The Australian Medical Association’s Position Statement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health emphasises:

• the central importance of the ACCHO sector in delivering primary health care, which in turn is the key to good health for Aboriginal people
• self-determination for Indigenous people with doctors in a supporting role
• the social determinants of health
• the importance of the Aboriginal health workforce
• holistic, culturally safe models are essential for physical and mental health
• that extra funding should be available for Aboriginal health until the outcomes gap is closed

The AMA has an extensive body of policy statements and submissions in relation to the health of Aboriginal people.

Its Position Statement on Cultural Safety (2022) commits the organisation to:

• Advocate for equity of access to healthcare services that are culturally appropriate and free of racism.
• Advocate for more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical, nursing, allied and health practitioner positions.
• Acknowledge and advocate for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to access culturally safe health care in both the ACCHO and non-ACCHO sectors.
• Ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, knowledges and experiences are prioritised in policy setting, service delivery and evaluations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
• Support growth of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce, acknowledging the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors in delivering culturally safe health services.
• Advocate for medical education and training providers to integrate cultural safety into education, training and continuing professional development programs at all stages of the medical education and training continuum.
• Encourage all medical practitioners to undertake reflective practise about their role in integrating cultural safety into their clinical practice at all stages of their career, outside of and in addition to formal medical education and training.
• Continue proactive engagement and partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, including the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.

Its AMA Submission to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Reference Group of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce (2019) included a number of mental health related recommendations consistent with Aboriginal people’s understanding of social and emotional wellbeing, including:

• allowing accredited, non-Vocationally Registered (non-VR) GPs to rebate the focused psychological strategies item – recognising the lack of psychological services in many Aboriginal communities
• supporting Medicare rebates for traditional healing
• allowing rebate items for group therapy work by GPs when they work collaboratively with Aboriginal workers in wellbeing groups.