Sustainability and Our Impact

MDA National is proud to be on a journey towards a better future.

We are committed to our purpose to support and protect our Members and promote good medical practice. We believe that this will lead to a healthier future for our Members, their patients and the communities in which we all live.

We will achieve this through a values driven culture and by acting on our responsibilities with transparency and accountability.

As a business that has a footprint across Australia, we have a responsibility to play a part in addressing global and local challenges, helping shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for the generations to come. To remain true to our purpose, we will continue to operate in a manner that is fair, honest and ethical, while focusing on developing a sustainable organisation and generating value for all our Members.

This means that we are investing in meaningful partnerships, developing new programs to enhance our capabilities, strengthening our cyber protection, and implementing sustainable practices across our offices to reduce environmental impact.

We have initiated a comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) plan, underpinned by the values that have guided us over our 99 years of service.

Our Impact

MDA National is currently developing a sustainability and social impact framework, which will drive the way we manage environmental and social issues. This will positively impact our role within society as we prioritise work that will support and promote the health of our communities and the environment that surrounds us.

Our approach to sustainability is based on the following principles:

1. Commitment to our Environment

MDA National has appropriate practices and policies that reduce climate change impacts in our community.

• Renewable Energy: We aim to have all MDA National offices operating on renewable energy.
• MDA National Travel: We choose to travel on reduced carbon emission.
• 'Go green': We have in place at our offices the MDAN Recycling Program, E-Waste and Go Paperless programs, as well as choosing biodegradable and environmentally friendly products at our offices across Australia.
• Ethical Sourcing: We prioritise suppliers who embody our social compliance requirements and meet globally accepted environmental standards.

2. Commitment to the communities in which we live

Through supporting our Members, we help enable the health and wellbeing of our communities. As a business that takes responsibility for a better future for all, MDA National aims to take additional steps by working on multiple programs internally or by partnering with organisations that share our vision for a sustainable future.

• Binar Futures: MDA National is proud to partner with Binar Futures and support a plus 2,000-person program addressing the health, social, and economic challenges faced by Aboriginal youth and their families in Western Australia. Binar (Noongar for “meteor”) provides culturally safe and accessible sporting activities for Aboriginal children and youth aged 5-20 in both Perth and regional areas, serving as a support system and extended family. Binar Futures extends its impact through coaching and leadership programs, easing financial hardship, and creating employment pathways. Additionally, the program offers free health checks during tournaments through the Health Embassy, a pop-up clinic run by volunteer nurses and doctors, including MDA National Members.

   

• Street Side Medics: We have begun a partnership with Street Side Medics, a GP-led initiative providing free, mobile medical services to people experiencing homelessness. We are proud to lend the organisation our resources and support their vital work in bridging the healthcare gap and making medical services accessible to vulnerable communities.
• Indigenous and Remote Eye Health Service (IRIS): Through our partnership with the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists and Vanguard Health, MDA National provides annual financial support to the Indigenous and Remote Eye Health Service (IRIS) Program. This initiative aims to complete 800 cataract surgeries for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Northern Territory by 2025, having already achieved 400 surgeries in 2023-2024. As part of our ongoing commitment to IRIS, we also funded 900 pairs of sunglasses, which help prevent cataracts from developing in the second eye and promote a culture of sunglass-wearing as a preventive health measure within remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

   

  

 

• Rural Doctors Association of Australia: Supporting doctors in rural Australia is essential to reducing healthcare disparities and improving access to medical services in remote areas. MDA National provides Junior Doctor bursaries to assist young doctors on their pathway to rural medical generalism, creating a stronger workforce to support medical practice in remote communities. Our sponsorship includes funding bursaries for junior doctors to undertake rural clinical placements, attend rural health conferences like the Rural Medicine Australia conference, or participate in skills workshops in rural towns.
• MDA National Volunteer Program: We encourage staff to participate in this program, where each employee is entitled to one day per annum to help a local approved charity in the community.
• Woman in Medicine: Through our alliance with AMA Queensland (AMAQ), we support activities such as the Women in Medicine (WiM) Breakfast. This program gathers local leaders to share their experience and inspire other women, fostering an environment of support and positive impact on the community.
• Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP): MDA National is on a journey to deepen our recognition and engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Members and communities. We are reviewing and enhancing our support programs to improve access to healthcare for Indigenous communities. After the establishment of an Indigenous Affairs Committee in 2024, we are developing and implementing our REFLECT stage of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). With inclusion of MDA Members, staff, and community representatives, the committee will focus on health and wellbeing initiatives, tailored support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners, and guide our efforts in this space.

3. Commitment to our People, Members, and Values

We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse business for the benefit of our Members, employees and the communities in which we live and work. We provide an inclusive, supportive, safe and respectful work environment for all our employees.

• Diversity: We value diversity in our workplace at all levels, embracing individuals of various genders, backgrounds, ages, races, religions, cultures, sexual orientations, and abilities.
• Responsible investing: We aim to invest in companies that provide solutions to sustainable challenges. MDA National will not knowingly partner with companies that are at any level involved in the manufacture of controversial weapons or tobacco products. We are constantly reviewing our investment portfolios’ alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and are monitoring our portfolios for any risk of misalignment against SDG, taking necessary steps to manage those risks.
• Education: We encourage and provide continuous learning and development to ensure that our employees have the skills to support our broad and diverse Membership base.
• Protecting Member data: Protecting our Members' data is very important to us. We use industry leading security systems to block unauthorised access and routinely test our security measures to validate and keep them up to date. We comply with all relevant laws and regulations related to privacy and data protection, with frequent third-party systems audit and security testing activities to validate controls are performing as expected.

4. Commitment to Health, Wellbeing & Personal Development

We are strongly committed to investing in education and sponsored activities that promote good medical practice, creating a safer environment for the communities that our Members serve.

Through our advisory networks and medico-legal divisions, we remain connected to issues and risks within medical practice and respond accordingly, providing expert education and resources to support our Members.

We care for the health and wellbeing of our Members and provide support in this area through various activities such as our Keep On Caring program and advocacy programs via our alliances with multiple state medical associations and colleges.

We have, and continue to, sponsor events in support of doctors' mental health such as Crazy Socks for Docs.

5. What’s next

MDA National is committed to its sustainability and social impact plan, continually aiming to make a meaningful difference through action and accountability. We are dedicated to strengthening our social impact partnerships, collaborating with like-minded organisations to address key social and environmental challenges. Internally, we are focused on embedding sustainable practices across all levels of our business by incorporating these values into our policies and providing ongoing training for our staff. This ensures that our team is equipped to apply sustainability and social responsibility in everything we do, fostering long-term positive impact for our communities and the environment.

After conducting our materiality assessment, as part of our ESG strategy, we are now preparing to formalise and incorporate these values into our policies and company practices.