### A Growing Concern for Rural Healthcare
The **shortage of GPs** in rural and remote areas has once again become a hot topic in **Federal Parliament**. Recently, a private bill, known as the **Doctors for the Bush Bill**, aimed to exclude metropolitan and regional cities from being classified as a 'workforce priority', but it fell short of a full debate.

### Understanding the Bill's Intent
This legislation sought to reverse changes made in mid-2022 that allowed all regional cities to gain **Distribution Priority Area (DPA)** status. This shift enabled **international medical graduates (IMGs)**, who were previously required to work in remote areas, to relocate to more urbanized regions classified as **Modified Monash Model (MMM) 2**. While this change increased the number of IMGs in regional areas, the **RACGP** warned it would exacerbate shortages in more remote locations.

### Voices from Parliament
Independent MP **Andrew Gee** highlighted the urgency of the situation by citing a **rural doctor shortage at crisis point**. His bill aimed to disallow all **MMM1 and MMM2 areas** from DPA status, but the motion to debate it was rejected by Parliament.

### Insights from Medical Leaders
**Associate Professor Michael Clements**, Chair of RACGP Rural, expressed that the bill's intent reflects a keen understanding of the pressures facing the general practice workforce in remote areas. However, he stated he would not support the bill in its current form, arguing that the **MMM tool** is a poor policy guide for directing doctor behavior.

Clements emphasized the need for **incentives and support** to guide doctors to the most in-need communities, rather than merely adjusting classifications.

### Looking Ahead: Recommendations and Reviews
The recent **‘Working Better for Medicare Review’** report, announced by Federal Health Minister **Mark Butler**, aims to address healthcare worker distribution, proposing 26 recommendations for improvement. Among these is the establishment of a **Health Workforce Independent Review Panel** to oversee changes to DPA and GP catchment methodologies, promising a more effective tool for managing healthcare resources.

The Federal Government has yet to respond in detail to these recommendations, leaving many in the healthcare community awaiting clarity on the future of rural healthcare support.

The Federal ‘Doctors for the Bush’ private bill proposed a reversal to changes in Distribution Priority Area settings.

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