The National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars
The National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER) is an agreement that outlines the minimum employment terms and conditions for all* GP registrars.
Accreditation standards for all training practices require that the terms and conditions in registrar employment agreements must not be less than the NTCER minimum.
Working hours
Span of hours, additional ordinary hours, on-call and fatigue management
Education and supervision
Protected and non-protected teaching time, educational release.
Remuneration
Base salary, payment for on-call and after-hours work, billing cycle, SIP and PIP payments, allowances and expenses.
Leave
Annual, personal, carers, study or parental leave.
Additional support
Such as medical indemnity insurance, OH&S, termination of employment and more.
The NTCER is not a registered award. Your signed employment agreement is the legal document under which you are employed. The current NTCER agreement applies to the current training year and supersedes the previous NTCER agreement. The NTCER is negotiated between GPRA and General Practice Supervision Australia (GPSA).
Download our free template to ensure you cover the major conditions and terms of employment.
Critical points to remember:
The NTCER is the minimum; you can negotiate for terms and conditions higher than the NTCER ✚
Negotiate based on the value you bring to your practice; you are more likely to be successful in negotiating terms and conditions above the NTCER past GPT2/PRRT2.
Negotiate with a win-win attitude ✚
Aim for the best possible situation for you and the practice. Practices often operate on a profit margin of about five per cent; large increases in your pay can mean big losses for the practice. Be willing to trade or compromise beyond money (for example, offer to work late on Friday if you need to leave early on Monday).
Do not start work at a practice unless you have a signed employment agreement ✚
This protects both you and your employer against employment problems and ensures your expectations are both on the same page.
Do not rely on verbal agreements ✚
Get everything in writing; even if it seems small, such as dates for your annual leave or rostering arrangements. Get everything confirmed in writing.
Registrars should be treated as employees ✚
Legal advice we have obtained as well as information provided by the Australian Tax Office states registrars are legally viewed as employees. It is illegal to treat employees as contractors if they are not a contractor.
On top of your percentage, you will also get superannuation, annual leave and associated on-costs as an employee ✚
Annual leave is paid to you upon termination if you do not use it. According to the NTCER, annual leave is paid at your base rate. If you have a fortnightly billing cycle and want to take two weeks annual leave, align your leave with your billing cycle.
Try to negotiate to be paid via billings rather than by receipts ✚
Being paid via receipts means that your income can be spread out over a longer period.
Negotiate a short billing cycle ✚
Your billing cycle is the amount of time after which your practice calculates your billings/receipts vs your base wage. Shorter billing cycles can be financially advantageous.
If you’re not sure, check ✚
Contact your Registrar Liaison Officer (RLO) or GPRA, or read our NTCER frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Cover all the important terms and conditions in your employment agreement.
What to consider before negotiation
Familiarise yourself with some discussion topics prior to negotiating your employment agreement with the practice.
Watch GPRA President Dr Karyn Matterson and Registrar Advisor Dr Sama Balasubramanian outline the important changes to the NTCER for the 2025-2026 period in this webinar.
If you have a query, our Registrar Advisor will respond to your questions.
*The NTCER does not apply to those in community controlled health, Australian Defence Force Registrars, some Aboriginal Medicine Services, and registrars on remediation.
