New registrar incentive payments from 2026.1

The Australian Government has introduced three incentive payments for AGPT registrars available from 2026.1. These initiatives have successfully addressed some barriers to GP training resulting in an oversubscribed 2026 intake. This has not happened for some years and is a positive outcome. 

From 2026.1, registrars may be eligible for the following incentive payments: 

Study leave incentive: Registrars can access up to five days (FTE) per annum for exam preparation and professional development. For practices, this is leave without pay. Further details about this and the government incentives are now included in the NTCER on the GPSA website.

Parental leave incentive: Primary carers receive up to 20 weeks (FTE); secondary carers receive up to two weeks, with payment made directly to registrars by Services Australia. 

Salary incentive: Registrars receive $5000 (FTE) monthly for their first six-month core training semester. 

All payments are pro-rata for part-time registrars. Registrars apply via the TMS and manage their own super transfers and tax obligations.

We’ll keep you informed as soon as more details are provided by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Help registrars prepare for 2026.1 AKT and KFP exams

New resources are available to help registrars prepare for the January Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and Key Feature Problem (KFP) exams, including practice questions, expert guidance, and exam insights via gplearning. 

Encourage registrars to watch the information video with Dr Sharnti Caulley, Dr Emilie Pitter and Dr Elise Perger. It explains the exam formats, shares practical study tips, and responds directly to questions submitted by registrars, making it highly relevant. 

The November Self-Assessment Progress Test (SAPT) is available from 10 November, offering exam-standard questions and cases to help registrars assess clinical reasoning, identify learning needs, and refine written exam skills. Completed SAPTs include access to answers, rationales, topic resources, and curriculum links. 

Reminder: The March 2023 SAPT will expire soon, so registrars who wish to complete it should do so before the new version is released. 

For support or guidance, supervisors can contact the exam support team at examsupport@racgp.org.au. 

Over 16 years, more than 6600 registrars and 2000 practices have contributed to the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) project, recording over one million consultations. 

This world-leading project highlights patterns in GP training consultations, shapes curriculum, workshop content and training policy, and reveals the educational value of rural, regional and outer-metro placements. 

It has provided personalised feedback for registrars, a rich resource for academic registrars, and positioned Australian GP training at the forefront of medical education research, with 100 peer-reviewed publications to date. 

RACGP CEO Georgina van de Water said: 

‘ReCEnT has given us a window into the day-to-day reality of GP training across Australia, and the scale of this milestone has enabled remarkably detailed insights. The data has helped answer questions that once felt out of reach, and it continues to shape how we teach, train and support registrars. By strengthening the experience of our members it’s helping us deliver on our shared strategy to build a flourishing GP workforce for the future.   

We're incredibly proud of what’s been achieved – and of what’s still possible with this remarkable resource’. 

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For any queries about the information enclosed, please contact your local training team.