Giddings to head AMA

FORMER Labor premier and health minister Lara Giddings has been announced the new chief executive of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association.

Ms Giddings will be the second former Labor premier to head the AMA when she takes over from Tony Steven in March.

“As health minister I loved working with the health sector, and I was proud to work with doctors to help drive reform to our health system through the Tasmania Health Plan,” she said.

“In this new role, I look forward to working with doctors to provide constructive advice to government on how to improve our health system as well as provide support to doctors in their everyday working lives.”

Ms Giddings was first elected to the Tasmanian parliament in 1996, lost her seat in 1998 and was re-elected in 2002. She was appointed health and human services minister in 2006.

Ms Giddings, a University of Tasmania arts-law graduate, was appointed premier following David Bartlett’s resignation in 2011.

In her final speech in Tasmania’s Lower House, delivered in 2017, Ms Giddings said her biggest regret was not building a new RHH, but said the state’s finances had been restricted by the global financial crisis.

Ms Giddings retired from politics at last year’s state election. Mr Steven held the AMA chief executive role for 10 years.