Media Statement
16 May 2024
2024-2025 Federal Budget fails to provide funding to grow GP workforce pipeline – GPRA
The following statement can be attributed to Dr Karyn Matterson, President, General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA):
GPRA is dismayed with this year’s Federal Budget. It shows disregard for GP Registrars’ difficulty with the cost of living, and a lack of regard for the entitlements and benefits which most Australians enjoy. Furthermore, it does not provide any funding to grow the general practice workforce pipeline.
There is a lack of support to get more GPs in training despite the increasing demand for GP care, particularly with an ageing population. The more GPs in training there is, the more specialist GPs there will be in the future. This Budget does little to promote the attractiveness of the best specialty there is – General Practice.
This year’s Budget was a great opportunity to further develop the future GP workforce, particularly as Australia continues to have a GP shortage.
We need to ensure more doctors take up general practice. This Budget does not support this need.
Given the unequal employment conditions of general practice registrars compared to their hospital counterparts, GPRA advocated for the Government to support an independent GP Training Leave Support Fund to reduce the barriers to attracting doctors to become GPs.
The proposed $17 million to establish the Fund over 2024-2026, and then a further Government contribution of just $2 million a year over 10 years, would enable GP registrars to access parental, study and exam leave during their GP Specialty training for at least a decade. In consideration of the $227 million for 29 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, GPRA’s ask is a mere drop in the ocean, however would have an enduring positive effect to increase the perceived value and respect towards the profession of General Practice.
Unfortunately, without this funding GP registrars will continue to face disincentives to completing their GP Specialty, which ultimately means less GP access for communities.
We are concerned the Urgent Care Clinic model has not yet been properly evaluated.
GPRA believes these clinics could dilute an already limited GP workforce, taking away GPs where they are most needed across Australia, particularly in regional, rural, and remote communities. Furthermore, urgent care is only one aspect of specialist General Practice which GPs continue to provide in each and every GP clinic in Australia.
GPRA supports the Government funding to extend the Single Employer Model pilots which will help attract and retain GPs in regional and rural communities with continuity of employment conditions. These models are especially important in thin markets where GP practices are no longer viable models given the defunding of specialist General Practice over the past 20 years, exacerbated by the continuation of fragmentation of care for the Australian public.
We look forward to the outcomes of robust evaluation on the Single Employer Model, which is only one model which should be on offer at the choice of the individual Registrar.
More broadly, GPRA had expected the Government to continue its commitment to strengthen Medicare, which would reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients and to ensure improved employment conditions for GPs. We had also expected more support for our International Medical Graduates who are committed, trained overseas doctors who deserve quality training and financial support to train in Australia.
We had expected that, as part of Strengthening Medicare, this Budget would continue enhancing bulk-billing incentives to attract doctors to general practice to offset the declining interest in a career in general practice and improve employment conditions.
This Budget is met with a particular heavy-heartedness given the disregard for core Labor values of support for paid parental leave, study leave and exam leave. We had hoped for much more and for our policy makers to do much better.
ENDS
Media Enquiries
GPRA media contact:
Gavin Broomhead
0435 077 935 | communications@gpra.org.au
About GPRA
General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) is the independent voice for future GPs in Australia (www.gpra.org.au)