The Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community will be held at the Coral Sea Marina Resort. The promo code for the venue is ANZCA2023 where you will receive 10% discount on accommodation. Book soon as there are limited rooms available. 

​Flying into Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is served by two local airports, the Whitsunday Coast Airport in Proserpine (PPP) and Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton Island (HTI).

Cruise Whitsundays operates daily ferries from Hamilton Island to Airlie Beach, as well as other island resorts. Airports in either Mackay or Townsville are also situated approximately two hours of driving distance from Airlie Beach.

There are coach transfers available from the airport to the Airlie Beach.

Please click here to view the program.

We will have a great line-up of speakers from different specialties and disciplines.

We would like to thank the all the speakers and workshop facilitators who donate many hours of their time to organise, prepare and present at the joint meeting. 

Registrations are now open. To register with your college ID, please click here. All other members including allied health members and other medical specialties can also register online. Please select “Create a new account” and enter your details. Once you are set up, search for the event and register. You will also be able to use your ID number and password to register for future meetings. If you require assistance, please contact ANZCA events.

Registration will include welcome reception; all lunches, morning and afternoon teas. Dinner tickets and workshops tickets can be purchased when completing your registration.  Additional tickets for social functions can also be purchased for your guests. All registration fees are quoted in Australian dollars and inclusive of GST. 

• Full registration: $A990
• Allied health professionals/trainee/research co-ordinator registration: $A814
• CICO workshop: $A110
• Ultrasound workshop: $A110

The meeting will include the following workshops:

• ANZCA accredited CICO workshop.
• Ultrasound for regional anaesthesia workshop

There will be plenty of social activities during the meeting if you wish to attend.  

Welcome drinks, Friday night
Welcome cocktail drinks will be held on the Jetty at the resort. This is included in your registration.

Meeting dinner, Saturday night
The meeting dinner will take place on the lawn at the Coral Sea Marina Resort. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased at time of registration. 

Optional recreational activities can be selected at the time of registration:

• Early morning Yoga - $25
• Beach volleyball (complimentary). 
• Sunset cruise over the Whitsunday waters. Tickets $A66 per person.

We invite abstracts of research and audit work relevant to environmental sustainability in anaesthesia and healthcare for poster presentations at the meeting. The best judged poster will be awarded with the Mackay Institute of Research and Innovation Rolling trophy.

 Submission Guidelines

1. Originality. The abstract submitted must be of an original scientific nature and must not have been published previously or accepted for publication in whole, or in part, by any medical journals before May 11, 2023.
2. Number of submissions. Authors may submit more than one paper.
3. Acknowledgement of receipt. Upon submission, authors will receive confirmation by email.   
4. Mode of presentation. Presentations will be displayed in poster format. Posters will be prominently displayed in the meeting venue. When creating a poster it must be A2 size, portrait or landscape and in colour.
5. Registration. All presenters are required to register and pay for the registration fee. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from the final program.
6. Publication. Abstracts may be published on the ANZCA and ACE websites.

 
Abstract Format

1. Word limit. Abstracts must not exceed 400 words. A maximum of 3 tables or figures saved in JPEG/GIF/ TIF format with resolution of at least 300 dpi can be included in your abstract.
2. Abstract title. The abstract title must be in Initial Capital / lower case format, e.g. The online abstract submission. The title should be brief and descriptive.
3. Author information. Please include the first name in full and family name of the author(s) and do NOT include degrees or professional titles (Dr, PhD, Prof, MD, etc.).
4. Content. Each abstract must contain sufficient details for evaluation. Make the abstract as informative as possible. Clearly indicate the aims and conclusions supported by data. Results stated in the abstracts must be complete (though concise) and final. It is unsatisfactory to use statements such as 'data will be presented' or 'results will be discussed'. 

Organise the body of the abstract as follows: 
(a) Introduction
(b) Methods
(c) Results
(d) Conclusions, and 
(e) A limited number of references.

Use standard abbreviations and generic drug names. Place unusual abbreviations or acronyms in parentheses after first use. Do not identify author(s) or institution(s) in text.

The cut off date is 11 May 2023.

For further information, please contact events

Due to the time of the year that the meeting will be taking place, there is limited accommodation at the Coral Sea Marina Resort. The promo code for the venue is ANZCA2023 where you will receive 10% discount on accommodation. Book soon as there are limited rooms available. 

However there are other options in Airlie Beach. At Hotel Group have many options available.  Please click here to visit their website.

Estimated distance from Coral Sea Marina Resort.
Marina Shores: 1.5km
Heart Hotel and Gallery: 650 metres
The Sebel Whitsundays: 2kms
Whitsunday Vista Resort: 2km
Water Edge Resort: 1.2km

As part of the college commitment to environmental sustainability we have eliminated printed collateral and single use plastic. We no longer provide satchels, print programs or function tickets for our meetings.
 
At the meeting, we will utilise digital signage where possible. If printed signage is required we ensure it is printed on material that is or can be recycled.  

Since 2016, items we have eliminated from events include satchels, bottled water, and paper based tickets. Your support of these environmental changes has helped drive the success and strengthened the positive impact on our meeting footprint. We know working together, we will continue to do better.
 
Where possible we have eliminated plastic name badges and when these are required we source materials that have been treated with EcoPure®, an organic additive designed to enhance the speed of plastic decomposition in landfills. Delegates are encouraged to bring their own Keep Cups and use the water stations for re-filling water bottles.

ACE upholds a commitment to host events at venues that have a publicly available sustainability statement. We’ve worked with venues who have their organic waste converted to fertiliser and green electricity and have unused food given to people in need and diverting food waste from landfill.
 
We continue to strive towards fostering a more sustainable future for our members and the community.

Transitioning to the new 2023 CPD program
We recognise your continuing professional development (CPD) has needed to pivot in the past few years in response to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Your resilience, innovation and dedication to professional development was clearly demonstrated with your ability to upskill to support your patients and yourselves. This innovation extends to the in-person and virtual offerings at the Obstetric Anaesthesia SIG meeting.
 
Updated 2023 CPD program
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) have changed their registration and recertification requirements. So that you continue to meet the updated requirements, the ANZCA and FPM CPD Program will adapt from the start of 2023. Full details are available on our dedicated CPD page. 

Fellows and CPD participants that have transitioned to the new annual CPD program will note CPD values as ‘2023 CPD’ in the below program. This identifies the CPD category/sub-category, activity and hours, in line with the updated program.

For example, 2023 CPD: Knowledge and skills – short format learning – 1.5 hours.

Transitioning from the 2014 CPD program 
Given our unique triennial structure, the transition to the new annual CPD program has been staggered, with 2021-2023 and 2022-2024 trienniums in 2023 still under the 2014 CPD program in 2023.

Fellows and CPD participants are still in a triennium (2021-2023 and 2022-2024) will note CPD values as ‘2014 CPD’. This identifies the CPD category, activity and credits.

For example, 2014 CPD: Knowledge and skills – short format learning at two credits per hour.

Attendance in CPD portfolio by June 2023
Participants of the ANZCA and FPM CPD Program will automatically have their attendance auto populated to their CPD portfolio in June 2023.

ANZCA and FPM CPD participants with full registration will receive 12.5 hours/credits under the Knowledge and skills – learning sessions for the Obstetric Anaesthesia SIG meeting program. 

Not a participant of the ANZCA and FPM CPD Program?
If you’re not participating in our CPD program, please check with your respective college/provider regarding your CPD classifications. Post-event, you may request an electronic certificate of attendance for CPD evidence from the ANZCA events team.

ACE is committed to a respectful and safe environment for all interactions inclusive of its conferences and meetings.

The Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community is governed by all relevant ANZCA policies in relation to professional behaviour and conduct, including in relation to bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment.

The Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. Sexual language and imagery or the use of personal photos without permission is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks, workshops, parties, Twitter and other online media.

Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organisers.

Respectful behaviour is expected at all times from all participants. Appropriate behaviour respects difference and diversity, respects privacy, and handles disagreement politely. Honesty and fair dealing is expected.

Obtaining consent to quote others, use presentations or take photographs is appropriate and shows the respect expected of participants of the Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible to an events person or the meeting convenor.

Alternatively you can make a report via email here. All personal details will remain confidential, issues raised will be investigated and necessary action taken to prevent a recurrence.

We take our responsibility to ensure the safety of our members, contributors, visitors, and staff at all our meetings, including the Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community seriously. We will continue to monitor and engage with Queensland Health to deliver a COVID-safe event for everyone. Please visit the Queensland Government Covid guidelines for the latest updates. We recommend that all delegates, staff, contractors, participants, and visitors involved in the meeting are vaccinated.

The Rural SIG meeting in association with the Mackay Anaesthetic Community will not be liable for any loss or damages to delegates that are caused by factors beyond our control, including but not limited to any imposed or potentially imposed COVID-19 related restrictions and regulations. We recommend all delegates carefully check the details of any insurance coverage you may hold, as well as the specific terms and conditions of your travel and accommodation bookings.

If you are traveling from overseas, please visit the Australian government website. We encourage you to visit this site regularly to keep up to date on restrictions and requirements.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using #RURALMAC23

For further information, please contact us.