Independent MP Dr Monique Ryan says the inquiry into non-GP specialist care is ‘not a witch hunt’.
The incoming inquiry into the affordability of non-GP specialist care is unlikely to turn out a “magic bullet” for Medicare woes – but it is likely to come up with “20 or 30” important tweaks to the system, says MP Dr Monique Ryan.
Speaking at the AMA national conference on Saturday, Dr Ryan – the deputy chair of the committee – told delegates that she hoped to see long-term improvements in training.
“But what we need is for people to come and tell us what they’re doing and about the points of friction for them,” she said during a panel discussion on affordability reforms.
“People from all parts of the medical system. That’s going to be really, really important.”
In a separate address later that day, Dr Ryan urged the AMA not to dig in its heels.
“What I’d ask for the AMA to do is not to defend existing fee-for-service arrangements, not to push back against the review into specialist healthcare, but to embrace it and to lead it,” she said.
“And to lead work on the development of a national health and workforce strategy, to lead work on how we can improve dental coverage through Medicare, to lead work on to push the government to be more evidence-based in its evaluation and its ongoing support of things like urgent care clinics, and to push for more funding for medical research as well.”
Dr Ryan also acknowledged the widespread concern about the inquiry, emphasising that it was “not a witch hunt”.
“It honestly is not,” she said.
“We’re trying to find ways to improve Australia’s access to healthcare.
“… As a politician, people come and talk to me in my office and tell me their stories. And stories are incredibly powerful.”
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Consumers Health Forum CEO Dr Elizabeth Deveny, who spoke at the panel discussion on specialist fees, told AMA delegates that patients often did not understand the health system.
“People outside this room don’t think of it as a public system and a private system,” she said.
“They think of it as our healthcare system.”
Dr Deveny pointed to the proliferation of private health insurance aggregation and comparison sites as evidence of the complexity of the private-versus-public system.
“I do think this is a very complex area, and we’ve talked about a whole lot of things – and the response needs to think about all of those things,” she said.
“Your idea, [Dr Ryan], of the 20 tweaks is great – because it’s not one simple problem.
“It’s not just the rebate that needs to go up, but it’s also understanding of insurance … and knowing what the cost [of a procedure] would be.
“Yes, you’re dealing with variation [of fees] … but variation is not the only issue. There are lots of issues here, but my view is that a lot of it is fixable.
“You just need to get a plan and get on with it.”
The 2026 AMA national conference was held at Pullman East Melbourne on 28 and 29 August.
