The three candidates for the RACGP election are wrapping up their campaigns, with voting set to close at noon AEST on Friday 21 August.

At a member Q and A held Tuesday night, Dr Anita Muñoz, Dr Ramya Raman, and Dr Gavin Colthart outlined their visions and weighed in on topics from Medicare billing to pharmacist prescribing, support for IMGS and mental health – and much more.

The candidates at a glance

Dr Anita Muñoz

Dr Muñoz is a GP, chair of RACGP Victoria, RACGP board director, medical educator and a committee member across Finance, Audit Risk, Education & Workforce, People & Culture.

“I intend to launch an assertive campaign using the media, social media, and other channels to wrest back recognition and respect for us in the minds of the government, the public, the media themselves, and non-GP specialists. That respect and recognition will then need to be reflected in increased funding for our craft,” she said.

“I also want us to work very hard to rest back respect and recognition for our IMG population and for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors.”

“I intend to draw together coalitions like has never been done before.”

“I feel that the College still has not used its opportunities to work with other peak organisations to use the role of patients when we are influencing government.”

Find out more about Dr Anita Muñoz.

Dr Ramya Raman

Dr Raman is a GP, practice owner, vice president of the RACGP, chair of the RACGP WA faculty, medical educator, academic at University of Notre Dame, and a board director for Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services, RACGP, Joint Colleges Training Services Company, and the Garden Family Medical Clinic Piara Waters.

“I want a strong general practice profession that is valued, viable, united and most importantly influential,” she said.

“We cannot keep asking GPs and practices to subsidise the health system. I want to keep money in general practice and I want to fight to get money into general practice so practices can keep their doors open and their lights turned on.”

“Whether you’re a GP in training, an IMG starting your career in Australia, a rural GP, an academic, practice owner, you should be able to see the future of yourself in this profession.

Find out more about Dr Ramya Raman.

Dr Gavin Colthart

Dr Colthbart is a GP in Magnetic Island and a medical educator.

“Although I’m right behind most of what the College does (and have been an examiner and Medical Educator in my time) I’m not seeing the College break free from its shackles on dissent to speak out on some key ethical red lines our society appears to be crossing,” he said.

“As doctors, as GPs, we have a lot more ethical and moral authority than we realise. Time to use it.”

“I am not seeing that the role of the president as primarily a leader but primarily a listener and a communicator.”

Find out more about Dr Gavin Colthart.

Don’t forget to vote

Fellows, Members and GPs in Training of the RACGP are eligible to vote, and should have received an email with a unique voting link to the online voting platform (but it could be lurking in your spam or junk mail folders).

You can find out much more about the candidates, including their CVs candidate statements and what they are campaigning for – as well as more info about the voting process at the RACGP election website here.