Farm Safety Week: Better health access for farmers means safer, stronger rural communities
As Australia marks Farm Safety Week, ACRRM is calling for greater support to ensure farmers and their communities can access high-quality, local healthcare.
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin says investing in the health and wellbeing of rural and remote communities is essential to creating safer farming environments.
“Farming is one of the most physically and mentally demanding jobs in Australia, and our farmers face unique health and safety risks every day,” Dr Martin says.
From the Pacific to the Outback—and Back: Dr Sione Akauola’s RG journey
Dr Sione Akauola’s journey to ACRRM Fellowship began in one of the world’s most remote locations - a small island in Tonga where he served as the sole doctor for a community of 1500 people. With limited resources and isolation from tertiary care, he ran a five-bed health centre and managed emergencies alone for an entire year.
Dr Akauola is now embarking on a project close to his heart - establishing a solo private clinic on Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu.
This revised statement reflects recent policy developments affecting our practitioners and outlines how a recognised RGM specialist should be appropriately understood.
The statement reaffirms ACRRM’s commitment to rural generalism as a key to bringing excellent healthcare to the people of rural and remote Australia including our remote First Nations communities.
RMA25 has a beautiful new look - same incredible conference!
22 - 25 October 2025, Boorloo (Perth)
Each year, RMA collaborates with Indigenous artists from our host region to create unique branding that celebrates and honours the local Indigenous community. This tradition ensures each conference carries the authentic spirit of its place.
Our RMA25 artists, Darralyn and Kirk Ugle, have created something truly spectacular for us, drawing inspiration from the vibrant Noongar countryside of south-west Western Australia and the deep connections that bind communities together.
"The painting tells the story of our land and people through colour and connection. The bright hues celebrate our native wildflowers that bloom across the countryside, while the purple honours women's business and the blues flow like our precious waterways. White travelling lines map the journeys that connect us all, weaving between native plants that represent our diverse regional areas. The six large circles symbolise the Noongar nations and their sacred interconnectedness."
Sponsored: Download the user-friendly LEO Library - Differential Diagnoses A4 cards for diagnosing Scalp and Body Psoriasis.
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References: 1. Cimmino MA. Epidemiology of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Reumatismo. 2007;59 Suppl 1:19-24. 2. Foley P. How to treat: Psoriasis. Australian Doctor. 19 February 2010. Available at: http://www.australiandoctor.com.au. Accessed 10 May 2011.
2026 NSW RGTP Advanced Skills Training positions
Applications for Advanced Skills Training Positions 2026 are now open.
Successful applicants will gain direct entry into the NSW Rural Generalist Training Program (RGTP).
Advanced Skills Training specialities include:
Anaesthetics
Obstetrics
Paediatrics
Mental Health
Palliative Care
Emergency Medicine
Adult Internal Medicine
12-month training opportunities are available in a variety of NSW locations.
How to apply Applications are open from 15 July – 5 August 2025. Applicants must be junior doctors currently PGY3 and above.
For more information on eligibility and application, visit the HETI website.
RGSEP is an employment pathway for doctors seeking a career as a Rural Generalist. Trainees on the pathway are employed for up to four years by a regional Local Health District (LHD), while completing training in both primary care and hospital settings.
There’s under one month until ACRRM's inaugural Supervisor Summit!
This three-day summit is your chance to connect with fellow ACRRM accredited supervisors and College staff in the stunning setting of Sydney. Don’t miss out.
To make it easier to attend, ACRRM is offering a one-off reimbursement of $1300 to each accredited supervisor to help cover flights, accommodation, and registration.
Check out the program below and complete your registration for this exciting event.
Upcoming Webinar – Clinical Trial & Teletrial Access in Regional Australia
31 July 2025 | 1.5 CPD hours
Join VCCC Alliance for the next National Regional Cancer Forum as they shine a spotlight on improving access to clinical trials and teletrials across regional and rural Australia.
Hear from leading voices including Dr James Todd, Professor Sabe Sabesan, and Narelle McPhee, as they unpack national initiatives, share on-the-ground experiences, and offer practical tools to help bring more trial opportunities to your region.
Whether you're a clinician, researcher, or healthcare provider, this session offers valuable insights to help overcome access barriers and connect your community to innovative cancer care.
GPs and general practices are invited to attend a webinar on upcoming changes to bulk billing. The webinars will cover the expansion of bulk billing incentives to all Medicare-eligible Australians and the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP).
From 1 November 2025, these changes will:
Provide additional funding to GPs and practices that bulk bill their patients.
Establish the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program which will provide an additional 12.5% incentive payment when GPs and their practice bulk bill all eligible patients for all eligible services.
Support patients to access the primary care services they need.
Medical immersion in Bendigo and JMO information session in Echuca
High school students from Bendigo were able to get a taste for the medical profession with the ACRRM VIC team with FACRRMs Dr Chris Pring, Dr Stef Hammond and Dr Erin Hawkey. Students took part in four skills stations including ultrasound, eye and ear, slings and splints, and blood pressure and simulations.
In Echuca, JMOs at Echuca Regional Health heard from ACRRM registrar Dr Cian Healy on his journey towards ACRRM Fellowship and working as a rural and remote doctor.
HEART returns: New dates announced for ACRRM’s professional wellbeing course
After a successful pilot program earlier this year, we’re pleased to announce two new intakes for the ACRRM HEART course in 2025.
Designed specifically for Rural Generalists, HEART is a four-week online course that supports doctors to build sustainable, fulfilling medical careers. Combining self-paced online modules with live virtual sessions, the course explores the systems, teams, and personal practices that shape our day-to-day experience of rural practice.
Upcoming course dates:
September intake – starts Tuesday 16 September
November intake – starts Tuesday 11 November
CPD hours: 16 total CPD hours
Educational Activity: 6 hours
Performance Review: 10 hours
Remote Medicine MOPS: 6 hours
Who should enrol?
This course is ideal for Rural Generalists—especially registrars—who are looking to strengthen their wellbeing, manage complexity, and sustain their commitment to rural practice over the long term.
Help Shape the Future of Digital Health in Rural Practice
Digital tools are essential to rural and remote care — but they must work for the way you practise. This is your chance to represent rural clinicians in national digital health policy and ensure technology supports your work.
Digital Health is a key learning area of the ACRRM curriculum and we strive to support members keep pace with technology whilst maintaining safe, quality practice.
Joining the committee will also support your professional development with 4.5 hours Education Activity and 3 hours Outcome Measurement.
Apply now to join the ACRRM Digital Health Committee or contact the Chair A/Prof Christopher Pearce for more information at ehealth@acrrm.org.au.
ADHD GP training program - Expressions of interest
The RACGP is currently working with the WA Department of Health to roll out a comprehensive government-funded training program to enable GPs to diagnose and initiate treatment of ADHD for patients 10 years and above.
There are 65 places to be rolled out across three cohorts within 12 months. Selected GPs will be from a mix of rural and metro locations in WA with varying levels of experience with ADHD patients.
Learn more about the program and express your interest below.
ACRRM is inviting Expressions of Interest from Fellows keen to contribute to quality and safety improvement in rural and remote healthcare.
The Quality & Safety Council plays a critical role in ACRRM’s clinical governance, advising the Board and College Council on strategies to support safe, high-quality care. Members help develop, review, and monitor guidelines and standards tailored to the unique challenges of rural practice.
This is an opportunity to collaborate with a dedicated group of professionals, influence best practice, and help drive continuous improvement across the sector.
ACRRM acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the custodians of the lands and waters where our members and staff work and live across Australia. We pay respect to their elders, lores, customs and Dreaming. We recognise these lands and waters have always been a place of teaching, learning, and healing.
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