For the third year running, the rural college will be taking on more GP registrars than its contractual obligation.
In what Health Minister Mark Butler has already dubbed a “record” year for GP training, 370 registrars will commence training with rural college ACRRM.
Technically, ACRRM is only funded for 320 places, putting its current intake of 370 registrars at around 115% of its contractual obligation; the college is working with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to get additional places ahead of 2027.
It marks the third consecutive year that the smaller of the two GP colleges has been overfilled for training places; after failing to fill all places in 2023, it took on additional registrars in 2024 and 2025.
Close to 40% of the new ACRRM registrars will be commencing their training in Queensland.
“These doctors are choosing to train where they are most needed – in rural, remote, and First Nations communities,” ACRRM president Dr Martin said.
“ACRRM training is built around community need.
“Our registrars live, work, and train in the towns that rely on them, improving access to high-quality medical care now and into the future.”
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For the 2026 training year, ACRRM said, applications had increased by 30% on 2025.
“This strong start to the year is good news, but it’s only the beginning,” Dr Martin said.
“Sustained investment in Rural Generalist training pathways is essential if we are to build a stable, skilled medical workforce for communities outside urban areas.”
The upcoming training year will be different in three key ways.
Firstly, ACRRM no longer has two training schemes; where it used to have its funding split between the Rural Generalist Training Scheme (RGTS) and the Australian General Practice Training program, all places are now funded through the AGPT.
The second big change is that rural generalism is now recognised as a specialty field within general practice.
While work to define the role and get Australian Medical Council sign-off is still underway, there is now a clearer path forward for prospective fellows.
Last year’s budget inclusions mean that new GP registrars will also be eligible for a $30,000 salary incentive, as well as paid study and parental leave.
The RACGP is yet to finalise training numbers for 2026.
