Federal election 2025: Coalition promises more GPs for regional Australia

If elected, the funding would pay for more medical students to be subsidised by the federal government.

Regional and rural Australia’s doctor shortage is being targeted as an election issue by the Coalition, which is promising to fund an extra 200 students to train as general practitioners to work in the bush.

Nationally Australia faces a shortage of 2466 GPs, according to a Department of Health report released last year, and the situation worsens the further you venture from a capital city.

To alleviate the issue, the Coalition has promised to spend $100m adding 200 Commonwealth funded university places for students undertaking medical degrees in regional areas. This adds to their earlier commitment to add an extra 150 federal government funded places for medical students, bringing the total to 350.

The funding would also be used to upgrade regional and remote teaching facilities, laboratories and student accommodation.

Shadow health minister Anne Ruston said the Coalition’s plan was to broaden regional and remote Australians’ access to high-quality healthcare.

“This important investment responds to growing calls from stakeholders for a dedicated focus on regional, rural and remote healthcare,” she said.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said a Coalition government would also deliver a Rural, Regional and Remote Health Strategy within its first six months in government if elected next month.

The Coalition’s plan for more regionally trained GPs matches the Albanese Government’s commitment last month, outlined in its 2025-26 budget, for 200 rural GPs to be trained every year by 2028, when it increases to 400 extra places each year, as part of a $265.2m promise.

The budget papers also made a commitment to the regions by forcing universities wanting to access funding for half of the new Commonwealth funded places to prove they’re encouraging medical students to pursue a career in general practice in regional, rural and remote Australia.

Rural chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Dr Michael Clements said that while the number of additional government funded university places for GPs was low given thousands of doctors were needed each year, he was buoyed that the funding was tied to regional training.

“We think this is a good policy regardless of how many (places) there are, it’s aimed at the right space,” Dr Clements said.

“If you teach and train in rural areas those students are more likely to stay there, and whenever the government invests money for teaching and training in rural areas, it also benefits allied health and a whole lot of additional investment occurs.”