By Callum Ludwig
The number of training General Practitioners (GPs) in Victoria is on the rise in a positive sign for improving access to medical care.
Data from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) shows that Victoria is setting the standard for incentivising the profession, with 358 future GPs starting training this year in the state, 22 per cent more than in 2024.
The RACGP credits the Victorian Government’s $40,000 General Practitioners grants program, with half of all the training GPs they surveyed saying they began training due to the grant. RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Munõz said the next generation of GPs has been clear about the value of these grants.
“Given their success, the Victorian Government should fund its GP training incentives in 2026 and beyond,” she said.
“There are also gains to be made by increasing junior doctors’ opportunities to experience what general practice, and especially rural general practice, can offer,”
“With the right funding and incentives, we can rebuild the GP workforce to keep everyone healthy throughout their lives.”
41 training GPs have joined the Rural South East region (Gippsland, Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges) on a rural training pathway this year.
Through the program, 400 grants valued at $40,000 each were allocated in 2024 with a further 400 grants available in 2025, with both the RACGP and ACRRM (Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine) reporting a significant increase in the number of GP enrolments in 2024.
A Department of Health spokesperson said they’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response for this latest round of the GP grants program, and this is making a real difference in increasing the number of GPs enrolments in Victoria.
“The General Practitioners grants program continues to incentivise graduates to consider a career in general practice and ensure Victoria has the GP workforce needed both now and into the future,” they said.
“We know that by removing barriers like the cost of training, uncertainty around placements as well as incentivising roles in rural areas, more and more doctors will consider careers as GPs.”
The RACGP survey found 59 per cent of recipients are undertaking placements in regional Victoria because of the grants, and 13 per cent said they moved to Victoria because of the program.
The number of GPs training in Melbourne alone rose by 42 per cent and the RACGP is calling on the Victorian Government to expand the program with a focus on enticing GPs to regional cities and rural towns.
The RACGP also wants to see all political parties to fund 1500 more RACGP Australian GP Training places over the next five years, particularly in states like New South Wales where growth in training GPs lagged considerably behind other states, and to see politicians commit to linking Government-subsidised medical places at universities to a target of 50 per cent of graduates training as GPs.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said all federal parties must commit to ensuring access to affordable GP care in the lead-up to the Federal Election.
“The RACGP has a plan to ensure high-quality general practice care is accessible and affordable for all Australians,” he said.
“We’ve shown we can train more GPs, and with Australia’s growing and ageing population, and an epidemic of chronic illness, we need to increase the number we’re training to meet the need for care,”
“With significant investment in Medicare, we can increase bulk billing and reduce out-of-pocket costs for people who aren’t being bulk billed. Both these things are crucial.”
More information on the GP grants program can be found here: health.vic.gov.au/general-practitioners-grant-program.
