College Council Update

The ACRRM College Council convened in Darwin on 23 October and considered a number of policy and advocacy issues prior to the RMA conference.

Some key items included:

Federal Budget and Election 2025

Council discussed key issues and advocacy strategies in the leadup to the Federal budget in March 2025, to be followed by an election at some time prior to September.  An advocacy and communications strategy will be developed, noting the importance of engagement with local MPs and candidates and the potential to engage members and communities in advocacy.

Family and Domestic Violence Position Statement

A new policy position statement on Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) was endorsed.  The statement notes that FDV is disturbingly prevalent in rural, remote and First Nations communities and that it is a shared community-wide responsibility and a major public health issue.  It is beholden of rural doctors to be part of the solution, and skills for prevention, identification and effective responses are essential. 

The College will support members to build professional capacity and also to be mindful of their own mental and physical safety and well-being.

Climate and Health Position Statement

Council also approved an updated Climate and Health policy position statement which references the mental and physical health impacts of climate change in rural, remote and First Nations communities and the role of Rural Generalists in providing healthcare, as community leaders, and in planning and responding to natural disasters. 

The statement documents the ways in which the College will respond at the global and national level, and also within its own operation.

A range of other initiatives were discussed including draft position statements on the role of physician’s assistants and locums in the rural, remote and First Nations workforce. These will be finalised during the coming months. 

The College has submitted to several key reviews this month

• Submission to the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme Complexity Review
• Submission on Professional Capabilities
• Submission to the AMC on draft standards for training site accreditation.
• Feedback to the NSW Select Committee implementing the 2020 rural health services inquiry recommendations.
  • The College has recently submitted to the Select Committee reaffirming is previous submissions and its concerns that the implementation needs to progress with some urgency.

Statement to members

A statement to members on the personal and professional impacts of overseas conflicts will be released in Country Watch in the coming weeks.