10 YEAR MORATORIUM

This document is a general guide on how the 10 year moratorium affects current and prospective GP Registrars in the Australian General Practice Training program. Legislation for the 10 year moratorium is explained in detail in the Commonwealth of Australia Health Insurance Act 1973 section 19AB.

Useful information and the references for this article are available at Doctor Connect.

Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) has a very useful information section and flow chart outlining the 10 year moratorium and pathway eligibility. This can be found in the AGPT 2007 Information Guide for Applicants or on the web in the ‘Applicants’ section here.

1. What is the 10 Year Moratorium?
Under section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act, medical practitioners subject to the moratorium are not able to attract Medicare benefits for a period of 10 years from the time they become registered as a medical practitioner in Australia with a State or Territory medical board or from when they first become permanent residents of Australia (unless they meet exemption criteria).

2. Who is under the 10 Year Moratorium?
Overseas trained doctors i.e. who did not obtain their primary qualification in Australia (including New Zealand trained doctors). Overseas doctors trained in Australia (i.e. any doctor who began studying in Australia under a temporary visa and subsequently obtained their primary qualification from an Australian university).

It does not apply to doctors who:
Registered with a State or Territory Medical Board before 1 January, 1997.
Made an application to the Australian Medical Council (AMC) that was received before 1 January 1997, to undertake examinations, successful completion of which would ordinarily enable the person to become a medical practitioner (and the doctor was eligible to lodge an application with the AMC).

3. Can I apply for an exemption?
Yes you can.
The Minister can grant an exemption to these requirements and can impose conditions on any exemption provided. Requests for exemption from the moratorium should be directed to the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) on (02) 6289 5903.
GPRA recommends that any current or future Registrar applying for exemptions discuss this with their RTP. Exemptions may have implications for placements and rural incentive payments.

4. If I am under the 10 Year Moratorium can I undertake GP training with the Australian General Practice Training program?
Yes, you can.
First, you must have medical registration, i.e. have passed the AMC clinical exam and have undertaken the mandatory 12 months supervised training with an accredited teaching hospital or have your degree recognised for purposes of registration. You must be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. Currently, AGPT will only allow those subject to the moratorium to enrol in the Rural Pathway. You must be willing to work in rural or remote Australia (RRMA classification areas 4-7) for a minimum of 18 months of your training. Your training time will count towards the moratorium period, provided you are an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. On completion of training, you must complete the remainder of your moratorium time working in an Unmet Area of Need (defined by each State or Territory) and/or Districts of Workforce Shortage (defined by
Commonwealth government). Not all of these areas are rural. See the AGPT website on pathway eligibility for OTDs/IMGs. AGPT will not accept an application for the General Pathway unless you provide documentation from Medicare Australia proving you have been granted an exemption.

5. When does the 10 year period start?
If registered as a medical practitioner between 1 January 1997 and 18 October 2001, then the moratorium period starts from the date of medical registration.
If registered after 18 October 2001 and at the time you were an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident – then the moratorium period starts from the date of medical registration.
If registered after 18 October 2001 and at the time you were a Temporary Resident – moratorium starts when you became a Permanent Resident.

6. Can I work in a region other than RRMA 4-7 during my training?
Public hospital based placements do count towards your moratorium time, so it is possible to do a special skills placement outside RRMA 4-7 areas. Contact your RTP for further advice about this. It would need to be recognised by your RTP, the AGPT and the Department of Health and Ageing.

7. What about New Zealand Graduates?
Many New Zealand medical schools are recognised by the AMC, these graduates can obtain medical registration in Australia without sitting the AMC exam. However, if registration was obtained after 1 January 1997, these doctors will still be subject to the moratorium and will only be eligible to apply for the Rural Pathway.

If you require further information on Medicare provider number restrictions, you can phone the Workforce Regulation Information Line in the Department of Health and Ageing on (02) 6289 5903.

>>BACK TO TOP