Through our highly experienced Member Services Workplace Relations team, AMA Queensland’s Workplace Relations and Legal Department have the ability and expertise to provide specialised health profession services, advice and advocacy on all commercial, business, industrial, workplace relations and legal matters to private doctor members of AMA Queensland.

Whether you are an employer or employed doctor, our department and legal partner are able to assist you with your specialist workplace relations and legal needs.

Our services include, but are not limited to:

Employer Members

Department staff can assist employer members with all employment and legal aspects relating to your commercial, business and employee requirements:

Business or Commercial law
Medico-Legal and Health Law Issues
Industrial and workplace relations, including:

• Industrial Award Interpretation
• Legislative obligations, entitlements and requirements as an employer (for both the Queensland and Federal industrial relations systems)
• Superannuation, workers' compensation, and workplace health and safety
• The recruitment, selection and training of staff
• The review of employment contracts for Award and non-Award staff
• Development of Position Descriptions
• Drafting workplace policies based on operational and legal requirements and imperatives
• Assistance with the Performance Appraisal process
• Counselling, discipline and termination processes
• Medico-legal matters such as requests from third parties and preparing medico-legal reports
• Privacy legislation queries
• Time and wages record requirements (for both the Queensland and Federal industrial relations systems) 
• Conflict resolution and mediation
• Medical records

Whether you are starting a new private practice, have had a patient complaint made against you to the Health Quality and Complaints Commission (HQCC), or are disputing with an employee, our department and legal partner are able to assist.

 Employee Members

Doctors who are employees in private practice can also access a range of services regarding their employment conditions, obligations and entitlements.

Currently, there are no industrial Awards or instruments that govern conditions of employment of doctors in the private sector. Therefore, individual arrangements for employment must be made. AMA Queensland members can seek advice regarding conditions of employment on an individual level.

This includes:

• Industrial advocacy
• The types of employment relationships that may exist
• Employment contractual reviews
• Advice regarding legislated entitlements such as superannuation and leave

Members can also seek representation before the Queensland or Australian Industrial Relations Commissions for unfair dismissal applications, dispute notifications, or underpayment of wages claims, or with internal workplace grievances/disputes.

Independent Contractor Members

Members engaged to perform medical servcies as an independent contractor (as distinct from an employee) can contact the Department for individual assistance and advice on:

• Contract interpretation
• Contractual disputes
• Contractual reviews
• Advice regarding entitlements such as superannuation (where eligible)  

For Workplace Relations assistance:      AMA Queensland
                                                                           Member Services: Workplace Relations 
                                                                           3872 2222 
                                                                           workplacerelations@amaq.com.au

For Legal assistance:                                 AMA Queensland Legal Helpdesk
                                                                         Michael Baldwin
                                                                         3872 2222                                                                     
                                                                         legalhelpdesk@amaq.com.au