The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill will return to Parliament next week for further debate. While it is likely that the legislation will be passed, based on the unanimous vote in the Legislative Council and the majority vote in the House of Assembly, any bill must be safe and well written. It must also provide the highest level of protection for both patients and doctors.

Australian Medical Association (AMA) Tasmania is joining the Federal AMA, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the American Medical Association in declaring climate change a medical emergency.

Dr Helen McArdle President AMA Tasmania said today, "AMA Tasmania joins with Federal AMA as an association made up of doctors actively supporting the adoption of the Climate Change Bill being considered by the Australian Senate.

This pandemic is not over, and COVID-19 remains a real risk in Tasmania.

We now have COVID-19 back on Tasmanian soil with three overseas travellers testing positive to the virus while in hotel quarantine.

There is no need to be alarmed, but there is a real and urgent need to be very much alert to the increased risk of COVID entering our community.

AMA Tasmania welcomes the release of the Independent Review of the Response to the North-West Tasmania COVID-19 Outbreak report. We will take a close look at the recommendations and work with the government and our doctors to implement those recommendations where appropriate.

Dear Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly,

We the undersigned present and past presidents of AMA Tasmania write to ask you to oppose the Tasmanian End of Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) bill which seeks to legalise and enable Physician Assisted Suicide.

The chief of Tasmania's peak doctors' body says the global COVID-19 pandemic may mean some workers continue to work from home in some capacity for the foreseeable future.

Lara Giddings, the State's first female Premier and a former Minister for Health took over as chief executive of the Tasmanian branch of the AMA in March 2019.

She said COVID-19 had firmly put working from home as a necessary option for those workplaces that could be flexible.

AMA Tasmania general response to budget:

AMA Tasmania welcomes today's Government announcements including into the critical and overdue investment in ICT. All parts of Tasmania's health care system must be based on the reality that all aspects of the health system are linked, and depend on each other to meet patient and community demand effectively, this can only be achieved by investment in IT infrastructure and a clear ICT strategy.  

AMA Tasmania Vice President Mr Scott Fletcher said, "our elective surgery lists are at an all-time high, and any increase in funding for elective surgery is welcomed as this will help us to manage that.  

We know Tasmanians are sitting on these waiting lists for far too long.  In the interest of those patients, the AMA welcomes the additional health funding but would like to see this develop into long-term sustained funding that allows appropriate planning and recruitment of staff.