GPs in Qld Parliament builds on ‘genuine engagement’ with MPs

Inside Queensland’s Parliament House on Tuesday, a group of local MPs dropped in for health checks and a chat with four of the state’s GPs, as part of the RACGP’s ongoing advocacy to directly liaise with politicians about the changes needed in healthcare.
 
The 34 MPs, representing 37% of the Queensland Parliament, included Premier Steven Miles, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates, and Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki.
 
RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cathryn Hester was one of the GPs at the pop-up clinic offering one-on-one discussions with MPs. These included advice on managing stress and heavy work demands, women’s health, and exercise and healthy eating. Some brave MPs also signed up to get their blood pressure and skin lesions checked.
 
But Dr Hester told newsGP it was also an opportunity to raise the advocacy profile of the RACGP’s GPs @ Parliament and GP Advocate Network, launched off the back of the inaugural Advocacy Plan earlier this year.
 
‘The Brisbane Parliament was a really positive environment,’ she said.
 
‘You really know you’re making progress when the first thing an MP does is sit down and say, “Thank you for all the good work – GPs are doing fantastic work in the community. How can we help support general practice?”
 
‘That relationship with politicians, and one of the most positive things that I took away from the event, is that GPs are actually starting to talk to their local members now who are asking, “What advice do you have for us?”
 
‘We really are cutting through with our GP advocacy network. It’s been an incredibly positive thing that the RACGP started in the last year.’
 
Dr Hester was joined at the event by Queensland Deputy Chair Dr Aileen Traves, Brisbane practice owner Dr Aaron Chambers, and her husband and local practice owner, Dr Tony Bayliss.
 
Alongside the health checks, the GPs had ‘engaging’ conversations around areas for healthcare reform with the State Health Minister, Shadow Treasurer and Premier ahead of the Queensland election next month.
 
RACGP Queensland Chair Dr Cathryn Hester and Shadow Treasurer David Janetzki discussing the upcoming Queensland election and payroll tax. (Image: Supplied)
 
Dr Hester says these conversations are gaining momentum and the relationships between GPs and politicians are strengthening.
 
‘The MPs were very interested and concerned to know how the potential payroll tax amnesty ending next year would affect general practice, and also the ways we could free up some red tape for general practice,’ she said.
 
‘So allow GPs to do their work, for example, prescribing Roaccutane and ADHD medications in the community … ways that GPs can help provide those vital services to communities and ways that the State Government can actually facilitate them.
 
‘These are things that had really good cut through with the MPs – many of them actually stayed and talked about GP issues for 15 or 20 minutes. These were not just quick, pop-in, pop-out chats.
 
‘We actually have a genuine engagement with the MPs, and I feel like we’re starting to get that consistency and really important message across about the importance of general practice for our communities.’
 
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