The WA chair of the RACGP has reiterated calls for increased Medicare rebates for longer appointments with GPs in the light of new insight into domestic violence in Australia.
Ten to Men is the title of a report released earlier this month by the Australian Institute of Family Studies’ (AIFS).
The longitudinal study of boys and men found more than one in three Australian men (35%) aged 18-65 years have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime, with an estimated 120,000 men nationally each year starting to use it for the first time.
The data provides the first national estimate of male intimate partner violence perpetration in Australia.
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Upon its release The West Australian newspaper reported Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin said consideration of wraparound support services for men who may exhibit signs that could put them at a higher risk of committing domestic violence was not happening “enough at the moment”.
RACGP WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman told Medical Forum most GPs were across the wraparound services available to refer both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence to.
She said domestic violence was “very prevalent”.
“As with any other condition, not all GPs may be across it, but the majority of GPs are aware of it,” she said.
“A lot of GPs and my colleagues that I do speak with are aware of the resources that are available, particularly within their local environments.
“It might be in a rural and remote and regional town, or perhaps in the outer metropolitan area, but it’s very different, the type of resources that are available.”
“From an RACGP point of view, we have been advocating for a better Medicare rebate for the longer consultations.
“With conditions like psychological conditions, or perhaps intimate partner domestic violence, we are needing to spend more time with our patients, and rightfully so.
“So, we’ve been calling for a 40% increase in the patient Medicare rebates for longer consultations.”
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The RACGP had called for a 40% increase to all Medicare rebates for Level C and Level D GP consultations in the lead up to the federal election. But while the re-elected Labor government has plans to increase bulk billing incentives, the focus is on standard consultations.
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In 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that Australia faced a national crisis of violence against women, with one woman being killed by violence every four days.
Dr Raman said understanding the nature of violence and abuse, and how to break intergenerational cycles of abuse, was part of the training GP registrars go through.
She urged colleagues to stay up to date with the RACGP’s upskilling modules on family and domestic violence.
Domestic violence was at the forefront of recent outcry from the AMA (WA) about a proposal for bare knuckle fighting event in WA.
AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Page had been an outspoken voice against the events which had been slated for July.
“It’s an absolute blood sport,” he told Medical Forum.
“It’s no padding of the knuckles, no patting of the head – an activity where the aim is to knock out your opponent, cause harm and set a terrible example for society during the midst of a domestic violence crisis.”
Western Australia’s Combat Sports Commission ultimately rejected the proposal for the bare-knuckle fighting events to go ahead.
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