More medical students will be trained and encouraged to work in Central Queensland with the Albanese Government investing $8.8 million to fund an expanded University of Queensland (UQ) medical school program in Rockhampton, in partnership with Central Queensland University, Central Queensland Learning Community and the Central Queensland and Wide Bay Health Services.
The funding will help build and set up new medical training in Rockhampton, with the first students expected to begin study next year.
It will allow UQ to refurbish a learning hub, create teaching and learning spaces and build new student accommodation.
The Government will also fund 10 new Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) and UQ will reallocate 10 of its existing CSPs, allowing 20 students to live, learn and gain valuable experience in regional, rural and remote healthcare.
The expanded medical training is funded through the Government's Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program.
This program encourages more medical, nursing, dental and allied health professionals to work in country areas through rural training experiences while studying.
Almost 40 medical, nursing and allied health students from UQ undertook placements in Rockhampton in 2023.
The new funding for UQ builds on more than $54 million already delivered to UQ between 2022 and 2024. These funds support:
- a rural clinical school for medical students across Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Toowoomba;
- a university department of rural health for allied health, nursing and midwifery students based in Toowoomba and Charleville;
- dental training in Dalby and St George; and
- three Regional Training Hubs based in Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Toowoomba which help support graduating students to continue their medical training in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister, Emma McBride:
"From 2026, end to end medical training will be offered at the University of Queensland Rockhampton Campus - a big step forward in our future health workforce.
"The Albanese Government wants to see more healthcare workers in regional, rural, and remote areas providing much-needed care to the 7 million Australians living outside our major cities.
"We know one of the best ways to achieve this is by supporting country students to train locally so they don't have to go to the city to become our future doctors, nurses and allied health professionals."
