New incentives including a $30,000 salary incentive for GP registrars will come into effect as of next year.
The new GP Training Incentive Payments have been designed to make GP registrar employment conditions similar to those in hospital-based training programs.
As well as a $30,000 salary incentive for those commencing community general practice training, funding for up to five days of study leave per year will be available, as well as up to 20 weeks of parental leave for primary caregivers and two weeks for secondary caregivers.
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said the incentives were a positive step forward.
“As we know, when junior doctors consider general practice as a specialty and decide to move, they often take a pay cut when they start GP training and that’s primarily because of the pay scales within the state hospitals versus when they step into general practice,” she said.
“I think this will be a really good transition point to help offset the pay cut that they would be taking.
“In addition to that, a lot of the leave entitlements are not transferable, so having the opportunity to have these leave entitlements built-in as part of their training would be very helpful. It makes it flexible and comparable to other training programs in the hospital.”
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In the lead up to this year’s federal election General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) and the RACGP had been calling for the government to deliver such incentives.
GPRA President Dr Chris Dickie said the announcement would provide fairer support for GP registrars as they transitioned from hospital to community-based GP training.
“This is a historic step forward for general practice training, and something GPRA has fought hard for on behalf of our members,” he said.
“GP registrars have previously faced major financial barriers when moving into community placements, this investment helps acknowledge the critical role they play in Australia’s healthcare system.
“We’re pleased to see years of advocacy from GPRA and others in the sector result in real, tangible reform.”
Dr Dickie said the incentives recognised that choosing general practice or rural generalism was “not just a career decision” but a a commitment to community, continuity, and patient care, no matter where patients live.
“By providing greater financial security during key stages of training, whether transitioning into practice, preparing for exams, or starting a family, this policy will help ensure more doctors choose and stay in general practice.”
Dr Dickie said the incentives were designed to bridge the gap between hospital-based and community-based specialty training and improve access to quality primary care for patients across Australia.
Eligible GP registrars on Commonwealth-funded training pathways will be able to access the incentives as of semester one, 2026.
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