RACGP

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RACGP Presidential candidate Q&A

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With the election voting period due to begin Monday (29 August), newsGP has offered the seven members vying to lead the college a final opportunity to explain why they should be the next President.
 
The candidates’ answers are given below, in an order determined by an official ballot draw conducted earlier this week.
 
Dr Kate Wylie
What will your priorities be if elected?
I have three core priorities:
 
a. Standing up for our profession: the foundations of general practice are under threat and I would advocate with strength and dignity for the viability of our profession. I would listen to the membership and seek your expert opinion and advice.
 
b. Standing up for our patients: healthcare is a human right. We must ensure that people can access healthcare no matter gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability or postcode.
 
c. Climate action: Climate change is the greatest health problem of our time. It is absolutely our core business to protect human health from the climate health emergency.
 
These three things are synergistic.
 
GPs avoid costly partialist medicine, reduce the burden placed on our high emissions hospital system and consider the whole person in our patient-centred care.
 
My priorities allow us to face the crisis for our profession and simultaneously address the crisis for our planet.
 
Why do you want to be President?
I’m standing for RACGP President because I’m proud to be a GP and I want a healthy, flourishing general practice community.
 
I have a vision for general practice that addresses the challenges we face as a profession and fulfils our responsibilities as health professionals to treat the climate health emergency.
 
We need a President that addresses the internal problems we face and also acknowledges the external problems that face our communities.
 
I’m concerned that the membership will elect a president that will only focus internally and not pay due attention to the community, and that this will undermine the trust and credibility of our profession.
 
We also need a president that is not divisive and is evidence-based.
 
I seek to unite the membership and to advocate for an economically viable, community-minded and climate friendly general practice.
 
What can you bring to the presidency that the other candidates can’t?
As a leader I seek to empower people to achieve their potential, knowing that together we are stronger, happier and more effective.
 
I believe in equity for our patients and for us as GPs too, and as college president I would address the malcontent amongst member groups that feel sidelined and treated poorly.
 
I have a proven track record as a political advocate, have extensive media experience and am an accomplished public speaker.
 
I can align our needs with the [Federal] Government’s mood for climate action, advocating for support of general practice as an avenue for emissions reduction. We practice low carbon healthcare and can assist the Government in reaching its 43% ERT [emissions reduction target].
 
Our health minister, Mark Butler, supports a national climate health strategy and we would be foolish to not capitalise on this.
 
I am a kind, courageous, hard-working woman who will give my all to the presidency.
 
Dr Chris Irwin
What will your priorities be if elected?
My pledge to every GP is that my entire $250,000 salary will be donated for professional lobbying for general practice – this is $250,000 more than the AMA or RACGP have ever spent for advocacy for GPs.
 
This will get us more political access than a $100 million organisation like the RACGP has ever achieved.
 
My priority will be to increase the political influence of general practice as soon as possible. We need to capitalise on the bulk billing crisis and get Medicare fixed – this is a once in a decade opportunity to reclaim the $9 billion annually that has been taken from our patients in the form of two decades of Medicare freeze or freeze by stealth (indexation not occurring at the level of inflation).
 
We must prevent the thin wedge of capitation in the form of Voluntary Patient Enrolment.
 
Why do you want to be President?
I don’t particularly want to be President. I would much rather be living a much simpler life as a coalface GP running my two practices and spending my free time with friends and family.
 
Sometimes life is not about what you want to do. It is about what you must do. General practice is in crisis and is slowly lurching towards oblivion. Less than 15% of new doctors want to be GPs and we cannot fill the training places.
 
I was so frustrated with the lack of action by the RACGP that I started a professional lobby organisation and future union for GPs – ASGP – one year ago.
 
If we do not have effective strong leadership, we will continue to be slowly destroyed by the actions of the Government. I am so worried about the lack of strong leaders willing to stand up to the Government and organise us to be the most influential political group in Australia that I feel obligated to do my part.
 
General practice should decide the outcomes of Australian Federal Elections based on what is best for our patients. The RACGP is a sleeping giant, it just needs to be woken up.
 
What can you bring to the presidency that the other candidates can’t?
I think the quality of the other candidates is very high. I particularly admire Kate Wylie and her dedication to the environment. I bring a similar singular passion – but for the survival of general practice.

I have spent years building networks within general practice and have a broad base of grassroot support that I can call on to transform general practice into the strong political player that it needs to be. I have connections with many politicians from both sides of parliament, and I am frequently asked from nationwide media about my opinions on primary care.
 
General practice needs a leader to stand up to government, say no to capitation, and organise a new Medicare.
 
It is a lie that there is not enough money for fee for service general practice in 2022 – the Labor Government increased childcare funding by $5.4 billion annually – this is 60% of GP consult funding. There is just no political will to fix GP.
 
Let’s give governments the reason they need – that they will lose elections if they continue to bring harm to our patients. 
 
Associate Professor Charlotte Hespe
What will your priorities be if elected?
a. Funding 

• Increasing Medicare rebates
• Revising MBS items to include more extended consultations with equivalent pay
• Achieving funding for general practice team members, such as practice nurses
• Holding the incoming Government accountable for promised funding
• Ensuring continued funding for all existing GP programs

b. Business sustainability
 

• Reducing burnout and social distress of our workforce
• Attracting junior doctors into general practice and rural generalism
• Address the specific issues of:
  • rural and remote GPs
  • GP employment and payroll tax, parental and study leave
• Equity of pay for GPs vs specialists 

c. Advocacy/leadership
 

• Provide effective, relentless lobbying to government
• Address the decline in general practice as a specialty choice
• Be heard as a voice for GPs in the general community
• Limit the encroachment of other specialities on general practice – especially pharmacy
• Improve the treatment of IMGs [international medical graduates]
• Achieve a unified voice with our strategic partners in this work, such as the AMA and ACRRM

Why do you want to be President?
General practice is in crisis and no longer sustainable.
 
We need the RACGP to lead in protecting our profession and the Australian community before it is too late. We need strong leadership to take the united voice of our profession to politicians, health authorities, and the community and tell them that enough is enough! 
 
I put my hand up for President because I care deeply about the state of our wonderful profession, and I care enough to be prepared to devote my time and energy to this role. And I believe I have all the right skills to be the best President in these times.
 
I know and understand the intricacies of the Australian healthcare system and am well placed to immediately lead us in these times of crisis.
 
The time for action is now, and I am ready and available for the job.
 
What can you bring to the presidency that the other candidates can’t?
Proven leadership: I am an experienced Board Director and have been Chair of six primary care company boards over the last 20 years.
 
I have a track record of having a collaborative, respectful leadership style and achieving united functional boards. The President is but one director amongst 15, so having this proven track record is essential if we want the President to make a difference.
 
Accessible advocacy: My Practice is in Glebe, NSW. It is 10 minutes from all major media groups, and I am readily accessible for radio and TV interviews with very little notice. Over the last two years, I have established respectful relationships with local journalists, which will provide a rapid stepping-stone to increased media coverage of GP issues.
 
My local Federal members are Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek. I know them, and they know me. Say no more! Canberra is a 30-minute flight or 2.5 hours’ drive away.
 
Professor Brad Murphy
What will your priorities be if elected?
RACGP has a broad church of members with differing cultural, social and demographic influences. We need to come together as GPs and to be proud and passionate about our college.
 
We must have a ‘Unified Voice’ for general practice and primary care. We are the largest medical college in Australia made up of leaders each in our own right.
 
We need to lead the cohesive response to government sharing our lived experiences advocating for immediate investment into general practice and commitment to longer-term health reform.
 
I am committed to working with all stakeholders to lead this response.
 
Driving the changes needed in general practice includes a move away from UBB [universal bulk billing] whilst protecting our most vulnerable patients, reduction in the safety net limit, significant increases in incentive payments, enhancing WIP [the workforce incentive program] with inclusion of practice management.
 
We also need to address the threats from the ambiguous, such as payroll tax and compliance legislation.
 
Why are you running for President?
Service to my country, community and profession over a lifetime is the rich lived experience I bring to the presidency.
 
I have spent over 16 years at the core of the RACGP, including establishing RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health whilst a registrar in a small, solo doctor rural town working on Fellowship exams!
 
I know the challenges GPs face, I know the value of our teams, networks and building sustainable models to provide the best quality care to our patients.
 
I want to unite our profession, support and nurture all members, especially those in training, and provide an inspirational career of choice in medicine.
 
I have extensive governance and advocacy experience – I have a seat at the table and have shown I know how to use it. The only greater honour in our profession than the Rose-Hunt medal would be to be your President.
 
What will you bring to the presidency that other candidates can’t?
I am a passionate, proud Kamilaroi man and GP with lived experience in healthcare throughout Australia, and a rich tapestry of life giving me both the passion and essential skills to lead our profession into a rejuvenation phase. 
 
RACGP is a leader in Indigenous health and I strongly believe that an investment in Indigenous health is indeed an investment in the healthcare of the entire nation.
 
Members could make an historic statement in electing Australia’s first Indigenous President of any medical college.
 
We would have opportunity to engage with a government keen to embrace the Uluru Statement from the Heart in ways other candidates and indeed the RACGP may not otherwise have.
 
My commitment to our members if elected is that I would passionately advocate for our members to ensure that we are able to provide sustainable and equitable services to our communities into the future.
 
Dr Chris Ogonowski
What will your priorities be if elected?
My most urgent priority will be to focus on improving the working conditions and remuneration of all GPs.
 
I want to represent all GPs, and fight hard for us. Special assistance is needed right now for rural GPs and IMGs.
 
Through improved working conditions, and taking control of our financial viability, we retain GPs; we get less GP burn out; we get GPs providing even better care to their patients, thereby enacting true and effective patient advocacy; and we draw more medical graduates and interns to general practice, with the prospect of a far more meaningful and rewarding career.
 
I will improve our working conditions through: 
 

• effective lobbying of government regarding remuneration and other issues
• greater media engagement
• improved accountability of the college, and better communication between the college executive and its members
• enhanced unity between college members.

Why are you running for President?
I’m running because I’m sick and tired of GPs like you and I being treated as third tier health professionals, behind non-GP ‘specialists’, and allied health practitioners.
 
This was exemplified most clearly through the disgraceful treatment of GPs by government during much of the COVID pandemic. The fact that non-GP ‘specialists’ and allied health practitioners were given COVID vaccine access before you and I is utterly unacceptable.
 
I believe college member apathy, and even cynicism towards the RACGP is at an all-time high, due to the perception among many members that the college is a toothless entity, which is ineffective in lobbying for its members.
 
Unfortunately, the RACGP appears to lag far behind the Pharmacy Guild and other health practitioner representative bodies when it comes to lobbying and meaningful representation of its members.
 
I will change that, through effectively improving the working conditions of all GPs.
 
What will you bring to the presidency that other candidates can’t?
I bring a fresh perspective to the presidential role as I’m not aligned with the RACGP – I’m not a Faculty Councillor, and I’m not a part of the RACGP Executive – so my allegiance lies with you, as a fellow working GP.
 
I bring a unique and effective skillset, with my background in the law, industrial relations, and political strategy. I have worked extensively in the law, and I have considerable experience in mediation and negotiation.
 
I’ve represented GPs in the mainstream media, and will boost the profile and lobbying power of the RACGP through effective media engagement.
 
I will not back down in pushing for better working conditions for GPs, and I’m certainly not afraid to offend anyone when I speak loudly, and proudly, in representing GPs.
 
We need to push back on the encroachment of the Pharmacy Guild into our clinical territory. And we need greater financial, educational, psychological and cultural support for IMGs.
 
Dr Nicole Higgins
What will your priorities be if elected?
We can no longer absorb the financial and emotional cost of subsidising a broken healthcare system.
 
Member centred. Profession first. Solution focused. 
 

• A funded general practice is the solution to the healthcare crisis. Using other health providers has been an expensive failure.
• A united front on Medicare taskforce and payroll tax
• Fellowship Support Program – fully funded to support rural workforce and IMGs
• Accountable – Members Charter – Board and CEO to be accountable to members through agreed KPIs on performance, diversity and inclusion
• Engagement and empowerment – GPs are leaders and change makers in their own communities. Education, advocacy, networking and GP training to be locally supported and delivered
• General practice is viable and sustainable. Support to GPs to review their model of business
• General practice as a career of choice for new graduates through review of remuneration/employment models/portability of entitlements
• Reward and value longer consults – F2F and telehealth

Why are you running for President?
There has never been a more urgent time for RACGP to have a strong, bold and proven leader who understands the whole breadth of general practice – business of general practice, Medicare, education and training and governance.

I can build on the momentum gained by Karen Price and the RACGP to ensure the future of general practice. As Chair of GP Supervisors Australia, I have secured the future funding and grown the organisation and engagement with my team. I want to do the same with RACGP.

I get stuff done!
             
What can you bring to the presidency that the other candidates can’t?
I bring a unique perspective of working inside and outside the RACGP.
 
I am the current Chair of a GP Supervisors Australia and I have established relationships and communication channels in Canberra. I have excellent working relationships with AMA, ACRRM, GPRA [General Practice Registrars Australia], RDAA [Rural Doctors Association Australia] and have shown that I bring unity and collaboration to general practice.
 
I am a negotiator who puts the profession first. I know how to negotiate quietly behind the scenes as well as speak out loud.
 
As an advocate for general practice, I have spoken out against the North Queensland Pharmacy pilot and Queensland UTI trial. I present regularly in the media and at conferences.
 
It is time for a President who is not based in a capital city, who understands the challenges faced by urban, regional and rural general practice. A President who understands the depth and breadth of general practice.

I am ready to go, and we have no time to waste.
 
Dr Julian Fidge
What will your priorities be if elected?
1. Engage with members and determine their priorities.
2. Engage with the college board and executive, and develop plans to implement the members’ priorities
3. Engage with the governments and the oppositions to address the viability and sustainability of general practice
4. Engage with junior doctors to ensure that general practice is seen as a desirable, long-term career option
5. Engage with registrars to address concerns about the cost of training, examinations, and other concerns
6. Engage with ahpra and the Medical Board of Australia about concerns from IMGs about registration hurdles, and other regulatory concerns expressed by members
 
Why do you want to be President?
I don’t want to be president, but the college is doing such a poor job in all areas, and is so expensive, that I feel compelled to offer my services to my colleagues to address these issues.
 
Unfortunately, I cannot see how the other candidates have the necessary experience to change the culture of the college.
 
I hope that I can sort out most of the problems in two years, and hand over to one of the other excellent and talented candidates. This would allow me to be blamed for implementing the necessary changes and give the new President a more popular mandate and an easier, and long-term role.
 
What can you bring to the presidency that the other candidates can’t?
I understand that change is required, and I am an outsider of sufficient years and experience to bring about change.
 
If members elect a candidate from within the college, the new President will be a product of the culture that is not working, and it will be futile.
 
It can be seen from the forums how closely the college-based candidates identify with the existing culture in the college. There is no hope of meaningful change from any of those candidates.
 
I know that change is uncomfortable. It requires a lot of character and self-confidence. But I have a lot of experience in working with government and other agencies, a lot of leadership training from my service as an army officer, and I have a much better understanding of how to work with governments than the other candidates.
 
I understand that I am not popular, or especially likeable. But that is not what I am offering members.
 
I offer the necessary experience and character to drive change in the short term, like bringing in a new CEO to a struggling company.
 
I am an effective driver of change, and I am, unfortunately, what the college needs at this point in time.

Correction: This article was updated at 10.20 am (AEST) on Friday 26 August as the original article erroneously listed the voting period as starting on 26 August. It begins on Monday 29 August.  

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RACGP Presidential election

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