The RACGP has heard the feedback about a lack of diversity among the keynote speakers for GP19 and we acknowledge we missed the mark. As an organisation that places great value in continuous learning and improvement, we know we can do better.
Across the whole four-day program we’ve got close to 60% representation of female speakers, and we agree this should have translated to the keynote presentations as well.
Please note that the responsibility for inviting and selecting GP19 keynote and plenary presenters rests entirely with the RACGP, and not the individuals who have agreed to share their ideas and insights as presenters, nor those who have worked to help us plan and organise the conference. We regret the distress this situation has caused our keynote speakers.
There is a wealth of diverse talent within and around the healthcare profession and the RACGP commits to working harder to ensure that diversity is reflected across the programs of all our conferences.
The RACGP will now revisit the GP19 program to see if we can move things around and create more opportunities for diverse talent to feature more prominently.
The RACGP would also like to acknowledge the graciousness of our current keynote presenters in offering up their spot, but hope this isn’t necessary to achieve greater diversity across the program.