NewsGP Questions

NewsGP questions 7/8/26 – Gavin Colthart

What will be your priorities if you are elected as President?

As GPs we are members of a predominantly taxpayer-funded profession, with core ethical principles of equity and justice, and a tradition of evidence-based practice. But we are facing an accelerating corruption of the values, laws, and institutions on which our ethics and role are based. The far-right politics sweeping over us at unprecedented speed does not value universal healthcare, sees the public service ethic as “woke”, and regards scientific evidence as a nuisance. We should continue to promote GPs as central to primary care, battle the Medicare monster, and advocate for adequate GP funding, but we need to go further.

Why do you want to be RACGP President?

My candidacy isn’t a sales pitch for me but is a call for the College to acknowledge the urgency of wider and more forceful advocacy and then decide how to act to preserve what we love about our profession and its value to society. To do this effectively I believe we need to radically democratise the College. My key proposal is that we harness the commitment and skills of non-office-holding GP’s via a randomly selected council empowered to add to Board agendas and initiate non-binding member polls on key issues, helping the Board to pursue courageous advocacy outside its comfort zone.

Why should members vote for you?

As the outsider candidate, I’ve been clear that I have a broad range of skills and experience which fit me for the role, but I am an older white dude with non-traditional ideas. And running against two very capable women with extensive College experience also sits uncomfortably with my preference for diversity. It’s also true that the president actually has very little authority - elected by members (20% actually vote), they have no special place on the Board (mixed elected and appointed), and their spokesperson role is expected to follow “Board-approved policy and strategy.” Not an obvious setting for radical advocacy, but we’ll see.