Over 800 rural doctors, medical students and others from across Australia are starting to arrive in Darwin today for the Rural Medicine Australia (RMA24) conference, Australia’s biggest annual gathering of rural and remote doctors.

While the main conference program will focus on all things Rural (and Remote) Medicine, there will still be time for some hero-worshipping, with former Wallabies captain and rugby great, John Eales AM, featuring as one of RMA24’s keynote speakers to talk about leadership and culture.

RMA24 is co-hosted by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA), and gets underway with a Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening. The main conference program begins on Thursday, with the conference running through to Saturday afternoon.

RDAA President, Dr RT Lewandowski, said: “We are really excited to be returning RMA to the Top End in 2024, and we have a ground-breaking conference program lined up for delegates.

“With this year’s theme being Welcome to the buildup: strong foundations for better health, we are excited to be hearing from a great range of keynote speakers including Australia’s new National Rural Health Commissioner, Professor Jenny May AM, at a time when key outcomes from Government reviews on reform of Australia’s primary care sector, after-hours care and Medicare are being considered.

“These reviews and their recommendations have enormous potential to either help or hinder the sustainability of rural healthcare going forward, depending on how the review recommendations are acted upon.”

ACRRM President, Dr Dan Halliday, said: “We also greatly look forward to welcoming other important keynote speakers at RMA24 as they talk about critical issues impacting on rural communities and the rural health sector.

“These include Tyson Carmody, founder of the Kings Narrative – an organisation formed to support Aboriginal men to be the authors of their own story – and Dr Jillann Farmer, Chief Executive of A Better Culture, who will speak about strategies to combat bullying, harassment, racism and discrimination in the health sector.

“Our extensive conference program will also consider issues including maximising collaboration in rural healthcare; building thriving rural communities; and safeguarding both environmental and human health under climate change.

“Once again in 2024, we are thrilled to be welcoming to our conference a strong and enthusiastic cohort of medical students and junior doctors. It is wonderful to see so many of the next generation of doctors passionate about a career in Rural and Remote Medicine, and we greatly look forward to seeing them – as well as our many other delegates – as they arrive in Darwin over the next few days.”

In advance of the conference, many rural and remote doctors have arrived early in Darwin to attend critical upskilling courses including:

  • Rural Generalist Surgical Skills
  • The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) Cultural Safety Workshop
  • Rural Emergency Skills Training
  • Rural Emergency Obstetrics Training
  • Rural Anaesthetic Crisis Management
  • Advanced Life Support
  • Pre-Hospital Emergency Care

Media are welcome to attend most sessions at RMA24, but must pre-register in advance by contacting one of the RMA Media Team on the numbers below.

Media are welcome to attend most sessions at RMA24 but must pre-register in advance by contacting one of the RMA Media Team on the contact numbers below.

Find the program for RMA24 by clicking here.

Find the keynote speaker list for RMA24 by clicking here. (Check for ongoing updates)

Media contacts:
Patrick Daley (RDAA) – 0408 004 890
Petrina Smith (ACRRM) – 0414 820 847