The Australian and Queensland Governments are working together to deliver more doctors and better care to people in rural and regional areas of Queensland.
A new four-year Single Employer Model (SEM) trial will support up to 60 full-time equivalent GP and rural generalist trainees based in:
- Northern Region Cairns and Hinterland, Townsville, Mackay, North West, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services (HHSs)
- Central Region Central West, Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Central Queensland, Metro North HHSs
- Southern Region South West, Darling Downs, West Moreton, Gold Coast and Metro South HHSs
Rural generalists are GPs who do extra training to deliver a broader range of services to patients in regional, rural and remote parts of Australia.
The trial begins in February 2025 and expands on the successful trials conducted across Queensland in 2024 that received positive feedback from both GP trainees and general practices.
Under the program, trainees will be salaried employees of the Queensland Government, rather than changing employers every six to 12 months with each new general practice placement.
The trial will give graduates a guaranteed income and entitlements such as annual leave, parental leave, sick leave and other benefits received by doctors training in hospital settings.
Locating the SEM trial across the northern, central and southern Queensland regions will help general practices attract rural generalist trainees and increase access to medical services for locals in the immediate term.
The trial will also encourage trainees to build local connections within the community and consider a long-term future in rural, regional and remote medicine.
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
"We want to attract more doctors to regional Queensland and this innovative approach will help to retain the doctors we need to continue to provide essential primary healthcare services to Queenslanders.
"We look forward to working collaboratively with the Queensland Government to make training and working in rural general practice a more attractive option for young doctors.
"Importantly, it will make it easier for people in regional Queensland to see a doctor close to home.
Quotes attributable to Minister Nicholls:
"Medical workforce recruitment and retention remain a critical challenge for rural and remote communities across Queensland and we welcome this further investment into the state.
"While general practice is a Federal Government responsibility, the Queensland Government is stepping up to support the sustainability of primary care through integrated and shared workforce models to ensure the right care is provided by the right people in the right place, at the right time.
"Over the span of this four-year trial, access to medical skills including obstetrics and anaesthetics will be improved in small rural communities across Queensland. This will support ongoing access to primary care services and the sustainability of birthing services, a core component of the Crisafulli Government's Easier Access to Health Services Plan."
Quotes attributable to Senator Green:
"This trial is great news for regional Queensland and shows how committed our government is to getting more doctors in our regions.
"This is all on top of the work our government is doing to strengthen Medicare, like tripling the bulk billing incentive, offering 60-day scripts and cheaper medicines. And of course, delivering Medicare Urgent Care Clinics right across regional Queensland."
