The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is an Australian public company by guarantee formed as a professional association for Australian doctors and medical students. The association is not run by the Australian Government and does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. The association's national headquarters are located in Barton, Australian Capital Territory, in addition to the offices of its branches in each of the states and territories in Australia. Aims and objectives The AMA has a range of representative and scientific committees. One of its stated aims is "leading the health policy debate by developing and promoting alternative policies to those government policies that the AMA considers poorly targeted or ill-informed; responding to issues in the health debate through the provision of a wide range of expert resources; and commissioning and conducting research on health issues.". Organisation structure The AMA uses a representative structure involving state branches and committees to work with members to promote and protect the interests of doctors in Australia. The mechanisms that allow this include: working with governments to maintain and increase provision of world-class medical care to all Australians; tracking and reporting government performance on health; challenging government on policy that potentially harms the interests of patients; providing a resonant and authoritative expert medical commentary on health issues; responding to issues in the health debate through provision of a wide range of expert resources; and commissioning and conducting research on health issues. The AMA supports patient care by serving the medical profession across a broad range of services, including: protecting the academic, professional and economic independence and the well-being of medical practitioners; promoting and advancing ethical behaviour by the medical profession and protecting the integrity and independence of the doctor/patient relationship; and preserving and protecting the political, legal and industrial interests of medical practitioners. Engagement, Equity and Inclusion The AMA with slightly fewer than 30,000 members is the second largest association of Australian doctors, behind the RACGP, but slightly bigger than the RACP. The AMA represents slightly fewer than 30% of all Australian doctors, down from previous levels of 95% in 1962 and 50% in 1987. The rate of membership amongst Australian GPs is lower than for other doctors, with approximately 6000 out of 45000 GPs being AMA members. Engagement of GPs by the AMA is lower than for the