AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen's opening address at AMA26 National Conference
Hello and welcome — another year another federal AMA highlight reel that reminds me just how busy we have been.
It is great to see so many of you here. I am very excited for what’s ahead during the conference, including the election of the new federal president and vice president.
Being AMA President is an absolute honour. It is also quite the whirlwind. The past year has been as unrelenting as the first.
The AMA's standing grants us the ability to meet with — and be heard by — key decision makers and contribute to positive changes for doctors and our patients.
Our influence reflects our standing, reputation, expertise, and trustworthiness.
But the advocacy space is not for the faint hearted.
We have had many wins; some disappointments and a lot of in-between moments.
Advocacy is also not for the impatient. Effecting change and influencing decision making can take many years. And having been around these tables for over a decade now, I'm pleased to see some come to fruition.
Let’s launch today with good vibes — the wins.
Over the past two years we’ve seen a massive investment in Medicare. Yes, we would have designed it differently, with reform to the rebate structure. But more than $8 billion in funding directly to general practice is nothing to sniff at — particularly given the pressure from other groups for access to Medicare funding. That investment followed several years of campaigning through our national Modernise Medicare campaign about the value of general practice — relentless campaigning. And from that we’ve seen billions of dollars flow through to frontline GPs.
Is there more to do — absolutely. But it’s important to celebrate that level of investment, as we get on with the next steps of ensuring more complex care is better supported.
Then this year — again after years of advocacy through our Clear the Hospital Logjam Campaign — we saw the federal government make a big additional investment in public hospitals through the new National Health Reform Agreement. $25 billion announced for the part of our system which cares for the sickest of the sick.
As our public hospital report cards show, and as is felt by all of you in hospitals around the country, the job isn’t done. We need that funding matched by states and more. We need it to really flow through to patient care. But the increased funding lays solid groundwork for further investment and reform.
On workforce, our many years of lobbying saw increased funding to provide a salary incentives for GP registrars and paid parental and study leave. Of course with workforce shortages and maldistribution, training bottlenecks and changing models of care, there is still much work to do.
Patient care is of course at the heart of what we do and there has been progress there too.
Infectious disease still lurks (and in fact makes me more nervous every year). We were one of the first organisations to call for an Australian CDC and this year we saw the CDC up and running. And welcome to Prof Zoe Wainer who will speak at this conference, if you are already in the room! I look forward to hearing from you soon.
On women’s health (a key focus for me during my term) we scored a funding boost for contraception and menopausal therapies on the PBS. The rebate for an IUD insertion more than doubled. And more than tripled when bulk billed. I am now able to offer these services to my patients without an out-of-pocket cost.
Last year we saw the introduction of a new wounds consumable scheme. This was on the agenda of our GP council back when I started there 12 years ago and has been on our advocacy agenda with multiple ministers on both sides of politics – so this was a long time coming and another great example of how sustained advocacy, over many years, can achieve results.
Another slow but steady win was the recent reintroduction of an early childhood health assessment. This was removed from the MBS a decade ago, but we never gave up and it’s making a comeback in November!
I’d also like to reflect on the behind the scenes work that most people don’t get to see.
The regular meetings and the never-ending submissions we make on a wide range of federal health policy matters, often result in hard-fought for wins for our members and for our patients. Much of this involves stopping bad ideas before they take hold. Thank you to our members for trusting us to do the work you may never see.
I will have more to say about the amazing efforts of the team at federal AMA in my speech at the gala dinner, so I hope to see many of you there. But there is no such thing as too many thank yous, so I will now call out that none of our work would be possible without the dedicated policy, advocacy and operational staff at the AMA. Their expertise is highly sought after and we are lucky to have them.
On the topic of celebrating wonderful people, don’t forget to keep an eye out for our awards presentations during the conference, including the Presidents and Gold Medal Award at the Gala dinner. It is one of my favourite parts of conference - hearing about some of our incredible colleagues and their achievements.
As I mentioned earlier, this conference will see a new President and Vice President elected tomorrow afternoon. All conference attendees are welcome to attend to watch the process in action. Thank you to everyone who has engaged in this process. It is truly an honour to be President of an organisation working so hard for doctors, their patients and the health system.
Now is not the time to let our eye off the game. Decades of underinvestment in health is hurting patients. Attempts by various governments to replace a model built on quality with one built on quick access to fragmented care poses real risk.
Too often doctors are framed as the reason behind a system that is too slow, too crowded. Too expensive.
That’s not OK. The AMA is here for all doctors, all stages of career, all specialities, right around the country. What unites us is our profound commitment to patient care, and to seeing our health system keep quality and safety front of mind.
Minister, you’ve got Julian and I for another couple of months yet. But then I’m sure we’ll hand over to another leadership team just as able to carry the torch.
And now I would like to welcome Minister Mark Butler to the stage.
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ENDS
Editors: Please check against delivery.