The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) acknowledges the importance of the primary healthcare sector in supporting good health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This position statement provides an overview of our commitment to a stronger primary care environment.

Key Findings/Recommendations:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience a relatively high burden of chronic disease and greater barriers to accessing medical care and medicines. The health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a result of a complex range of factors, including the ongoing effects of colonisation, intergenerational trauma, racism within the health system, and the relationship between social determinants and health and wellbeing.
• RACGP calls for a responsive healthcare system that is structured and resourced to be culturally safe and staffed by welltrained health professionals who are able to respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• There is a priority to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the health workforce and develop a culturally safe and reflective GP workforce and practice teams.
• The Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment Measure is widely acknowledged as having improved access to medications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Moving forward, as an advocate for patient-centred care, the RACGP supports access being determined by patient need rather than which health service they attend. This is particularly important when people visit a different health service, are discharged from hospital or receive outpatient services.