AGPAL Board leadership changes

At the AGPAL and QIP Board meeting held on Friday 12 December 2025, several key Board membership changes were confirmed as part of AGPAL’s commitment to strong, forward-focused governance.

• Dr Richard Choong, Australian Medical Association (AMA) nominee to the AGPAL Board concluded his tenure as Director and Chair on the AGPAL Board.
• Dr Costa Boyages, was appointed as a new Board Director on the AGPAL Board as nominee from the AMA.
• Mr Gary Smith AM was appointed Chair of the AGPAL Board.
• Dr Richard Choong also departed the QIP Board, where he served as the AGPAL nominee to the QIP Board.

Dr Richard Choong

After more than 20 years of dedicated service, AGPAL farewells Dr Richard Choong from the Board.

Dr Choong joined the AGPAL Board in 2003 as the Australian Medical Association (AMA) representative and has served as Chair since 2006. As AGPAL’s longest-serving Chair, his steady leadership and oversight helped guide the organisation journey from its pioneering beginnings to becoming Australia’s largest and most trusted provider of general practice accreditation, and a nationally recognised authority in quality and safety standards.

As a respected senior leader with extensive board experience across Australia’s healthcare and clinical governance sectors, and as a practising GP, Dr Choong brought a deeply informed and compassionate perspective to AGPAL’s work. Over his tenure he offered valuable insights into the rapidly evolving challenges facing those we serve and an ability to unite frontline insight with strategic governance. This offered AGPAL a rare breadth and depth of vision, enabling the organisation to deliver services with clarity and purpose to sector needs.

AGPAL sincerely thanks Dr Choong for his exceptional leadership, unwavering commitment and enduring contribution to the organisation and the broader healthcare community. His influence will be felt well into the future. We express gratitude for the lasting impact Richard has made and extend our warmest and heartfelt wishes to him as he embarks on the next chapter.

Mr Gary Smith AM

AGPAL is delighted to confirm the appointment of Mr Gary Smith AM to Chair of the AGPAL Board.

As a long-standing Independent Director of AGPAL since 2006 and former Chair of QIP (2011 to 2025), Mr Smith brings deep sector knowledge, and a wealth of governance experience across the health and community sectors.

Widely regarded as a national leader in medical administration, operations and general practice management, Mr Smith is equally well known for his approachable nature and genuine commitment to building capacity in others. His warm, accessible leadership style have earned him great respect across the sector. In 2023, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his outstanding service to the health sector – a fitting acknowledgement of his skill, experience and enduring contribution. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Letter (Hon DLitt) from the University of New England in recognition of his distinguished service to professionalising medical practice management.

AGPAL warmly welcomes Mr Gary Smith AM to his new role as Chair and looks forward to his continued leadership, insight and dedication as AGPAL advances its vision to support safe, high-quality care aligned with evolving global standards of accreditation excellence.

Dr Costa Boyages

Dr Costa Boyages has been appointed to the AGPAL Board as the new representative of the AMA. A practising rural general practitioner based on the South Coast of New South Wales, Dr Boyages brings a uniquely diverse background.

He currently serves as a director across several key organisations including the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, the Cancer Institute NSW, the Medical Board of Australia, and the Medical Indemnity Group of Australia. With formal qualifications in medicine, law and environmental sustainability, and more than a decade of board experience in health, Dr Boyages offers a wide strategic lens on healthcare quality, clinical risk, and regulatory compliance.

His ongoing work as a general practitioner, visiting medical officer in palliative care, GP supervisor and academic with the University of Wollongong reflects a deep commitment to improving the safety, equity and sustainability of care delivery in both metropolitan and regional settings.

AGPAL warmly welcomes Dr Boyages to the Board and looks forward to his contribution to our national vision for safer, high-quality general practice.