The past year has been extremely productive for RACS and the Health Policy and Advocacy team—working on a wide range of submissions, White Papers, position statements, government and regulatory consultations and direct interactions to advocate for Fellows. In 2025, 18 submissions were completed by the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), the Rural Surgery Section and the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party (ESSPWP) and their support staff. This year HPAC is led by chair Professor Mark Frydenberg, vice-chair Professor Mark Ashton, Fellowship elected councillors Dr Roxanne Wu, Dr David King, Dr Ailene Fitzgerald, Aotearoa New Zealand representative Dr Ros Pochin and Dr Matthew Hope, chair of the Trauma Committee.

Our submissions covered a wide range of health policy issues, including: 
•    public consultations conducted by the government and other external parties with respect to Medicare access and reforms 
•    integrity and compliance issues 
•    the viability of private hospitals 
•    pressures generated from medical indemnity 
•    distribution of workforces 
•    access to rural and regional areas 
•    the impact of outsourcing on the fragmentation of surgical services.

RACS made a submission on the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025, expressing its support for the establishment of a national Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC). However, RACS called for greater transparency, access to peri-operative data and continuity of surgical care in times of crisis.  

RACS also provided support to its surgical societies in 2025, including advocacy for enhanced Cosmetic Safety Standards and the Medical Services Advisory Committee and Vascular Interventional Radiology (VIR) Working Group to provide a mechanism for surgical equity, and the development of the Medical Benefits Schedule 75/85 Project as it relates to urology.

In addition to the above, two White Papers are currently in development, examining sustainable private hospital listings and the impact medical legal premiums may have if they are increasing. 

There is also current research relating to low-value surgical treatments and research on hernia in cooperation with our Research, Audit and Academic Surgery (RAAS) and ASERNIPS. 

RACS Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) 2025

At the 2025 ASC in Sydney, HPAC was well-represented across several sessions. These included Question Time with Tony Jones, with Australian veteran journalist facilitating a wide-ranging panel discussion with leaders in the health sector and surgical profession including HPAC chair Professor Mark Frydenberg. 

Professor Frydenberg drew the audience’s attention to HPAC’s work and the importance of Fellows having a seat at the policy making table.

Dr. Susan O’Dwyer, chair of the Medical Board of Australia, discussed recent Ahpra reforms and their effects on surgeons and the College, highlighting the accelerated expedited specialist pathway, notifications update, cosmetic surgery, rapid regulatory responses, and national law changes.

The RACS ASC Health Policy and Advocacy Panel, featuring representatives from the surgical profession, patient advocacy, private hospital sector and insurers, discussed the rising pressures on Australia’s private health system. Key topics of discussion included increasing out-of-pocket costs, fee opacity, declining inpatient volumes, workforce shortages, unsustainable wage rises, and financial instability of private hospitals.

A roundtable discussion on environmental sustainability provided panellists an opportunity to share how they have been driving change in their respective organisations, through measures such as replacing single-use surgical gowns to reduce waste. 

Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party (ESSPWP)

ESSPWP has been working on a range of activities in 2025 to promote environmental sustainability in surgery. Some of its major achievements are highlighted below: 

Microlearning module
The new RACS CPD module on environmental sustainability in surgery and reducing low-value care is now live on the eLearning platform. The three-part module (1 CPD hour) is open to Fellows, Trainees and junior doctors. The course encourages everyone to explore how to reduce their practice’s environmental impact while continuing to deliver high-quality surgical care.

RACS presents at AMA/DEA webinar (5 December 2025)
Doctors for the Environmental Australia (DEA) and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) presented their fifth annual joint webinar ‘Climate change and sustainability: leadership and action from Australian doctors’. 

Keynote and guest speakers were joined by representatives from some of Australia’s specialty medical colleges. The speaker line up included ESSPWP chair Dr Ben Dunne, who represented RACS and presented on the College’s current and future activities. 

Watch the webinar. 

Increasing ESSPWP presence in publications: Fax Mentis and Surgical News
The ESSPWP has started publishing a monthly report highlighting real world practical examples of how Fellows across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are adopting changes in their practice which reduce the environmental impact of surgery. The first article is Scrubbing Up Sustainably: Broome Hospital Transitions to Reusable Theatre Caps, by Dr Siobhan Clayton (Member of ESSPWP, RACSTA representative).