More than 100 medical leaders gathered in Canberra on Monday to discuss wide-ranging issues facing the healthcare section.
The AMA’s annual colleges, associations and societies meeting began with a focused discussion on the role of innovation in strengthening prevention across Australia’s health system.
Expertly facilitated by Ms Caroline Edwards PSM, the session explored how policy, research and system design can work together to improve outcomes and reduce pressure on the health system with insights from Professor Zoe Wainer, Director General at the Australian Centre for Disease Control; Mr James Downie from Cove Solutions, and Dr Lisa Studdert Head of Office at the Productivity Commission.
It was followed by a session focused on the critical question of how we build a sustainable, supported and well trained medical workforce for the future.
Facilitated by Dr Sanjay Hettige, Chair of federal AMA's Council of Doctors in Training, the discussion brought together perspectives from Mr Philip Pigou (CEO of the Australian Medical Council), Dr Sarah Whitelaw (the federal AMA's emergency physician representative), Associate Professor Kerin Fielding (President of the Council of Specialist Medical Colleges) and Dr Susan Wearne (Deputy Chief Medical Officer from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing).
The session highlighted issues in workforce planning, including the need to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce; improve cultural safety; adapt training to new models of care; strengthen wellbeing, and ensure high quality supervision and training standards.
Speakers also addressed persistent workforce shortages and the need for clearer, more flexible training and career pathways that meet the needs of doctors in training and the communities they serve — particularly in rural and regional Australia.
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Rebecca White, joined us for the keynote address at the colleges, associations and societies meeting. She acknowledged the ongoing pressures facing public hospitals and highlighted the importance of strengthening connections across public, private and not-for-profit healthcare to improve patient experiences.
Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care Senator Anne Ruston also joined us for a keynote address, thanking the AMA and medical leaders for their contribution to Australia's healthcare system.
Senator Ruston highlighted the AMA’s 2026 Public Hospital Report Card, which she said reinforced the need to prioritise investment in preventive healthcare. She told the audience the federal AMA's ongoing research and reports play a key role in providing clear, evidence-based insights to inform parliamentary discussion.
Our session on how national regulatory and workforce frameworks can better support reform, access and patient safety highlighted the pressures impacting access to healthcare, with some Australians delaying or forgoing prescribed medicines.
One of the key themes discussed was the central role of doctors in workforce reform and access decisions. Speakers emphasised that reforms designed without meaningful medical involvement risk undermining safety and fragmenting care.
Finally, our session on advocacy, politics and the media examined the realities of driving health reform in a crowded advocacy and media landscape, and the role journalism and politics play in shaping policy outcomes.
Facilitated by Ms Sue Dunlevy, former Health Editor at News Limited, the session featured insights from Dr Mike Freelander MP, Member for Macarthur, and Mr Michael Smith, Health Editor at the Australian Financial Review.
