PM Transcripts

FOR PRESS PM. No. 39/ 1 971
RECONSIDERATION OF AMA FEE INCREASES
Statement-by the Prime Minister, Mr William McMahon
The Prime Minister, Mr William McMahon, with the Minister
for Health, Senator 1. 1. Greenwood, and the Director -General of Healt h,
Sir William Refshauge, today met Dr R. H. Macdonald, the President
of the AMA and Dr E. G. Thomson, the Federal Secretary -General of
the AMA. Dr Macdonald explained the background to the problem of thie
recent '! ecision by the AMA to an across-the-board increase in fees'
and sought to ascertain whether it was now open to the meeting of th
Assembly of 17 April to reconsider its position in the light of the new~
and more complete figures submitted by the Department of Health.,
The Prime Minister said that the Government reaffirmed its
belief that there was no justification for the across-the-board increases
previously submitted and that the existing Government decision still
stood that unless there was agreement between the Government and the
AMA, there should be recourse to arbitration. However, the Prime
Minister said that it was still open for the AM1to reconsider its
recommendations and put them before the Gob'err-Irent.
The Prime Minister suggested that one possibility which the
AMA might explore was a variation of its fee recommendation proposals
announced earlier, so as to limit the increases in common fees to
general practitioner surgery consultations and home visits as from
1 July 1971, leaving unaltered for the time being the present common
fees for all other services such as radiology, pathology, anaesthesia,
operations and specialist consultations. These would be considered
later in light of all new information available.
Should the AMA wish to advance any further proposals, they
could be submitted to the Minister for Health to explore in detail with
the AMA.
CANBERRA, It'( March 1971.