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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Description
This RACP submission notes our strong support of the Australian Government’s Thriving Kids initiative as a timely and strategic reform to advance the health, development, and wellbeing of all Australian children. Whilst also providing advice for principles to guide the development of the initiative, noting the role the RACP can play, and highlighting existing RACP work, the submission discusses important and key considerations related to the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
Description
The RACP submitted to the Education and Workforce Select Committee’s Inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online, and the roles the Government, business, and society should play in addressing those harms. Our submission advocates for a public health approach to regulating children/tamariki and young people/rangatahi’s online activity and calls for the Government to ensure that social media platforms are accountable for creating safer online environments for children and young people, as well as enabling safer online environments into adulthood.
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.
