$40k IMG incentive promised

A $40,000 incentive payment will be on offer for overseas-trained GPs who move to South Australia for work if the Liberal Party wins the upcoming State Election.
 
Announced on Wednesday, the $11 million International Medical Graduate (IMG) Incentive Package would provide up to 70 GPs with the incentive each year if it is rolled out.
 
The plan was first proposed by the RACGP and aims to help address a predicted shortfall of almost 500 GPs in the state by 2028.
 
RACGP Board and SA Chair Dr Siân Goodson welcomes the incentives and says the Liberal Party has adopted the RACGP’s proposal ‘pretty much as we set it out’.
 
‘If we can attract IMGs to come, we think they will want to stay and we can really nurture them, retain them, and they can make a really positive contribution to our GP workforce,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘The cost of moving is enormous – having done it myself, there’s the relocation cost, the visa cost, the training cost, it’s a really big thing moving countries and a very expensive exercise.
 
‘If we can ease some of that burden, and at the same time encourage people to settle here, we think it’s going to be a very positive thing for Australia.’
 
Dr Goodson said there are several areas across SA where IMG GPs are ‘keeping the primary care system working’, especially in outer-metro, rural, and remote regions.
 
‘It’s great news that we are training more of our own GPs in Australia, and we actually filled all of our GP training places in SA for next year, which is fantastic, but it’s going to take time to build our workforce,’ she said.
 
‘We need GPs on the ground sooner rather than later, and that’s where the IMGs can really help.’
 
SA Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said he hopes the incentive will help overcome the current shortage of doctors in the state.
 
‘We’re committed to stepping and taking this proposal on board, because like the Royal College of GPs, we want South Australians to have better access to their GPs,’ he said.
  
‘We all know that South Australia is a fantastic place to live and work, and that many of our regional areas, in particular, are in desperate need of more GPs.
 
‘By providing a real point of difference for overseas GPs to choose SA over other states, we can play a part to help overcome this shortage.’
 
The commitment comes just one day after the SA Opposition announced a separate up-front payment of up to $15,000 will be available for interstate and overseas health professionals relocating to SA to work in its public health system if it wins the election.
 
SA residents will cast their vote on 21 March 2026.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.

IMG incentives international medical graduates South Australia