#195 Communication and Advocacy Snapshot

5 August 2020

Most members are too busy to hear AMA Victoria in the media.  Whilst here in the Communication and Advocacy team, we spend every day working closely with the President of AMA Victoria to advocate for members, we know we need to improve how we communicate that work to members. 

We also want to lift the veil on the behind-the-scenes advocacy work we do too.  

To start with, we will now provide regular media snapshots for members to catch up on some of AMA Victoria’s media activities.  It won’t be every piece of media we’ve done, just a snapshot but it will enable members to see some of the media we’ve been doing and to provide us with feedback too. 
 

During the past five weeks, AMA Victoria has strongly advocated for (both in media and behind the scenes):

• initial lockdowns across Melbourne 
• more stringent restrictions for people travelling between Melbourne and regional Victoria 
• improved access to COVID-19 testing for regional Victorians 
• the implementation of roadside COVID-19 testing on major freeways, with AMA Victoria particularly predicting issues arising in and around Geelong and along the Victorian Surf Coast
• mandatory masks 
• harsher New Zealand-style lockdown measures
• a Royal Commission into the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic
• more transparency around health workers infected with COVID-19
• action to avoid the crisis in aged care in Victoria
• risk checks in all nursing homes.

AMA Victoria has been present most days during the past five weeks across many different media channels including:

• ABC Radio’s ‘The World Today’, ‘AM’ and ‘PM’ programs
• most regional ABC radio morning and drive-time current affairs radio programs
• metropolitan mainstream morning and afternoon programs
• ABC Radio National
• ABC News Radio
• The Age, the Herald Sun, the Financial Review, The Australian, The Guardian 
• regional Victorian papers
• afternoon and nightly news programs for Channels 7, 9, 10 and the ABC.  

And now for a bit of a media snapshot.  Please note, this does not capture all media conducted, nor all advocacy. Media only accessible via paid subscription is excluded – such as The Age and the Herald Sun.  We don’t want to frustrate members by providing links to media with paywalls. 

A media snapshot is available below:

• Victoria coronavirus restrictions welcomed (ABC)
• Wangaratta Hospital without 80 staff (ABC)
• 484 new Vic cases as premier urges people to test early (ABC)
• AMA calls for COVID-19 royal commission (3AW)
• Victoria must implement stage 4 lockdown (3AW)
• Victorian doctors call for more transparency (The Guardian)
• Public health measures (ABC)
• AMA calls for Victorians to wear masks (ABC)
• We should be wearing face masks in public (3AW)
• Victorias aged care system on verge of collapse (The Guardian)
• Ballarat Subdivision Chair Dr Mark Yates (ABC Ballarat)

It is always helpful to hear from members, so please let us know your thoughts on the media we are doing.  We are here to represent you, so if you don’t agree with what we’re saying, please let us know.  Members can contact me directly at TarynS@amavic.com.au  (Please let us know when you think we’re doing okay too – that helps us to know when we’re on track.) 

Thank you to all our members working so hard to look after the community during these challenging times.  Please know we are doing everything we can here at AMA Victoria to represent you and the medical profession.  Please contact us if you wish to raise an issue on which you’d like us to advocate. 

Taryn Sheehy
Director of Communication and Advocacy