also expressly required Federal AMA to release AMA WA from any claims for the 2023 under payment.

Q: Was AMA WA paying more than other states and territories?

No.  

Federal AMA is a membership organisation, and it is governed by a Constitution that provides for individual doctors to pay subscriptions.  

Until recently, 17 per cent of Federal AMA’s members have lived or worked in Western Australia and the subscription fees remitted on behalf of those members has amounted to 17 per cent of Federal AMA’s total subscriptions.  

Q: How do members pay Federal AMA subscription fees?

The Federal AMA Constitution says that state and territory AMAs collect Federal subscription fees from individual members as agent for AMA Federal.  

For example, according to its accounts, in 2020 AMA WA collected a total of $4.95 million (exclusive of GST).  It remitted $2.17 million (exclusive of GST), which is around 40 per cent of this to AMA Federal.  

Q: Can WA doctors continue to use the post-nominal FAMA or AMA(M)? 

No. People who are not financial members of the Federal AMA are not permitted to use the post-nominals of AMA Member or Fellow.   

Q: When did WA doctors lose access to Federal AMA services, communications and benefits?   

AMA WA notified Federal AMA in June 2023 that any arrangements for remission of federal subscriptions would cease on 31 December 2023.  AMA WA communicated this decision to its members on 31 December

Federal AMA agreed to continue to provide services during January and February 2024 to allow continued negotiations. This agreement has now expired. This means that AMA WA members are no longer financial members of AMA, and there is no longer any arrangement for Federal AMA to continue to provide services to them.   

All AMA WA members who were using the AMA Fees List will be sent information about how to become a paid subscriber to the AMA Fees List. Any AMA WA members who do not receive the email but are interested in subscribing to the AMA Fees List can email feeslist@ama.com.au. 

Q: Are medical students in WA still able to be student members of the AMA? 

Yes.  All medical students who are registered as a student medical practitioner under the Registration Legislation continue to be eligible to be a Medical Student Associate Member of the Association. There is no requirement for them to be a member of a state or territory AMA. 

Q: Can WA doctors join AMA Federal directly?   

Federal AMA wants every doctor to have the opportunity to be a member of both a state or territory AMA and Federal AMA.  Given the decision by AMA WA not to remit federal subscriptions, there is currently no avenue for WA doctors to be Ordinary Members of Federal AMA.    

Federal AMA remains committed to all members remaining part of the AMA Federation. If you would like to be kept up to date on efforts by Federal AMA to resolve this matter, please email memberservices@ama.com.au.   

If you would like to contact AMA WA about these developments, you can contact them at:   

T: (08) 9273 3000  

Email: mail@amawa.com.au