Here’s an update on a few of the issues AMA Victoria is working on for members, including:

• Meeting with Minister for Health
• Consultation: Review of the Human Tissue Regulations 2015.
   

Meeting with Minister for Health

Earlier this week, AMA Victoria President Dr Simon Judkins and Vice President Dr Geoff Toogood met with Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas for a wide-ranging and constructive discussion.

The meeting opened with discussion of the varied issues facing Victoria’s health services across the state. We touched on the importance of open communication and collaboration around how services are organised and run. The Minister acknowledged the importance of these matters and thanked AMA Victoria for raising them constructively.

We also discussed the Health Services Plan, which is in the process of being implemented. This included conversations around how highly complex and low-volume procedures are organised across Victoria, and the role of governance reforms in ensuring referral pathways work in the best interests of patients.

The conversation then turned to our Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff campaign. The Minister recognised the problem of duplication in mandatory training modules for doctors who work across multiple health services and noted that the Department is working on a solution. We conveyed the indicative timelines we had been given, and the Minister undertook to encourage progress. She also acknowledged that duplication and inefficiency extend beyond training, and agreed that credentialing reform- among other measures to ease the burden on busy doctors- will be needed in the longer term.

The central focus of the meeting was the mental health and wellbeing of doctors. We highlighted the new Work Health and Safety obligations commencing in December and noted that AMA Victoria is exploring the option of writing to health service boards to remind them of their responsibilities. The Minister was open to working together on this and to broader efforts to ensure that doctor wellbeing and workplace culture are treated as core Work Health and Safety duties, not optional initiatives. Other levers canvassed included ensuring services are appropriately resourced - with enterprise bargaining providing an important avenue to address unsafe workloads and inequities- and reducing administrative burden through initiatives such as GROSS.

Finally, we discussed safety in emergency departments. AMA Victoria reiterated members’ concerns about daily risks of violence and the absence of a consistent statewide approach to security. The Minister acknowledged the seriousness of these issues, referenced broader post-COVID behavioural changes, and indicated that further progress is expected.

Overall, the meeting was constructive and forward-looking. While perspectives differed on some points, there was clear recognition of the importance of supporting doctors’ wellbeing, reducing administrative burden, and strengthening workplace safety. AMA Victoria will continue to engage closely with the Government on these matters.
 

Consultation: Review of the Human Tissue Regulations 2015

The Victorian Department of Health is reviewing the Human Tissue Regulations 2015, which are due to sunset in December 2025. These regulations govern the removal of human tissue for transplantation, donation and transfusion, post-mortem examinations, and the authorisation of schools of anatomy.

The Department proposes to remake the existing regulations in largely their current form, while introducing new provisions on governance, record-keeping, consent, and the respectful use of human tissue in schools of anatomy. The intent is to ensure safe, ethical, and contemporary practices, particularly in relation to body donation programs and educational use of human tissue.

AMA Victoria will be making a submission and we are seeking member feedback to inform our response. We’d particularly value your views on:

• Do you support the proposed regulations? Why or why not?
• What amendments or improvements would you suggest?

The consultation paper is available here.

Please send your feedback to AMA Victoria by Tuesday 16 September 2025 at [email protected] to help shape our submission.