Why Australia is struggling to attract enough GPs and what needs to change
Australia is critically short of GPs – and the shortfall is growing predicted to be 8,600 GPs by 2048.
Australia is struggling to attract enough General Practitioners (GPs) to meet the growing demand for healthcare. Despite new programs to attract medical graduates, there are multiple reasons why Australia is facing a shortage of GPs. In this article, we will explore the reasons behind this shortage and what needs to change.
Why is demand for GPs going up?
Demand for GP services is increasing because our population is changing. Between June 2019 and June 2023, the Australian population grew by 5.2%. But more importantly, our population is ageing. Over the same period, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 13.1%. Older patients, especially those with multiple chronic conditions, have a far higher demand for GP services than younger, healthier patients.
More GPs doesn’t mean more appointments
The number of GPs in Australia is actually going up. In recent years, it has increased 5.1%, from 37,530 in 2019 to 39,449 in 2024. This mirrors total population growth. However, the number of full-time equivalent GPs has decreased by 1.3% over the same period.
Why?
There are two main issues. First, there has been a historical trend over the years where male GPs have been working fewer weekly hours. Second, the proportion of GPs who are female has been increasing for decades. There are now nearly as many female GPs (49.6%) as male (50.4%). Female GPs have traditionally worked fewer hours than male GPs, partly due to female GPs taking greater carer responsibilities than their male peers.
General practice is not drawing graduates
As a profession, general practice has been finding it difficult to attract new graduates. The latest Medical School Outcomes Database report showed only 10.5% of graduates listed general practice as their first choice of specialisation. Even when combined with those students who said they were considering a career as a rural generalist (7.0%), this is not enough to meet the growing demand and more needs to be done to attract new graduates.
Why isn’t it attractive?
1. Lower financial incentives compared to other graduates
GPs earn less on average than other medical specialities. In 2021-22, GPs (including full-time and part-time) reported a median total income of A$142,279. That’s close to half of what psychiatrists earned ($268,135), and significantly less than surgeons ($373,720) and anaesthetists ($432,234). In addition, general practice faces greater pressure than most specialities to bulk bill patients.
What’s being done to attract new graduates?
As a consequence of all these factors, for the past couple of years GP training places have not been filled to capacity. The good news is enrolments into GP training are headed in the right direction. For 2025, the Australian GP training program positions are full, an almost 20% increase on 2024 enrolments. That means there are 1,504 junior doctors who have accepted a training place for 2025.
What else do we need?
These are steps in the right direction. But more still needs to be done to attract a new generation of graduates to enjoy the benefits of working in general practice. We need sustainable strategies to address the inequities between general practice and other specialities, particularly training pay and conditions. Without support for general practice – which provides first point of contact, comprehensive, coordinated and long-term care – we risk drifting to a system which fragments care and Australians will increasingly receive piecemeal healthcare.
* What is the current number of GPs in Australia?
+ There are currently 39,449 GPs in Australia.
* Why are there not enough GPs?
+ The demand for GPs is increasing due to an ageing population, and there are not enough GPs to meet this demand.
* Why are GPs not attracting new graduates?
+ GPs are not attracting new graduates because of lower financial incentives, lack of support, and limited training opportunities.
* What is being done to address the shortage of GPs?
+ The Australian Government is increasing the number of GP training places, and there are currently 1,504 junior doctors who have accepted a training place for 2025.
* What are the long-term implications of not addressing the shortage of GPs?
+ If the shortage of GPs is not addressed, it could lead to a fragmented healthcare system, with Australians receiving piecemeal healthcare and not having access to comprehensive, coordinated, and long-term care.
