Doctors in the House: QLD GPs visit State Parliament

Queensland GPs delivered their advocacy priorities in person to some of the state’s top Members of Parliament (MPs) as part of the fourth annual GPs @ Parliament event this week.
 
The 2025 GP delegation was led by RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cath Hester who described it as an important and valuable annual advocacy activity that has helped ‘noticeably strengthen’ engagement with MPs.
 
Supported by Deputy Chair Dr Aileen Traves, alongside state Faculty Council members, Dr Aaron Chambers, Dr Tony Bayliss and Dr Nicole White, the GP team met with 24 MPs to discuss a raft of key advocacy items as well as reinforcing the vital role of GPs in healthcare.
 
Amongst the MP line-up were state Health Minister Tim Nicholls; Treasurer David Janetzki; Attorney-General Deb Frecklington; Leader of the House and RACGP Fellow Dr Christian Rowan; Leader of the Opposition Steven Miles; and Opposition Health Minister Mark Bailey.
 
Key messages included the importance of allowing GPs in Queensland to initiate, prescribe and manage treatment for adults and children living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as prescribing oral Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) for patients with moderate to severe acne.
 
There were also calls to support GPs to deliver essential care during natural disasters and to embed GP representation in health system planning.
 
Dr Traves described GPs @ Parliament as a ‘valuable opportunity’.
 
‘It is important to make ourselves available to have open discussions about general practice and what GPs can do, and we spoke about the potential for GPs to do more in particular to assist our patients with moderate to severe acne and adults and children living with ADHD,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘These patients often struggle with the costs and access to see other specialists and as their local GPs we are well placed to provide ongoing care. We also spoke about opportunities for GPs to be more involved in supporting our state hospitals.
 
‘It was reassuring to hear from our politicians what they value about their own GP, in particular how much they appreciate the continuity of care specialist GPs offer. We offered blood pressure checks but encouraged all politicians to have and see their own GP for ongoing support.’
 
Dr Hester added that it was encouraging to hear many MPs attending the Tuesday event open their conversation with “it is great to see you again” and “thank you and your colleagues for all the great work Queensland GPs do for our communities”.
 
‘The ongoing relationship with politicians is one of the most positive things that I took away from the event,’ she said.
 
‘A number of MPs who have attended previous GPs @ Parliament events have now also attended other RACGP events such as Fellowship and awards ceremonies in their local electorates and this really shows their support and understanding of general practice.’
 
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ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder general practice Government Queensland