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Policy and Advocacy

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The 2022 Australian Federal Election

The RACP plays an active role in election campaigns by advocating for policies that enable their patients to live longer, healthier lives.

In the lead up to the 2022 Federal Election, the RACP is calling on political leaders to ‘Commit to Healthcare’ –  commit to a suite of policy priorities that will deliver a quality, future-focused healthcare system for all. These are outlined in our Federal Election Statement 2022 (PDF) which sets out our recommendations for quality future-focused healthcare for all.

Priority areas: System reform | Equity | Preventive health | Climate resilience

How you can help

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System reform to strengthen the health system
  • Urgently address care delayed by COVID-19 and strengthen pandemic preparedness
  • Increase access to specialist care, including by addressing specialist workforce issues and ongoing access to telehealth
  • Build up a future-focused health and aged care workforce that is culturally safe and provides work-life balance
  • Provide wrap-around care, including specialist care, based on the best evidence on health care innovation and health services integration

Read our full recommendations for system reform (PDF).

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Equity to give all Australians the opportunity for good health and wellbeing
  • Support Indigenous self-determination and leadership to Close the Gap
  • Support older Australians’ wellbeing and independence by implementing the Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations and increasing Home Care Packages
  • Support the individual autonomy of people with disability including by appropriately funding the NDIS
  • Support children and young people to catch up from the setbacks of COVID-19
  • Support people with substance use disorders by providing easier access to evidence-based treatments
  • Support the health and wellbeing of the Australian workforce including by improving prevention of workplace illness and injury and improving return to work outcomes
  • Make health information and systems more accessible to consumers and carers with varying levels of digital and health literacy. Ensure information is available for communities of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds

Read our full recommendations for equity (PDF).

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Prevention to reduce preventable chronic disease and ill health
  • Commit to fully fund the National Preventive Health Strategy, which requires 5% of health expenditure for prevention over 10 years, excluding COVID-related expenditure
  • Invest in the prevention and treatment of harms arising from the misuse of alcohol and other drugs
  • Reduce alcohol-related harm by replacing the current Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) and rebate system with a volumetric taxation scheme for all alcohol products
  • Raise the baseline rate of social support to increase recipients’ ability to have health diets and lifestyles

Read our full recommendations for prevention (PDF).

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Climate resilience to equip our healthcare system so it is climate ready and climate friendly
  • Appoint a national Chief Health Sustainability Officer to provide leadership, coordination and capacity building
  • Urgently implement and fund a national climate change and health strategy to build climate resilience and an environmentally sustainable healthcare sector, including a plan to achieve net zero emissions in healthcare by 2040
  • Establish a national healthcare sustainable development unit
  • Allocate dedicated funding for climate change and health mitigation and adaptation initiatives including national research funding, grant funding for states and territories, and funding for the development and scaling up of innovative projects at the local level
  • Transition to zero emission renewable energy across all economic sectors with support to affected communities

Read our full recommendations for climate resilience (PDF).

How you can help

Physicians and paediatricians are powerful voices in advocating for health, social and environmental policies that will make a positive difference in their patients’ lives.

Make your voice heard by:
  • Join the RACP’s Kids COVID Catch Up Campaign, which calls for action from government to help kids catch up from the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about the Kids COVID Catch Up campaign.
  • Take action as part of the Healthy Climate Future campaign
  • Using social media to call on political leaders to ‘Commit to Healthcare’ by committing to RACP’s election policy priorities on social media – view our social media guide
    • Use #CommitToHealthcare
    • Tag political leaders so they see your post
  • Contact your local MP to ask them to ‘Commit to Healthcare’ by committing to the RACP’s election policy priorities – view our email guide

Social media guide

Twitter tags

@ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @GregHuntMP @DaveGillespieMP @Mark_Butler_MP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston 

 Facebook tags

@ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @Greg.Hunt.MP @DavidGillespieMP @MarkButlerMP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston

Example post #1

As a (YOUR PROFESSION) I’m calling on @ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @GregHuntMP @DaveGillespieMP @Mark_Butler_MP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston to #CommitToHealthcare by securing quality, future-focused healthcare for all Australians. More: https://bit.ly/racp-election-22

Example post #2

This election, we need political leaders to #CommitToHealthcare by investing in populations, communities and all parts of the healthcare sector impacted by the pandemic @ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @GregHuntMP @DaveGillespieMP @Mark_Butler_MP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston More: https://bit.ly/racp-election-22

Example post #3

This election, we need political leaders to #CommitToHealthcare by ensuring healthcare workforce is appropriately funded and safe @ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @GregHuntMP @DaveGillespieMP @Mark_Butler_MP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston More:https://bit.ly/racp-election-22

Example post #4

Political leaders must #CommitToHealthcare with policies that support children and young people to catch up from the setbacks of COVID-19 @ScottMorrisonMP @AlboMP @GregHuntMP @DaveGillespieMP @Mark_Butler_MP @LindaBurneyMP @Anne_Ruston  More: www.kidscatchup.org.au

Email guide

Use the below text as template. A range of policy recommendations have been listed as examples that you can include.

Email template

To: Visit the Australian Parliament House website to find your local members email address.

Subject: Commit to Healthcare this election

CC: policy@racp.edu.au; minister.hunt@aph.gov.au; mark.butler.mp@aph.gov.au; david.gillespie.mp@aph.gov.au; ged.kearney.mp@aph.gov.au

Dear The Hon. <FIRST NAME> <LASTNAME> MP,

I am a local <YOUR PROFESSION> in your electorate.

I wish to bring to your attention The Royal Australasian College of Physician’s pre-election statement, which sets out the College’s policy priorities (https://bit.ly/racp-election-22).

We are calling on political representatives to Commit to Healthcare (https://www.racp.edu.au/commit-to-healthcare) by delivering on these policy priorities in order to achieve quality, future-focused healthcare for all Australians.

I am passionate about ensuring:

  • That Telehealth appointments cover specialist care, at a length required by patients. This can be done by:
    • Reinstating MBS items for telehealth consultations by phone on a permanent basis
    • Funding videoconferencing packages for priority populations (including aged care and people with disabilities) in rural and remote areas
  • That the healthcare workforce is appropriately funded and safe by:
    • Addressing medical specialist workforce issues and patient care management
    • Supporting the healthcare workforce through strategies for flexible training, work hours and parental leave
  • That all populations and parts of the healthcare sector impacted by COVID-19 are adequately and urgently resourced by:
    • Investing in all parts of the healthcare sector impacted by COVID-19.
    • Investing in healthcare for communities with poor access to healthcare prior to the pandemic and made worse by COVID-19
  • That the healthcare system is better prepared for extreme weather impacts and that its emissions are reduced by:
    • Creating and funding a National Climate Change and Health Strategy, to build climate resilience within the healthcare system
    • Include a plan to decarbonise healthcare and achieve net zero emissions in healthcare by 2040
  • That children and young people are supported to catch up from the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic by:
    • Appointing a National Chief Paediatrician and establishing a national recovery taskforce for children and young people
    • Funding the National Children's Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy to increase Commonwealth support for kids with additional needs
    • Implementing universal access to early childhood education for 3 year old's

I would appreciate you responding to me with your commitments on these issues.

Regards,
<YOUR NAME>

Find out more

Documents

RACP Federal Election Statement 2022 (PDF)
RACP Federal Election Factsheet 2022 (PDF)

Contact

Email Policy@racp.edu.au if you have questions or ideas about the campaign.

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Authorised by Peter McIntyre, CEO, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW, 2000

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