General Surgeons Australia

And that’s a wrap on 2025! PSA: the GSA office will close today for the holiday period - reopening Tuesday 06 January.

From the GSA Team to you and yours, happy holidays and Merry Christmas.🎄🎄🎄

*GSA Welcomes New CEO*

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Carpenter in the new role of Chief Executive Officer, commencing in late-March 2026.

Michael is an accomplished and highly respected leader with more than 25 years of executive experience across health regulation, accreditation, and professional associations. His proven track record in strategic leadership, governance, stakeholder engagement, and organisational transformation will be instrumental as GSA enters its next phase of growth and influence.

Michael joins our well-established and highly capable team whose dedication and expertise have been central to supporting our members and advancing the profession. He comes to GSA from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), where he currently serves as National Manager, Accreditation and Assessment. In this role, he has led teams driving policy and operational reforms to support education and training for both domestic and internationally qualified health professionals. Previously, as CEO of the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), Michael led a major organisational transformation, tripling financial reserves, securing APAC’s first five-year contract with AHPRA, and delivering two strategic plans in partnership with the Board.

Throughout his career, Michael has demonstrated exceptional ability to influence policy, advocate for members, build collaborative partnerships, and modernise operations. His governance experience as both a CEO and Non-Executive Director further strengthens his capacity to work closely with all our key stakeholders to achieve the strategic objectives of our organisation.

The appointment of a CEO marks a new direction for GSA as we position the organisation to continue delivering training at the highest standards while expanding our capacity to advocate on behalf of members. Michael’s depth of experience and strategic vision will complement the outstanding work of our dedicated team as we continue to champion excellence in General Surgery, advocate for the future of surgical care in Australia, and deliver exceptional support to our members and trainees.

We look forward to welcoming Michael to GSA in 2026.

Very grateful to the Provincial Surgeons of Australia ‘Artist in Residence’ - renowned local artist Guy Detot who has been working here in Mount Gambier during the PSA ASC on a sculpture of ‘hope’ which is being donated to the Mount Gambier Health Service.

A big part of the PSA ASC is showcasing the local region - with art, culture and food scene being just as important as the scientific program. We are grateful to Guy for his work in honouring the PSA and the work regional and rural surgeons are performing across the country.

Big thanks to PSA scientific co-convenor Dr Matthew Watson and general surgical registrar Dr Luke Green who helped Guy display the sculpture.

*General Surgery Workforce Planning Survey - Help Shape the Future of General Surgery in Australia*

Following the release of the first General Surgery Workforce Snapshot in August 2025, we are now inviting all active GSA members to participate in a follow-up survey.

Your input will help us to build a more complete and accurate picture of the current General Surgical workforce across Australia.

Please check your email (including spam/junk) for the link and unique code to participate in the survey. If you haven't received your link, please contact the GSA Admin team.

Workforce - General Surgeons Australia Workforce ◆ 2025 General Surgery Snapshot GSA is pleased to announce the release of the 2025 General Surgery Workforce Snapshot, offering a comprehensive overview of the current state of the general surgical workforce across Australia. This report provides valuable insights into the distribution, ...

And that’s a wrap! A brilliant week was had in Perth - starting with the MOSES course, followed by the Trainees’ Day & the AANZHPBA & GSA 2025 ASM, and finishing with a bike duct exploration course and HPB PFET training weekend. Thank you to everyone who made their way over west, to the many speakers who gave up their time to share their expertise including our international guest speakers Prof Arul Immanuel from Newcastle,UK, and Prof Shailesh Shrikhande from Mumbai, session chairs, research presenters, and industry sponsors. And special thank you to our Organising Committee: Prof Mohammed Ballal, Dr Linda Vu, Prof Mayank Bhandari, and Dr Jonathan Foo. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

See you next year in Cairns for the 2026 ASM which will be held in conjunction with CSSANZ.

Honoured and grateful to have so many join us in Perth for the AANZHPBA & GSA ASM. With a meeting theme of ‘navigating change in HPB & Upper GI surgery’ it was also fitting to hear from RACS Vice President Raymond Sacks, AANZHPBA President Prof Jonathan Koea, and GSA President A/Prof Kellee Slater speak on the evolving nature of surgery as well as the College and specialty societies during their opening addresses.

On the GSA front, Kellee highlighted the strength of a united voice, with General Surgeons often seen as a vital wheelhouse of every hospital; and the number one lobbying group in surgery. She touched on the rapidly changing space of surgery and the need to come together to ensure General Surgery remained an attractive specialty for future trainees, as well as a commitment to raising the profile both publicly and in government, with advocacy a strong focus in the immediate future.

We are pleased to be able to share the 2025 General Surgery Workforce Snapshot which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of general surgical workforce across Australia.

The report provides insight into the distribution, demographics and practice patterns of active General Surgeons nationwide; and has been designed to support workforce planning, policy development and advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring equitable access to surgical care for all Australians.

To read in full, visit the website

GSA is pleased to announce the release of the 2025 General Surgery Workforce Snapshot, offering a comprehensive overview of the current state of the general surgical workforce across Australia.

This report provides valuable insights into the distribution, demographics, and practice patterns of active General Surgeons nationwide. It is designed to support workforce planning, policy development, and advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring equitable access to surgical care for all Australians.

Visit our website to read more:

Workforce - General Surgeons Australia Workforce ◆ 2025 General Surgery Snapshot GSA is pleased to announce the release of the 2025 General Surgery Workforce Snapshot, offering a comprehensive overview of the current state of the general surgical workforce across Australia. This report provides valuable insights into the distribution, ...

Thank you to the Australian Medical Association for the opportunity to take part in this important annual event.

And that's a wrap! What an exceptional day at our colleges, associations and societies annual meeting. We've had insightful conversations, collaborative problem-solving and passionate advocacy to strengthen Australia's healthcare system.

Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed and helped make this gathering such a resounding success. Together, we're building a healthcare landscape for all Australians.

It’s been a brilliant four years under the leadership of outgoing President Dr Sally Butchers, from the memorable Covid years to the many challenges faced post-pandemic. This morning Sally officially handed over the reins to A/Prof Kellee Slater, who brings her experience both as a surgeon and previous work as Chair of the AU Board in General Surgery.

Advocacy will be a big focus for us over the months and years ahead and Kellee will be working hard to raise our profile as a voice for all General Surgeons.

We sincerely thank Sally for her years dedicated to GSA and the membership, and congratulate Kellee as she kicks off her Presidency.

1. Dr Sally Butchers and A/Prof Kellee Slater
2. Board of Directors at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons ASC
3. GSA members at the recent AGM
4. Dr Andrew Hughes (outgoing Treasurer who we also thank for his years on the Board) with Dr William Flanary, aka Dr Glaucomflecken
5. Board Directors Dr Sally Butchers, Dr Nishanthi Gurusinghe, Dr Andrew Hughes & Dr Damian Fry
6. Board Directors Dr Nishanthi Gurusinghe & Dr Su Mei Hoh, with Dr Shehnarz Salindera

All GSA voting members are invited to take part in the 2025 General Surgeons Australia Board of Directors Election.

TrueVote has been engaged to conduct the ballot independently. All votes submitted through their systems are anonymised and secure.

- Voting opens: 12:00pm, Wednesday 26 March 2025 (ADST)
- Voting closes: 12:00pm, Thursday 17 April 2025 (AEST).

The Candidate Summaries can be viewed on the GSA website.

If you have not yet received your ballot papers (emailed to members on 26 March) please contact [email protected]

https://generalsurgeons.com.au/home/board-of-directors/2025-election/

Preparations are underway for a spectacular night at St Peter’s Cathedral this coming Saturday for the 2024 GSA ASM.

This is a not-to-be-missed night in a beautiful architecturally-significant venue that isn’t often available for events such as this.

Limited tickets available from the registration desk at the Adelaide Convention Centre, from this Thursday afternoon.