08 July 2026
Expression of Interest - Access and Affordability to Specialist Care: Documenting consumer experiences to inform an Australian House of Representatives Inquiry
Consumers Health Forum of Australia
Expression of Interest due date: 21 July 2026, 12:00 pm AEST
What’s this about?
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability have accepted a request from the Minister for Health and Ageing to undertake an inquiry into the access to and affordability of medical specialists in Australia (the Inquiry). Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) intends to provide a submission to the Inquiry which closes in October 2026.
As part of the work to include consumer voices in the Inquiry, CHF is undertaking a small qualitative study of consumer experiences of access and affordability to medical specialist care.
The study will use individual semi-structured interviews to understand consumers’ recent experiences accessing medical specialist care. The interviews will explore consumers’ journeys through the health system and identify points where changes could have improved the accessibility and affordability of care. After the interview data has been analysed, selected participants will be invited to take part in a roundtable discussion to consider possible improvements to access and affordability of specialist care.
The analysis of this qualitative study will inform the CHF submission to the Inquiry.
Learn more:
What is involved?
This Expression of Interest is for up to 20 consumers who represent a diversity of experiences and perspectives on the access and affordability of specialist care in Australia.
There are two activities in this project:
Part 1: In-depth semi-structured interviews (approximately 1.5 hours per interview to be held online between 29 July and 12 August 2026)
Interviews will help collate individual experiences and identify common themes that may exist among the participants in accessing affordable specialist care in Australia.
Some pre-reading including the interview questions will be provided to prepare for the interview.
A summary of each individual interview will be shared with the interviewee for comments or corrections after the interview.
Information from the interviews will be used as anonymous examples in the CHF Submission to the Inquiry.
Interviews will be conducted with CHF’s Policy and Research team. Your participation is voluntary, and all information shared will be kept confidential.
Part 2: Consumer roundtable exploring key themes and findings from interviews and how improvements may be achieved (Approximately 2 hours to be held online. This will likely be held early September 2026)
The Roundtable topic will be determined based on analysis of interviews.
It is expected that up to 10 people will be invited to participate in the Roundtable from among the interviewed consumers.
A summary Roundtable report will be shared for comment with the Roundtable participants before it is finalised.
Note:
Consumers who participate in this study will be notified about the CHF submission to the Inquiry and alerted when CHF comment on the Inquiry findings are released
All participating consumers will be asked to complete the CHF consent form before participating in the interviews or roundtable.
Who should apply?
CHF would like to hear from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, identities and residents of metropolitan, regional and rural areas who have lived experience of specialist care in Australia between 2023-2026.
You’re encouraged to apply if you:
Have personal lived experience as a consumer (including as a carer) accessing specialist care in Australia between 2023-2026
Note: all specialist care areas are relevant for this activity
Are comfortable sharing details of your personal experiences of specialist care as part of the individual interviews.
Have an interest in contributing to the CHF submission on consumer experiences of specialist care as part of the Inquiry
You are available to join interview times. CHF will try to accommodate some flexibility to the interview times.
What you’ll need to do:
If selected, you’ll be asked to:
Before the interview:
Read the documents and reflect on the interview questions
Complete a consent form for participating in the study and use of your story in the submission and reports.
Joining the interview: Participate in a 1.5-hour online interview (Day, date and time will be arranged with each interviewee)
After the interview: Review and provide feedback on the summary of your interview and the identified themes
Some interview participants will also be invited to participate in a 2 hr hour online Roundtable on a date to be confirmed (Likely first week in September)
Declare any conflicts of interest as part of your expression of interest.
Remuneration
You’ll be paid $95.20 per hour (ex GST) for agreed hours of completed preparation, review and participation in the project.
Other details:
You will need access to a computer and reliable internet.
If this is a barrier, please contact the CHF Consumer Engagement team: admin@chf.org.au
How to apply:
To be considered for appointment, you MUST complete an Expression of Interest form that will ask questions including:
Do you identify as someone who has accessed specialist care during the last 3 years in Australia as:
An adult consumer
A carer for an adult
A carer for a child
What experience of specialist care (for example cardiology, orthopaedic, oncology, paediatric, among many others) do you want to share as part of this project? (Maximum 1000 characters)
Please describe why you are interested in contributing to the CHF submission on consumer perspectives of specialist care for the Inquiry? (Maximum 1000 characters)
Describe up to three key issues consumers face when trying to access affordable specialist care (Maximum 1000 characters)
Confirm availability to participate in a 1.5 hour interview during business hours between 29 July and 12 August 2026.
To submit your application:
Submit your expression of interest: Expression of Interest Form
Submission deadline: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
(Note equivalent time zone below)
Melbourne/Sydney/Brisbane/Hobart: Midday 12:00 pm
Adelaide/Darwin: 11:30 am
Perth: 10:00 am
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Questions?
If you have questions about applying, please email admin@chf.org.au
