… but it really would like funding for more training places this budget.
The rural GP college is once again calling on the government to deliver extra training places for rural generalists in the upcoming budget, warning that without urgent action the burgeoning workforce will “fall behind the eight ball”.
For the relatively modest fee of $36 million over four years, ACRRM could permanently add an additional 180 training posts each year, bringing its total number of new registrars per year to 500 from 2027.
According to the college’s 2026 pre-budget submission, which went live on Tuesday, ACRRM is already delivering 115% of its contracted registrars.
“The biggest risk that we face is that, unless we hurry up and get increased numbers of people in and trained, we won’t have the locations, the mentors, even the early post fellowship supervision and mentoring,” ACRRM president Dr Rod Martin told The Medical Republic.
“And we’ll continue to stay behind the eight ball for the want of another 180 to 200 places.
“I guess it seems like we’re a broken record on the on the 500 places, but the clock’s ticking.”
In a rare(ish) show of unity, the RDAA, ACRRM and the RACGP have all committed to the same ask on access to new items for fellowed rural generalists.
Namely, this includes 10 rural generalist-specific MBS items and two MBS telehealth items for when a rural generalist is providing care in an area where they have advanced skills training, as well as 13 new items for rural generalists with advanced skills in mental health.
All items would be limited geographically to doctors working in MM3 to 7 locations.
“This proposal also follows the established precedent of Rural Generalist obstetricians, anaesthetists and surgeons being able to claim relevant MBS items for services in the same way as their consultant specialist colleagues for equivalent services,” the pre-budget submission said.
“It better aligns the MBS recognition with the full scope of practice of Rural Generalist practice, including core skills in primary care and emergency medicine, as well as individual areas of College-recognised advanced skills.”
Related
This project is costed at about $50 million over four years.
The rural college’s third and final ask is to support long-term retention by investing in housing, childcare and disaster recovery support for rural towns.
“I’ve got one doctor who had to completely change the sort of work that she did because she couldn’t get reliable childcare,” Dr Martin said.
“She had to drop out of general practice and do rostered, hospital-based work when her husband was rostered off, because there was no childcare.
“Even one of the practice partners here, she does antenatal care, but there’s no way for her to be able to do deliveries and intrapartum care, again, because there’s no backup childcare.”
The Armidale rural generalist stressed that ACRRM wasn’t asking for “gold-plated” childcare services; “it’s the bare bones”.
This initiative was uncosted.
The 2026 budget is expected in early May.
