The Federal Government has made a commitment of more than $660 million to increase the medical workforce, provide more GP training and offer incentives to encourage doctors to train as GPs.
The Federal Budget delivered this week will provide $606.3m over four years from 2025/26, and $226.3m a year after that, to increase the number of doctors and nurses in the country.
This includes $265.4m over four years from 2025/26, and $94.8m ongoing, to expand GP training through the Australian General Practice Training Program and the Remote Vocational Training Scheme.
The Government said this will deliver 200 more GP training places each year from 2026, increasing to 400 from 2028.
Some $248.7m over four years from 2025/26, and $83.6 million per year after that, was promised for salary incentives for junior doctors to specialise in general practice, and to provide paid parental leave and study leave for trainee GPs.
It also includes more government-funded university places and funding for more junior doctor rotations in primary care from 2026.
This was the main health announcement to come from the Federal Budget handed down on Tuesday, alongside a raft of other measures promised in the lead up to the election.
Much of what was announced had already been made public, including $7.9 billion for increased Medicare rebates, a $1.8 billion increase to public hospital spending, a $573 million women’s health package and $657.9 million to open another 50 urgent care clinics covered by Medicare.
Read more on what the Government has promised here:
- More urgent care clinics ‘won’t fix patient care challenges’
- Billions in bulk billing funding won’t make general practice cheaper
- Funding boost for women’s health includes more GP training
- Cash boost for WA hospitals welcome ‘but not enough’
While those in the sector have welcomed the funding promises, many health leaders also say the government missed opportunities.
The AMA and the RACGP had been calling for Medicare reform to support longer appointments, an increase to Medicare rebates, more GP training places and more incentives to encourage doctors to train as GPs.
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said the budget made it clear general practice was a priority.
“These initiatives will mean more Australian communities can access GP care close to where they live, removing barriers to junior doctors choosing a career in general practice and boosting the GP workforce across Australia,” said Dr Raman.
But RACGP president Dr Michael Wright added that while general practice was “central in this year’s budget, we are concerned the plan, which has also been backed by the Opposition, won’t deliver the bulk billing rates they expect because patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care”.
“We’ve been saying for a long time that Medicare funding should be targeted to those who need it most, including the 61 per cent of Australians living with chronic and complex illnesses,” he said.
RELATED: RACGP unveils plan for more bulk billing and GP incentives
The RACGP had been calling for a 25% increase to patient rebates for mental health and a 40% increase to patient rebates for longer consults.
In October 2024, just over 77% of all GP visits were bulk billed. That was a 1.2% increase on the same time last year, following $3.5 billion in Federal funding to triple bulk billing incentives for some patients.
RELATED: Bulk billing up but it’s not enough
Concerns about funding allocation for rural health services have also been raised.
National Rural Heath Alliance chief executive Susi Tegen welcomed the investments announced in the Federal Budget but said the benefits from them would mostly be felt by city-based and corporate practices.
“Not all rural practices are able to bulk bill every patient due to the depth, breadth and complexity of services provided and the higher cost-of-service delivery,” she said.
“We call on the government to commit to ongoing Medicare reform, flexibility in funding and policy for thin and failing markets.”
There is also concern from the Health Services Union (HSU) that the budget does not do enough to keep disability workers in the sector.
HSU national secretary Lloyd Williams said the government had missed an opportunity to provide cost-of-living relief for disability support workers.
“Disability workers desperately need a fair pay rise to stop them leaving the sector in huge numbers,” he said.
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