Journalists wanting to speak to an ACRRM spokesperson are invited to contact Petrina Smith on 0414 820 847 or email.
The National Council of Primary Care Doctors (NCPCD), representing primary care leaders across Australia, has released its 2026 pre-Budget joint statement, calling for targeted investment in longer consultations, workforce sustainability and culturally safe care.
The Council warns rising demand, increasing clinical complexity and ongoing workforce pressure are placing strain on patients, practices, emergency departments and doctors—particularly in rural and remote communities.
NCPCD Chair Dr Rod Martin says general practitioners and Rural Generalists are seeing more patients with chronic and complex conditions, and that care takes time.
“Right now, Medicare doesn’t support longer consultations, which risks fragmenting care across the system,” Dr Martin says.
He says the Council is also calling for workforce sustainability to be a priority.
“We need to focus on keeping the doctors we already have—especially in rural and remote communities—by supporting supervisors, small practices, and registrars and their families,” Dr Martin says.
The Council also calls for better support for culturally safe and inclusive care, including investment in tools to help practices measure and improve how they deliver care—supporting better patient outcomes.
Together, the Council says these reforms would deliver immediate, system-wide benefits for patients while reinforcing general practice and Rural Generalism as the cornerstones of Australia’s health system.
Further information on the NCPCD Budget Statement is available here.
ENDS
About the National Council of Primary Care Doctors (NCPCD).
The National Council of Primary Care Doctors (NCPCD) represents the interests of general practice and primary care in Australia, comprising of leaders from the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM); Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA); Australian Medial Association (AMA); General Practice Registrars Association (GPRA); General Practice Supervisors Association (GPSA); Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP); Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA)
ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin is chair of the National Council of Primary Care Doctors. For more information, or interviews with Dr Martin, please contact ACRRM media manager Petrina Smith on 0414 820 847, or p.smith@acrrm.org.au
Member contacts
ACRRM: Petrina Smith on 0414 820 847 or p.smith@acrrm.org.au
AIDA: Sacha Shipway at communications@aida.org.au
AMA: AMA Media on 02 6270 5478 or media@ama.com.au
GPRA: Gavin Broomhead at communications@gpra.org.au
GPSA: Pauline Ingham at communications@gpsa.org.au
RACGP: Pippa Haughton or Stuart Winthrope on (03) 86699 0992 or media@racgp.org.au
RDAA: Ineke Kuiper on 0408 669 638 or comms@rdaa.com.au