RACGP regional tour highlights ‘extraordinary work’ of practices

RACGP leaders embarked on a tour of regional Victoria this week to meet with local GPs, healthcare teams and community organisations – and for college President Dr Michael Wright, it has also been a return to his family roots.
 
Alongside RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz and Co-Deputy Dr Aadhil Aziz, Dr Wright travelled to Ararat, Beaufort and Ballarat this week, taking in the strong growth in the regional general practice workforce and hearing from local GPs and communities about what they need to continue delivering high-quality care. 
 
‘I’ve really enjoyed visiting multiple practices and towns in regional Victoria this week, highlighting the critical role that general practice plays in these communities, and speaking with GPs, registrars and practice staff to understand the challenges of providing care in regional areas,’ Dr Wright told newsGP. 
 
‘Our tour included a member event in Ararat with local GPs, and a meeting with Federal Member for the Wannon electorate, Dan Tehan, to discuss our shared priorities in growing the GP workforce in regional Australia, and also how we can ensure GP services are viable.’ 
 
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.’ 
 
Reflecting on the highlights, Dr Wright said he was impressed by what he saw on the tour. 
 
‘I was really impressed by the strong collaboration between local GPs led by Ararat general practice and the local health service, which is supporting GPs to provide hospital urgent care after hours and comprehensive primary care,’ he said.  
 
‘In Ballarat, we met with multiple general practices and the local Aboriginal health services.
 
Interesting to hear from different practices who all talked about the increasingly complex care they are providing and how Medicare rebates are inadequate, particularly for long consultations, disadvantaging both patients and their GPs.  
 
‘We saw a range of impacts from last year’s bulk-billing changes with more remote practices more likely to take up the incentives.  
 
‘But all practices were wary of increasing costs growing more quickly than revenue, and the challenges of increasing fuel costs and consumables making financial viability harder, and the further financial pressures this is placing on the bottom line.’ 
 
For Dr Wright, the visit also has deep personal meaning.  
 
‘On a personal level, I was excited to visit to Beaufort, the first town where my father practised as a GP, and also to visit Ararat, where my mum grew up. It was a real thrill to go to these towns for the first time and see where my Dad fell in love with general practice (and my Mum),’ he said. 
 
‘In Beaufort I met one of the reception staff who we worked out was delivered by my father, and was chuffed to hear that the locals still refer to ‘Doc Wright’s Hill’ as the road where Dad used to live,’ he said. 
 
‘It was also a privilege as a second-generation GP to reflect on how these communities have changed but still rely deeply on general practice and the care we provide, in order to thrive.’ 
 
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.  
 
It’s a critical time for government to step up and support the sustainability of general practice in regional and rural Victoria,’ she said.  
 
‘General practice is the backbone of community health, yet many practices across regional Victoria are under real strain. 
 
‘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.  
 
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