I had a wonderful time at the NSW Fellowship Ceremony in Sydney last Saturday, 17 August where we welcomed 225 New Fellows and celebrated their momentous achievement together with their families and loved ones. This busy but sentimental day is one of my favourite days of the year and I am already looking forward to planning for our next.
Planning for the upcoming GP Health Checks @ Parliament event, which is being held at Parliament House, Sydney next month, is underway. Fellow representatives of the RACGP and I will be delivering health checks, reminding MPs of the important role of general practice and primary care both for their own health, and for that of their constituents. We will also be presenting our key advocacy goals which will focus on workforce and scope of practice to begin discussions ahead of the next NSW budget.
Advocacy work is also pressing on in the ACT as we have finalised our ACT election platform, keeping general practice and GPs front and centre in politicians’ minds. Our platform’s focus is on payroll tax and workforce as well as keeping the ACT Government accountable for transparency around nurse-led walk-in centres.
Last week, I wrote to the NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, the Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos, and NSW Revenue to express our frustration over their delay in releasing necessary payroll tax information to support general practitioners, and to request an urgent extension of the payroll tax amnesty for medical practices until 30 June 2025.
The annual Faculty election process is in full swing. The NSW&ACT Faculty Council is here to represent members’ interests, inform the work of our faculty, and is an established advisory body to the National Board. Nominations for the Faculty Council are open to all members, and I greatly encourage everyone to recognise the unique contribution you can bring to the Council and consider putting yourself forward as a candidate. You can find more information and nominate via the website.
We are now coming to the end of the 2024 State Faculty Award cycle, and I have really enjoyed reading all the wonderful nominations we have received for 2024. The NSW&ACT Awards Committee and I came together to make the challenging decisions of who amongst very strong cohort would be our winners and I am very much looking forward to making the announcement in the coming weeks.
Here’s hoping that the sunshine is here to stay.
Dr Rebekah Hoffman
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair