The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the appointment of Blair Comley as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Mr Comley is a director and partner at EY Port Jackson Partners, having previously served as Secretary of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet and in the federal public service as Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
He will commence a five-year term in the role on 17 July 2023.
“Australians deserve a health system where general practice care is invested in as the centrepiece of healthcare,” Dr Higgins said.
“Navigating our health system is too complex for patients, GPs, and aspiring GPs, and specialisation in general practice has been disincentivised by years of low investment in the most efficient part of our health system, general practice. The recent federal Budget has paved the way for change, but it is clear we need major reform to fix our health system.
“With an outstanding record in public service, policy development and design, and leading government organisations through change, Blair Comley is well-qualified to drive this kind of reform.
“On behalf of the RACGP and GPs in Australia, I welcome Mr Comley’s appointment to this prestigious position and look forward to working with him to build a health system that doesn’t just treat us when we are sick, but keeps Australians healthy at all stages of their lives, regardless of their postcode or income.”
The appointment follows Professor Brendan Murphy’s announcement he would retire as Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care on 6 July 2023.