About our submissions and correspondence
Wherever possible, we seek to be involved in identifying priorities and developing policies that affect anaesthesia and pain medicine. Thanks to our formal roles and responsibilities, we're represented on committees and steering groups of key national and state government health agencies and professional peak bodies.
We regularly prepare submissions for government and non-government agencies in response to a range of policy initiatives and inquiries, articulating our position on issues that affect trainees, fellows, the health system and the broader community.
We also maintain and build the standing of our professions and address the risk of adverse events and poorer outcomes through:
- Regular meetings with policy makers, health services and consumer groups.
- Policy submissions to government and non-government bodies in Australia and New Zealand.
- Support and advocacy for community development with a focus on Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori health and global health.
- Representation on international, national, state and local health organisations.
- Developing training opportunities in non-traditional and expanded settings in Australia through the Australian government-funded Specialist Training Program.
- Providing information to patients and community members.
Submissions are normally coordinated by the Policy and Communications unit in close consultation with the college's directors of professional affairs, councillors, fellows, special interest groups, and senior members of staff. If you wish to access submissions made prior to 2018, please email us.
2026 submissions
ANZCA letter to the British Association of Anaesthetists president Dr Tim Meek on adrenaline dosing in cardiac arrest associated with LAST in the AA quick reference handbook (QRH)
Responses to line of questioning following the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing out-of-pocket costs transparency consultation forum in May 2026, provided to the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC).
ANZCA supported lowering the five year cardiovascular risk threshold to ≥10% (from the current ≥15%), but opposed removing criteria which gave access to Maori and Pacific people with Type 2 diabetes without needing to demonstrate specific cardiovascular or renal risk factors
ANZCA feedback on Structured Learning – Guidance to Support the Assessment of Criterion 3.1.2 of the Model Standards for Specialist Medical College Accreditation of Training Settings (updated guidance for second consultation)
ANZCA submitted to the Medical Sciences Council of New Zealand | Te Kaunihera Pūtaiao Hauora o Aotearoa online survey on Accreditation standards for Anaesthetic technicians, accepting both the Standard and Guide for providers, and recommending that a site visit within three to five years be a mandatory part of the reaccreditation process.
ANZCA feedback to Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa | Medical Council of New Zealand suggesting some changes to the current Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and the college.
ANZCA response to the Australian Government Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee relating to the Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026
Response to the Australian Medical Council relating to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
ANZCA made a brief submission on two aspects of Ngā paerewa services standard, recommending that it be amended to strengthen accountability and to recognise the impact of climate change and the environment on health.
ANZCA’s response to the Medical Council of New Zealand calls for a limited well defined scope to allow overseas trained PAs to work in Aotearoa with the expectation of retraining in an established and supported scope.
Response to Medical Board of Australia which enables Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) to apply for specialist registration in Australia after completing assessment and examination requirements.
2026 correspondence
Letter from ANZCA CEO and FPM DPA requesting to meet with relevant MBS staff in late June about their decision on lack of pain specialist access to MBS items 132 and 133 and practical pathways/options
ANZCA's letter to the New Zealand Cabinet Ministers strongly opposing proposed legislative changes to Te Tiriti o Waitangi treaty clauses, and their consequences for Maori and NZ health
Letter from ANZCA CEO Lance Emerson to the Honorable Mark Butler MP, Australian Minister for Health and Ageing inviting him to the tripartite ACE Perioperative Medicine SIG meeting in Tasmania November 2026
FPM NZ wrote to the National Chief Medical Officer Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, expressing the National Committee’s serious concerns about the standard of paediatric pain services throughout the country, including at Starship Hospital, the leading provider for children’s healthcare
Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) feedback to Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on the proposed changes to the rebates paid for spinal cord stimulation devices.
Letter from ANZCA CEO to Medical Council of New Zealand regarding ANZCA’s implementation of the Model standards and procedures for specialist medical college accreditation of training settings in Aotearoa New Zealand
FPM response to the MBS Continuous Review Team response on 26 November 2025 regarding the Review Request for access to MBS items 132 and 133 for Specialist Pain Medicine Physicians
2025 submissions
Consultation response on amendments to the specified prescription medicines list for designated registered nurse prescribers in primary health and specialty teams
ANZCA feedback on the Australian Medical Council (AMC)/National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO) project as part of the measuring supervision: guidance to support the Model Standards for Specialist Medical College Accreditation of Training Settings consultation draft document
ANZCA feedback on the Australian Medical Council (AMC)/National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO) project as part of the Structured learning: guidance to support the Model Standards for Specialist Medical College Accreditation of Training Settings consultation draft document
ANZCA feedback to Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) on the Draft Credentialing and Defining Scope of Clinical Practice: A guide for managers and clinicians June 2025
ANZCA requested that Queensland Health funds and implements extra training positions across Queensland. As a result of the letter, five additional trainee positions were agreed.
Letter of support from the FPM dean and the representatives of other pain sector peak organisations to the Minister of Health to progress the National Strategy for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education
2025 correspondence
In response to the Grattan Institute’s report, the letter draws attention to the critical challenges facing smaller, high-complexity specialties such as pain medicine that the report overlooks.
Request information from NSW Health relating to the financial cost and quantity of locums being routinely engaged across the state to supplement systemic workforce shortfalls.
Meeting follow up and practical solutions for the DOHAC on Expedited Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) pathway for specialist Anaesthetists