The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) President Dr Michael Wright and RACGP Victorian Chair Dr Anita Muñoz will visit practices across regional Victoria this week to meet with local GPs, healthcare teams and community organisations.
The visit will focus on highlighting strong growth in the regional general practice workforce, increasing regional training opportunities, and listening directly to GPs and communities about what they need to continue delivering high-quality care close to home.
Dr Wright said regional Victoria plays a critical role in training and retaining the next generation of GPs, and that hearing directly from local clinicians is essential to shaping effective policy and advocacy.
"We're seeing genuine growth in regional training and workforce, and that's something to be celebrated," Dr Wright said.
"But it's just as important that we listen carefully to GPs and communities about what's working, what isn't, and where more support is needed."
For Dr Wright, the visit also has deep personal meaning.
"This is a return to my family roots," he said.
"My father was a GP in Beaufort, and my mother is from Ararat. These communities shaped my understanding of the vital role general practice plays in regional Australia, and it's special to come back in my role as RACGP President."
RACGP Victorian Chair Dr Anita Muñoz said engaging with regional practices and Aboriginal community-controlled health services was essential to ensuring policy reflects lived experience. Dr Munoz sees this as a critical time for government to step up and support the sustainability of general practice in regional and rural Victoria.
"General practice is the backbone of community health, yet many practices across regional Victoria are under real strain," she said.
"Rising operating costs and state taxes, including payroll tax, are putting pressure on practices at a time when demand for care has never been higher.
"Without meaningful action from the State Government, some clinics may not survive. Victoria urgently needs a full payroll tax exemption for general practice to protect access to care."
Dr Muñoz said GPs are also playing a vital role supporting local communities affected by recent bushfires.
"GPs are often the first point of contact for people dealing with the physical and emotional impacts of disasters," she said.
"Regional practices are doing extraordinary work, but they need the State Government to recognise the pressures they're under."
The RACGP is calling for stronger state investment in general practice infrastructure, workforce attraction and retention, and policies that ensure people in regional and rural Victoria can continue accessing timely, high-quality care close to home.
"Victoria's regional communities deserve a sustainable general practice system," Dr Muñoz said.
"The State Government must act now to secure the future of the care people rely on every day."
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