VICDOC Autumn 2025 - Magazine - Page 50
CHANGES TO THE TAC’S MEDICAL
EXAMINATION MODEL
-
From 1 July 2025, the TAC will introduce
a new medical examination model,
requiring IMEs to engage through
an intermediary agency rather than
dealing directly with the TAC. AMAV
has sought clarity on whether IMEs
and other stakeholders were consulted
in the development of this model
and whether meaningful input is still
possible. AMAV has also requested a
clear justification for the change and
an outline of any tangible benefits
it is expected to deliver.
PAYROLL TAX AND GENERAL PRACTICES
-
In November 2024, the Victorian
parliament passed legislation
exempting wages paid to contractor
and employee GPs from payroll tax
for 'fully funded' services, with the
exemption taking effect from 1 July
2025. This follows the critical role AMAV
played earlier last year in securing
retrospective payroll tax exemptions.
Despite this progress, many practices
will be required to pay payroll tax for
the first time in 2025 due to regulatory
and legal interpretations that have
altered longstanding assumptions.
AMAV continues to advocate for
measures that safeguard the
financial viability of GP practices.
SUPPORTING GP REGISTRARS
-
AMAV welcomes the Victorian
Government’s GP Grants Program, but
long-term workforce solutions require
ongoing federal support. AMAV is
urging the Victorian Health Minister
to raise this issue at a future Health
Ministers Meeting, pushing for recurrent
Commonwealth funding to sustain
these incentives.
DEATH CERTIFICATE ADVOCACY
-
AMAV has written to Births Deaths &
Marriages Victoria requesting that
the wording on its website regarding
fees for completing a death certificate
be amended or clarified (the current
phrasing states: the Births, Deaths and
Marriages Registration Act 1996 does
not provide for you to charge a fee
for this.) While AMAV has historically
advised against charging fees for this
work, this position is being reconsidered.
The healthcare landscape in 2025
increasingly reflects a fee-for-service
model, and completing death certificates
can often be a complex and timeintensive task. AMAV notes that there
is currently no legislative prohibition
on charging a fee for this work.
VICTORIAN COMMUNITY PHARMACIST
STATEWIDE PILOT
-
The Victorian Community Pharmacist
Statewide Pilot aims to improve access
to care, but AMAV has cautioned
against its expansion, arguing that
general practice is a more costeffective and clinically robust
alternative. AMAV has advised the
Government that funding would be
50
AMA VI C TO RIA
