Across 2 days in May, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) hosted our annual Practice Owners Conference in Sydney, on Gadigal Country. With around 1000 attendees – including 800 delegate general practitioners (GPs), practice managers and practice staff from around Australia and internationally – we came together to look at ways to improve our practices and reflect on the care we provide for patients, as well as our own work– life balance.
It was a fantastic weekend, and I left inspired by the ideas and enthusiasm the presenters and attendees demonstrated for improving our health system. We heard from innovators, influencers, business and healthcare leaders, and – most importantly – from GPs. Practice owners who are not only running clinics and providing best-practice care to patients across the diversity of communities, but also shaping the future of general practice and Australia’s health system.
The program explored workforce and financial sustainability, multidisciplinary care teams, digital innovation, business resilience and the government reform agenda. There was a clear focus on the practicalities of running a general practice, which includes providing holistic, continuous and high-quality care, ensuring financial viability and wellbeing, while navigating an ever-evolving health system.
Our range of presenters delivered innovative and thought-provoking sessions, and with so many highlights across the 2 days, some personal standouts included:
- The official launch of the RACGP Advocacy Plan 2026–30, which reflects member feedback and the College’s commitment to patient-centred care by calling for sustained investment in general practice that properly values the critical role specialist GPs play in delivering high-quality and continuous care. Our new plan sets out how the RACGP will continue to advocate to keep member interests front of mind for policymakers.
- An insightful international panel with leaders from New Zealand, the UK, US and Denmark, which looked at potential reform direction. All health systems have limited resources and are dealing with increasing demand as our patients and population age. Danish reforms in particular sound promising – with a commitment to build fewer hospitals, to provide more care closer to patients and to ensure better funding of general practice.
- Lots of discussions around the future priorities for the College, including implementation of the RACGP Strategy and expansion of the scope of care of general practice while ensuring safe and high-quality care is core to Australian reform.
- A healthy discussion about the economics of general practice and the need for general practice to more clearly highlight its value among increasing options for primary care.
The conference certainly lived up to its theme, demonstrating we are ‘stronger together in practice’. I look forward to the RACGP’s next national conference, GP26, in November in Adelaide.
Around 800 general practitioners, practice owners, managers and members gathered in Sydney for The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Practice Owners Conference 2026.(Images: Jake Pinskier)