COVID support 

Provided near real-time updates to members on Queensland Health’s COVID-19 Restrictions and Mask Mandate Public Health Directions and similar public health notifications.

Secured dedicated pathways for GPs to access emergency PPE supplies. 

Secured an Australian Government decision to extend telehealth access for patients with COVID-19 and exempt them from the existing clinical relationship requirement for access to Medicare rebates for telehealth services.

Secured changes in Queensland Health's pandemic leave provisions so it can be accessed immediately when sick, and to make it retrospective to 2021 - ASMOFQ. 

Prevented legislative changes that would have allowed pharmacists to prescribe COVID antivirals.

Intervened and protected Townsville Hospital staff operating under Tier 3 after they were directed not to wear P2/N95 masks - ASMOFQ. 

Negotiated with state policymakers to secure workable guidelines for providing care in the community for people with COVID.  

Physically supported members across Queensland in appreciation for their tireless efforts to keep Queenslanders safe by delivering COVID Care Packages to: 

• 1,000 doctors in public hospitals  
• 19 private practices. 

Persuaded the new federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, to implement a new telehealth item for COVID anti-viral management and to reinstate pandemic leave from mid-July 2022.

Provided guidance to practices on how to manage patients not vaccinated against COVID-19, while fulfilling ethical and professional duty, including legislated Workplace Health and Safety obligations. 

Bang for your membership buck 

Added 1,500 extra exclusive deals and discounts to the list of membership benefits. 

Arranged online and face-to-face events with opportunities to gain free advice from corporate partners.  

Gave members access to industry and government updates as they happened – and often before. 

Provided free, timely resources to help members navigate the ever-changing healthcare sector. 

Powerful media voice

>1,650 media mentions. 

>81.7M accumulated audience. 

Ensured our members’ voices were heard nationally, locally and in the workplace. 

Influenced governments and led the conversation: 

• shone a national spotlight on Queensland’s dangerous pharmacy prescribing experiments 
• secured additional AMA Queensland representation at state summits addressing workforce and mental health 
• called the Queensland Government out on its greedy payroll tax grab.

Strong member engagement 

>9000 touchpoints providing help and information for our members. 

Held two Virtual Town Hall meetings on issues directly affecting members. 

• public hospital funding and modernising Medicare 
• North Queensland pharmacy trial allowing pharmacists to diagnose and treat certain conditions. 

Conducted the state’s first survey of international medical graduates to understand their unique challenges and drive our advocacy activities. 

Established more opportunities to represent your colleagues and profession: 

• Committee of Consultant Specialists 
• International Medical Graduate Working Group 
• Opioid Stewardship Roundtable
• Payroll Tax Technical Advisory Group

Resolved industrial matters for individual members - ASMOFQ:

• overtime, allowance and penalty underpayments 
• MOCA and Medical Officers’ Award interpretations
• unfair reprimands and show-cause notices.  

Hosted more than 1,300 attendees at more than 30 memorable events for all members: 

• Women in Medicine 
• private practices 
• regional members 
• junior doctors 
• interns 
• medical students 
• senior active doctors 
• networking opportunities  
• Annual Conference. 

Celebrated the achievements of our members: 

• Dinner for the Profession 
• Member Milestones 
• Australia Day honours 
• Doctor Q  
• Meet a Member Monday

Sustained and expanded the range of special interest groups and advisory committees in the federal AMA Council of Doctors in Training, engaging more than 100 early-career members in AMA policy development and advocacy. 

Focus on mental health and wellbeing 

Negotiated legislative changes that make Queensland Health Hospital and Health Service directors accountable for the mental wellbeing of staff. 

Secured the Queensland Government’s mental health summit for the healthcare sector. 

Supported and raised awareness of the challenges facing our healthcare workforce: 

• Self-Care September 
• Crazy Socks for Docs. 

Fought for your safety 

Conducted the seventh Resident Hospital Health Check, evaluating employment conditions and wellbeing among doctors in training across Queensland. 

Secured Queensland Health summits on mental health and workforce.  

Influenced the staged reopening of Gladstone Hospital’s maternity unit through sustained member, policy and media activities.  

Secured amendments to poorly drafted Medicines and Poisons Act legislation that would have threatened practitioners' rights to natural justice.  

Workplace relations expertise 

Helped members with workplace relations information and guidance more than 1,000 times. 

Took our business-enhancing Private Practice Series to members across regional Queensland. 

Ran free, in-person seminars supporting practice owners with financial, legal and best-practice advice.  

Hosted webinars on emerging threats to the sector: 

• payroll tax 
• the Great Resignation, Performance Appraisals, Recruitment, Fundamentals of Leadership and Employment Status 
• employment issues in practices.  

Industrial relations wins

Negotiated Medical Officers' Certified Agreement 6 (MOCA 6) and Mater SMO throughout the year to protect your pay and conditions – the fight continues in 2023. 

Took your concerns to Queensland Industrial Relations Commission: 

• personal protective equipment and fit-testing 
• continuing to fight for doctors who are not paid emergency department 25 per cent loading
• West Moreton SMO standby allowance 
• safety, accommodation and overtime at Mt Isa Hospital   

Successfully completed negotiations with Queensland Health about G20 Medicare changes, achieving a long-term solution for affected specialists including parity of pay from previous years. 

Successfully negotiated a brand new enterprise agreement for doctors working at Apunipima Cape York Health Council. 

Secured more beds for Hervey Bay Hospital’s ICU. 

Supported Royal Flying Doctors Service doctors during organisational change. 

Facilitated an employment framework for medical students to work for Queensland Health. 

Policy success

Secured state budget allocation of 2,500 extra hospital beds through our Ramping Roundtable Action Plan. 

Brought the Queensland Government’s greedy payroll patient tax to the attention of the Parliament and press.

Exposed the dangerous flaws in the Queensland Government's UTI pharmacy prescribing pilot. 

Advocated for and shared the mechanism through which doctors could report patient complications from the UTI pilot. 

Delayed the start of the subsequent North Queensland pharmacy prescribing trial and reduced the number of conditions pharmacists could diagnose, prescribe and dispense.  

Negotiated for Queensland Health to delay mandating doctors use QScript while it addresses key technical and compliance problems raised by AMA Queensland and ASMOFQ. 

Established the Opioid Stewardship Roundtable to advocate for best practice in opioid management for acute pain, particularly in private hospitals. 

Lodged more than 30 submissions responding to government requests for feedback on proposed policy and legislative changes. 

Obtained a commitment for an extra $1b in funding for general practice and a Strengthening Medicare Taskforce through our Modernise Medicare Campaign. 

Convinced former federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to restore access to GP and non-GP specialist telehealth items and to moderate Medicare compliance activities for these items for six months until 1 July 2022. 

Successfully advocated against Recommendation 65 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report which would have seen GPs restricted from prescribing antipsychotic medications in aged care.

Secured government initiatives and commitments to address medical workforce shortages in rural and remote communities including:

• expanded the Murrumbidgee single employer model trial to more regional and remote communities 
• $146m to inject more doctors and allied health professionals into communities and improve treatment and care for patients 
• $35m to significantly expand the successful Innovative Models of Collaborative Care program from January 2023. 
• $15m to expand the John Flynn Prevocational Doctor Program to more than 1,000 placements in rural Australia per year by 2026. 
• $9m for additional training posts outside of community general practice for rural generalists and GP registrars, and fellowed GPs to undertake advanced skills training. 

Negotiated better outcomes for doctors involved in the Commonwealth Bonded Medical Program.