The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the Government’s decision to defer the proposed $2000 cap on work-related self-education expenses until July 2015, allowing for proper consultation to take place.The Government announced the deferral as part of the August 2013 Economic Statement, following considerable backlash from the medical profession.Dr Liz Marles, RACGP President, said this was a great outcome and acknowledged the Government in listening to the profession about this critical issue.“I applaud the Government in deferring the proposed cap to allow for meaningful consultation to take place with the medical profession.“The College, together with the United General Practice Australia (UGPA) members, has lobbied the Government to scrap the cap to ensure GPs are not discouraged in their efforts to maintain their medical skills and knowledge.

“GPs are at the forefront of providing quality healthcare to all Australians and the investment they make into improving their clinical knowledge and skill is a direct investment in public health.

“Australian general practice leads the world in delivering great health outcomes for our patients and training, education and ongoing CPD are fundamental to this.

“It’s imperative that Government truly understands the realistic costs that many GPs experience when participating in continuing education designed to meet both their individual learning needs and legislative requirements,” Dr Marles said.While the proposed cap disadvantages all GPs, it would particularly disadvantage doctors in training and GPs working in rural and remote areas, limiting their ability to attend training and offering a range of services to the community.“We know that the true costs involved in participating in high quality CPD are far more than the proposed $2000 cap,” Dr Marles said.The College is pleased that the Government has deferred the cap, but will continue to advocate for it to be scrapped altogether to ensure Australia’s medical profession continues to be one of the most highly regarded professions in the world.