Policy and Advocacy Library
The library is the culmination of the collaborative work of RACP members and comprises a comprehensive range of evidence-based, published RACP position statements, policies and submissions.
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Topic
Occupational and environmental health
Description
The RACP provided feedback to Safe Work Australia on the draft model Code of Practice on managing biological hazards at work, for employers of all workplaces. This Code addresses hazards which include viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi such as mould, and is critical to safeguarding workplace health. Key points in the feedback underlined the complexity of these hazards in the workplace, referenced to a risk model, and noted where the value of employers seeking expert advice should be highlighted in the document.
Topic
Palliative medicine
Description
The RACP submitted to Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora on their proposal for a National Model for Integrated Adult Palliative Care, saying the proposed model provided a useful model of care, with potential to transform the delivery of palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. The submission also called for sustained government funding for both the primary and specialist palliative care components, to support this model and improve palliative care services.
Description
Our feedback on the ACSQHC draft Foundations of High-Quality Care advocates for a practical clinical governance model that strengthens safe, high-quality care while protecting workforce wellbeing. Our response calls for reducing duplication, embedding protections against misuse of governance processes, and ensuring adequate staffing, supervision, and culturally safe environments. We emphasise the need for integrated care and collaborative commissioning, promote value-based care, and highlight the emerging challenges of artificial intelligence for clinical governance.
Description
The RACP submitted to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) on their draft Working with AI in healthcare policy for ACC-registered health providers. The submission focused its feedback on the key principles proposed by ACC, including maintaining human oversight, transparency, training and education, legal and regulatory requirements, ACC policy requirements, and informed consent. The RACP noted that equity was not mentioned in the policy and advocated for its inclusion as a key principle.
Description
This RACP submission provides College feedback to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s review of legislative instruments underpinning the My Health Record system. It highlights barriers to specialist engagement, including limited incentives, technical challenges, and privacy concerns. The submission recommends targeted reforms to improve usability, interoperability, and access controls, alongside enhanced education and support for clinicians. It also outlines implementation enablers such as specialist-specific incentives, structured data standards, and monitoring frameworks to ensure My Health Record evolves into a secure, inclusive, and clinically valuable tool for coordinated care.
Description
Our submission to the Productivity Commission interim report on Delivering Quality Care More Efficiently welcomes its recommendations on Indigenous health partnerships and prevention, but stresses need for broader action on digital health integration, medicines access, workforce wellbeing, support for overseas-trained doctors, safe adoption of AI, and reducing low value care. It calls attention to the need to move from concept phase to practical implementation of collaborative care models, such as the RACP Model of Chronic Care Management, to strengthen integration across primary, hospital and community settings. It also urges investment in prevention, alignment with the new CDC, and a health-focused Productivity Commission roundtable to drive system-wide efficiency.
Topic
Voluntary Assisted Dying
Description
The RACP has written to the Northern Territory Government’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Inquiry, referencing the College’s earlier submission to the Northern Territory Voluntary Assisted Dying Community Consultation in 2024, highlighting the diversity of views among physicians on this issue. It emphasises that any changes to NT legislation must be developed in close consultation with medical experts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and community-controlled organisations. Key messages include the need for strong safeguards against coercion, adequate investment in palliative and end-of-life care, culturally safe models of care for First Nations peoples, comprehensive monitoring and reporting, and funded training and support for practitioners. The RACP does not take a position for or against legislative change but stresses the importance of ensuring safe, equitable, and culturally appropriate care.
Description
The RACP has written to the Queensland Youth Justice Reform Select Committee’s Inquiry, providing evidence and resources to support better health outcomes for children and young people. The College highlighted its position statements on child health, Indigenous child health, early childhood and inequities in health, with a focus on recommendations to improve care for those in or at risk of entering out-of-home care. The RACP has also offered the expertise of its members to assist the Committee throughout the Inquiry.
Topic
Access to healthcare
Description
The RACP submitted to the Health Select Committee on the Healthy Futures (Pae Ora) Amendment Bill. The RACP supported certain aspects of the Bill, such as including a new purpose of ensuring patients get timely access to quality health services, a focus on infrastructure provision and planning. The RACP also expressed deep concerns regarding other aspects of the Bill including the diminished role of Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards, the removal of the health sector principles, and the removal of the requirement for the Expert Advisory Committee on Public Health to have expertise in population health, health equity, te Tiriti, epidemiology, health intelligence, health surveillance, health promotion, health protection and preventative health.
Description
This feedback to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) Credentialing and Defining Scope of Clinical Practice – Guide for Managers and Clinicians emphasises the need for transparent, conflict-free credentialing processes, strong safeguards against bias and misuse, and accessible appeal pathways in health services. It stresses that credentialing frameworks must be workable across diverse physician worksites. The importance of supporting workforce flexibility, portable credentialing, balancing credentialing for quality and safety with efficiency and physician wellbeing is centred.
