Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) asserts that maternity care should and can be delivered safely to women and their families as close to home as possible and by a collaborative, multidisciplinary team with strong governance structures. 

All maternity services should be informed by their consumers and the community which they serve and seek to foster a culture of respect, professionalism and inter-disciplinary collaboration to provide a woman-centric service. 

RDAQ’s position on rural maternity services reflects the policy position of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA). The RDAA policy has been widely consulted and identifies the following key enablers for sustainable rural maternity services.

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The Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) asserts that Doctors in Rural Training must be afforded professional, quality education and training opportunities which build upon those received by their city counterparts for the duration of their training across the variety of rural/remote contexts. 

Training experiences for Doctors in Rural Training in Queensland must demonstrate clear standardised prioritisation of educational and supervision experiences regardless of location or workforce limitations. 

These formative training experiences will encourage and promote remote and rural practice and increase the likelihood that a trainee will commit to providing service to that community beyond their training time, thereby strengthening services in rural locations.

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