The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is currently considering expanding the Rural Doctors Association of Australia’s (RDAA) capacity to negotiate contracts on behalf of General Practitioners (GP) and other rural doctors. The proposed extension to the RDAA’s powers would see a continuation of the RDAA’s current agreement allowing them to collectively negotiate on a state-wide level, and the additional authority to negotiate nation-wide, irrespective of the health system of a particular state.
The ACCC has suggested that the proposed changes would deliver better control over the terms of contracts for GPs, locums and other rural doctors. In conjunction with this, collective negotiation and collective market power would facilitate cost savings. In this way, the ACCC believes that the public benefit is substantial enough to warrant what would typically constitute a breach of competition laws.
The ACCC will consider any submissions before making its final decision in December 2018.
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