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Dr Bruce Willett has over three decades of experience in general practice, combining personalised patient care with transformative leadership across the Australian healthcare sector. He has been a general practitioner since 1989 and was a successful practice owner, having established his first practice in Thorneside with his wife Gertrude in 1992 and later building Victoria Point Surgery in Brisbane’s south into a thriving business.

Bruce’s leadership extends far beyond clinical practice through his distinguished service with The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). He served as RACGP Vice President from July 2020 until November 2023 and was Queensland Faculty Chair from October 2016 until November 2023. His advocacy work has been instrumental in shaping general practice policy, including leading successful negotiations for payroll tax exemptions in Queensland and guiding the transition of GP training programmes back to the RACGP.

As Chair of General Practice Supervisors Australia (GPSA), Bruce demonstrated his commitment to medical education and supporting the next generation of GPs. He has been an RACGP examiner since 1994 and continues as a GP supervisor, training registrars. His educational leadership include establishing the GPs@Parliament programme in Queensland, which has been replicated across Australia.

Bruce played a pivotal role in the RACGP’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with Queensland Health to develop policies and guidelines during the early stages of the crisis. His advocacy efforts have focused on addressing the underfunding of Medicare, maintaining fee-for-service as the mainstay of healthcare funding, and the role of general practice as the most cost-effective part of the healthcare system. 

Recently, Bruce received the Rose-Hunt Award, the RACGP’s highest accolade, recognising his significant contributions to general practice advocacy and education. The award acknowledged his role in galvanising opposition to proposed payroll tax changes affecting general practice and his leadership through the transition of training back to the colleges and during challenging periods for the profession.

Hobbies include writing bios in the third person, beetle fighting, competitive duck herding, and making up hobbies to make himself sound more interesting than he really is.