The state government has delivered on a pledge to hand out $40K GP training incentives, but the program will only run for a year.
GP registrars in Queensland starting their practice placements in 2025 will receive one-off, $40,000 incentive payments – but those due to start in 2026 won’t be so lucky.
An incentive payment for junior doctors who chose to go into GP training in Queensland was first announced in June last year by the Labor-led state government, as part of a $20 million workforce attraction scheme.
Today, state minister for health Tim Nicholls confirmed that the Liberal National government would be delivering $40,000 incentive payments to junior doctors commencing GP training in 2025.
It was initially set to run over both 2025 and 2026; it will now only run for one year.
The scheme extends to all general practice registrars – both ACRRM and RACGP Australian GP Training program trainees are eligible, as are RACGP Fellowship Support Program and Practice Experience Program trainees.
Unlike in some other states, the incentive is not restricted to just rural trainees; the program is open to GPs everywhere in the state.
To meet eligibility requirements, though, the GPs in training need to be starting their community-based placements in 2025; those who are completing hospital terms only in 2025 will not receive the funding.
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“We’ve been in negotiations with the [state] government because, of course, there’s been the announcement that the Albanese government at a federal level is going to be helping to fund GP trainees with paid parental leave,” RACGP Queensland chair Dr Cath Hester told The Medical Republic.
“And so what we have managed to do is bring forward the payments that were scheduled for next year for the GPs in training to this year, so that they get a lump sum payment of $40,000 this year.”
ACRRM president Dr Rod Martin welcomed the incentive funding and said the college looked forward to working with governments at all levels to develop workforce solutions.
“ACRRM’s primary goal is to provide access to high quality continuous medical care that is close to home for people living outside the urban footprint,” Dr Martin said.
“To do that we need to attract the right people to choose a rural medical career, and we need to support them with funding to enable them to focus on skills development rather than financial burden.”
The Queensland GP registrars and registrars-to-be who miss out on the 2025 state-based incentive payments need not despair – as part of the $8.5 billion Medicare package, the Albanese government pledged incentive payments of $30,000 to first-year GP trainees.
A further $43.9 million will also go toward a paid parental and study leave scheme for GP registrars, who cannot accrue leave across placements.
No start date has been set for the program yet, although the federal Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is reportedly in talks with the sector to develop eligibility criteria.
