Australian Medical Association - Tasmania

17/11/2025

***Urgent notice of meeting for VMOs working in Tasmania.***

THS has begun advising that some VMO contracts will not be renewed, with proposed conversion to salaried staff specialist roles instead.

AMA Tasmania is holding an urgent VMO meeting online this Thursday 20th November at 8.30 pm to discuss what this means for you and to plan our response.

For meeting details and more information, please contact industrial@amatas.com.au

16/11/2025

Nearly 100 Tasmanians are trapped in expensive hospital beds despite being well enough to go home, as state and federal governments clash over aged care responsibilities 👉 https://bit.ly/4413skM

16/11/2025

The Australian Medical Association in Tasmania stands alongside the Tasmanian Government and Premier Rockliff in calling on the Federal Government to honour its commitment to fund 45% of public hospital costs under the National Health Reform Agreement.

AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel stated, “It is critical that the Federal Government steps up and pays its fair share of the rising costs of healthcare delivery.”

Tasmania’s health system is under immense pressure. Demand continues to outpace capacity, and the system is stretched beyond its limits. There is no surge capability, frontline staff are fatigued, and chronic underfunding has left little room for innovation or reform.

The Australian Medical Association in Tasmania stands alongside the Tasmanian Government and Premier Rockliff in calling on the Federal Government to honour its commitment to fund 45% of public hospital costs under the National Health Reform Agreement. AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel...

15/11/2025

Busy week this week, with Tasmania's medical and political community coming together to advocate for our healthcare system, united by a full and lively Parliamentary Dinner hosted by AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel. The event included policymakers and AMA members. The following morning, a warm morning tea was held in honour of retired doctors, attended by AMA Federal Vice President A/Prof Julian Rait.

07/11/2025

The AMA welcomes the Senate's passing of the bill to establish an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) — a reform we have championed since 2017.

As one of the first health organisations to call for an independent Australian CDC, we have advocated strongly for its creation, knowing how vital it would be for our nation's health security.

The COVID-pandemic showed us how crucial it is to have an independent agency that can anticipate and respond to health threats. From antimicrobial resistance to emerging diseases, Australia now has the framework to protect our communities.

This is a significant step forward for Australia's health security.

Read our full CDC release: https://www.ama.com.au/media/australia-highway-health-acdc-bill-passes-senate

05/11/2025

The AMA is deeply concerned about Medibank Private’s plan to acquire a nationwide network of medical clinics.

This move is the latest sign of the private health insurance sector’s aggressive push toward vertical integration.

Medibank’s proposal — subject to ACCC approval — raises serious red flags for Australia’s private health system. It risks steering us toward a flawed, US-style model where insurers have too much influence over clinical care.

Vertically integrated managed care gives health funds the power to influence treatment decisions — putting profits ahead of patients.

We must not let Australia repeat the mistakes of the US, where this model has led to disastrous results for patient care.

The federal government must act now by establishing a Private Health System Authority to provide independent oversight and protect the integrity of our healthcare system.

04/11/2025

We need long-term solutions and a more strategic budget that considered hospitals' demand.

"When the health department gets a budget, that budget is not based on what the health department needs, it's purely based on what the government can afford," Dr Lumsden-Steel said.

"What we're seeing at the moment is a command and control structure that is running health care.

A peak health body is worried Tasmania's public health system won't receive enough support in Thursday's state budget to address ballooning demand.

24/10/2025

We welcome this funding reprieve for The Hobart Clinic and look forward to working with government and colleagues on long-term solutions that keep private mental health care strong in Tasmania.

Private patients who use the Hobart Clinic have been given a six month reprieve after the facility’s board of directors accepted a $2m grant to keep the 27-bed mental health centre open 👉 https://bit.ly/47rwxXC

21/10/2025

AMA Tasmania welcomes the rescue bid, with president Michael Lumsden-Steel noting that this new opportunity allows for strong clinician leadership and engagement, ultimately aimed at enhancing patient services.

A vital Hobart mental health clinic facing imminent shutdown has appointed three new directors in a dramatic eleventh-hour bid for survival. Get the latest ▶️ https://bit.ly/49dRZlh

21/10/2025

AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s announcement of $2 million in transitional funding to keep The Hobart Clinic open.

“This funding is a vital and very welcome step to ensure Southern Tasmania does not lose all of its private inpatient psychiatry capacity,” Dr Lumsden-Steel said.

“The Hobart Clinic provides critical mental health care for the South, and its closure would have left patients without access to private inpatient treatment anywhere in the region.

AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s announcement of $2 million in transitional funding to keep The Hobart Clinic open.“This funding is a vital and very welcome step to ensure Southern Tasmania does not lose all of its private inpatient psychi...

11/10/2025

All to***co, regardless of whether it is illicit or legal, is deadly and Australia must get serious about reducing access.

The AMA supports leading anti-to***co experts' calls to slash the number of cigarette retailers to help drive down smoking rates, while also tackling the problem of illicit to***co.

09/10/2025

The Australian Medical Association's Tasmanian President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel described the Hobart Clinic as an essential service and called on the state and federal governments to provide a "rescue funding" package. "Right now, we need an intervention," he said. "We need time to come up with a solution that's clinician-led, under new management with a facility that can provide this care going forward. Unfortunately, with the imminent closure of this service, we need a rescue funding model so that we can work through this, provide care until we have a solution. I'm concerned that patients are going to die from a lack of services. We do not have the capacity in the public system to absorb this. We need action now."

The former clinical director of the Hobart Clinic, psychiatrist Dr Hannah Lake, is part of a last-minute push for the institution to be given a reprieve before it closes its doors at the end of next week.