Ongoing advocacy presence confirmed on Macquarie Street
17 Sep 2025
The GPs@Parliament NSW event is set to return each year, after its second successful gathering on Sydney’s Macquarie Street last week.
Six GPs, including RACGP NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman, attended NSW Parliament House to provide free health checks to state politicians and discuss key health priorities.
Around 27 MPs, including the Health Minister, Opposition Leader and Shadow Health Minister, took part in the checks. Dr Hoffman said the strong turnout showed genuine interest from politicians in both the advocacy work of GPs and their own health.
‘They’re there for more than just the chat – they actually want to talk about their health as well, which is nice,’ she told newsGP.
Discussions focused on improving vaccination access, particularly for influenza, meningococcal B and RSV, as well as addressing GP shortages in rural and remote communities. Other issues included support for general practices during natural disasters and allowing GPs to prescribe oral isotretinoin (Roaccutane) for severe acne.
Dr Hoffman said this year’s event marked a shift from simply introducing the RACGP to actively advocating for change.
‘If you’re not there you sometimes get forgotten about, so it’s making sure we continue to have a presence and remind them that we want to be involved in the conversations,’ she said.
The RACGP confirmed the event will now become an annual fixture, reinforcing its advocacy role in NSW.
Source: newsGP
