Lack of incentives fuelling GP shortfall: RACGP

A lack of investment has led to a shortfall of GPs starting their careers in Canberra, according to the RACGP.
 
New data, released on Wednesday, found there are 23% fewer GPs per person in Canberra than in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
 
In 2025, 23 future GPs are beginning training in the RACGP’s Murrumbidgee and ACT region out of 52 funded training spots – just a 44% fill rate.
 
This is in stark contrast to Tasmania, where the number of future GPs training in the state has grown by 57% in 2025.
 
That jump comes after the Tasmanian Government committed to pay for up to $100,000 of the student debt of 40 GPs who train and work in its rural and regional areas.
 
In 2025, 47 general practice registrars will begin training throughout Tasmania, up from 30 in 2024.
 
As a result, the RACGP has called for incentives to be rolled out nationwide.
 
RACGP NSW & ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman told newsGP that while it was ‘awesome’ that junior doctors are seeing general practice as a good career option, there is still not equitable access to registrars across Australia.
 
‘We’re seeing places like Tasmania and Victoria with these record-breaking numbers, and then areas like [the] ACT that has only half of its positions filled,’ she said.
 
‘That’s the really disappointing thing about being New South Wales–ACT based, is that there’s absolutely going to be regions across ACT and NSW that the positions haven’t been filled [where] we could be training registrars, that we have capacity to train registrars in.’
 
Dr Hoffman said the common factor among states and territories that were seeing increased GP growth is incentives.
 
‘It’s the only difference that’s occurred in all of those locations, is that it’s incentive-based,’ she said. ‘The fact that there is disparity already between states shows us that it works.’
 
RACGP Tasmania Chair Dr Toby Gardner agreed, saying the result showed what could be achieved when the state and federal governments worked together to address workforce needs.
 
‘This is a record number of GPs for Tasmania, and it’s the result of smart state policies, strong federal support for training to meet our communities’ needs, and a fantastic training environment for GPs,’ he said.
 
Similarly, in Victoria, 358 more GPs in training will begin their training this year, an increase of 22% from 2024.
 
The proportion of specialist GPs training in rural areas in Victoria remained high following exceptional growth in 2024, when the Victorian Government’s $40,000 general practice training incentives were introduced.
 
‘What we know from Victoria is that 44% of their registrars that have taken up the incentives said they wouldn’t be doing general practice if it wasn’t for the incentive,’ Dr Hoffman said.
 
‘So, we know the incentives work. We also know the incentives are a very small cost to be able to give a community a GP. And we know GPs often stay where they train.’
 
Dr Hoffman said the current disparity between states and territories’ specialist GP registrations would intensify as the current trainees became qualified.
 
‘In two to five years’ time when these registrars come out as fully qualified GPs, that will actually increase the current disparity between access for GPs and cost of GP access in the ACT,’ she said.
 
In response, the RACGP has called for all federal political parties to commit to ensuring access to affordable GP care for Australians in the lead-up to this year’s Federal Election.
 
Specifically, the college wants funding to train an extra 1500 specialist GPs over the next five years.
 
Dr Hoffman said the ACT Government, when it was elected last year, announced ‘a number of good incentives’ to attract specialist GP registrations.
 
‘We’re meeting with the [ACT] Health Minister in the coming weeks to have that discussion. So that is on the table,’ she said.
 
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