Health of the Nation: ‘Something every politician should get behind’

The RACGP has officially launched its General Practice: Health of the Nation 2024 report in Canberra, on Ngunnawal Country.
 
Politicians from all sides, including Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler, as well as members of the RACGP Board and other GPs, descended on Parliament House early on Tuesday to present and discuss the report’s findings of Australia’s only annual insight into the state of general practice.
 
Playing a central role in the college’s general practice advocacy, the report’s findings highlight a ‘positive revival’ for the profession, and ‘green shoots’ growing with the Federal Government’s support to reform the healthcare system and ensure a brighter future.
 
Minister Butler was joined by co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of GPs Group, MPs Dr Sophie Scamps, Dr Gordon Reid, and Senator Susan McDonald at the launch, where RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins presented the Health of the Nation report findings.
 
‘Australia’s health system is the envy of the world – and general practice is at the heart,’ Dr Higgins said to a packed room at the launch.
 
‘It is critical to the health of our nation – and understanding the current state of general practice is critical for politicians and policymakers.
 
‘This year, more than 3000 of our members contributed to our Health of the Nation survey, from every state and territory in Australia. The results are in … and I’m pleased to report early signs of a revival, particularly in the GP workforce.’
 
Positive workforce trends reflected in the report’s findings include that 73% of GPs are satisfied with their job, an increase from 66% in 2023.
 
GPs aged under 35 are the most satisfied (85%), as well as those working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services.  
 
Additionally, more doctors are recommending general practice as a career, increasing from 38% in 2023, to 44% in 2024.
 
Dr Higgins reiterated that with more investment from the Federal Government, the RACGP can train more GPs in communities across Australia.
 
‘Funding gets results – if the Government acts now, it can accelerate the turnaround in general practice,’ she said
 
‘The RACGP is Australia’s peak general practice training body, and we are on track to train a record number of GPs in 2025.’
 
A panel discussion at the event followed, comprising Dr Scamps, RACGP WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman, and Minister Butler, who said the report is ‘an incredibly important insight into what is happening in the backbone of our health system’ every year.
 
‘This is a really valuable report … thank you to the college for investing in this, it’s a really powerful, insightful piece of work,’ Minister Butler said.
 
Pointing to the standout findings of this year’s report, including better job satisfaction, more GPs recommending general practice to junior doctors, and an increase in the number of trainees entering the Australian General Practice Training Program, Minister Butler said general practice is seeing a ‘recovery’.
 
‘I gather 2025 is looking strong as well,’ he said.
 
‘I came to this position unapologetically saying that of all of the pressures in health – and there are many – general practice was my very clear priority.
 
‘Because I was deeply anxious about the state of general practice, it was in the most parlous state it’s been in the 40-year history of Medicare. We all understand that if general practice continues to decline, then that would reverberate right through the health system.
 
‘And it is not just investment, there needs to be reform … We’re very much still committed to that job of reform. It’s a journey we want to go down with the sector very closely.’
 
While restoring the viability of general practice, strengthening Medicare and the GP workforce remain advocacy priorities of the RACGP as reflected in Health of the Nation, the focus theme of this year’s report is innovation in general practice – barriers and enablers.
 
The report shows that innovations in general practice are benefitting patients, and GPs are adapting to the changing needs of their patients, adopting digital technologies and emerging medical advancements to deliver care to individual needs.
 
However, GPs need better support to adopt new technologies, as some are underutilised, including My Health Record, which is rarely or never used by one third of GPs.
 
The RACGP is calling for the Government to invest in interoperability for flagship platforms such as My Health Record to increase its use and fulfil its potential.
 
The Health of the Nation report also confirms that general practice remains Australia’s most accessed health service, with more than 22 million people seeing a GP in 2023, and 54% able to see a GP within 24 hours when they urgently needed to.

‘General practice keeps our nation healthy – it needs the right support and funding to do its job,’ RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said at the Health of the Nation launch.
 
Dr Higgins said with the report showing encouraging signs that points towards a more positive future for general practice, the strong relationship the RACGP has built with the Federal Government is valuable and needs to continue.
 
‘What Australia urgently needs now is more meaningful investment from Government to improve access to affordable GP care for all Australians,’ she said.
 
‘We need meaningful investment to make a difference for the many people battling cost-of-living who don’t qualify for healthcare or pension cards.  
 
‘This is an opportunity for Government to accelerate a turnaround for general practice and improve access to affordable care for patients today, and for future generations. 
 
‘An investment in general practice, is an investment in the health of our nation – it benefits every single community across our country. It really is something every politician should get behind.’ 
 
The General Practice: Health of the Nation 2024 report is available on the RACGP website.
 
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general practice funding GP workforce health of the nation Mark Butler Medicare reform RACGP advocacy