Tasmania will see more trainee doctors working in local clinics and rural communities following the Albanese Government's announcement of more than $1 billion to deliver more doctors to more communities across the country.
This national investment will strengthen Tasmania's GP pipeline and support access to primary care across the state.
The national program will support an estimated 2,100 doctors commencing GP training across the country in 2026, the largest number on record.
Tasmania continues to attract strong interest from trainees. For the 2026 Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) intake, Tasmania has been allocated 74 training places, with 72 already filled and the final intake still in progress.
This is a significant 16 per cent increase on the 62 places filled in 2025, reflecting growing interest from doctors choosing to train and stay in the state.
This momentum is supported by new five year AGPT grant agreements with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), which will deliver stability for GP training from 2026 to 2030.
With at least 50 per cent of GP training delivered in regional and rural communities, Tasmania is well placed to benefit, with all local GP training positions delivered through the rural pathway.
The Tasmanian Single Employer Model (SEM) trial also continues to record strong results in attracting and retaining GPs and Rural Generalists. The SEM approach allows these registrars to move through their general practice training placements while remaining attached to a single, salaried employer.
The SEM program received 30 applications for 3 positions for 2026 and has supported 27 registrars to date, with all participants staying to work in Tasmanian general practice. The trial also includes strong engagement with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services as training partners with 6 registrar placements provided in Hobart and Burnie.
Strengthening GP training means more Tasmanians can access care earlier and closer to home, reducing pressure on stretched hospital services and improving long term community health outcomes.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister White:
"This investment means more Tasmanian communities will have access to a local GP when they need one.
"Our state needs more doctors, and this program is helping us grow and keep the workforce that will care for Tasmanians for decades to come.
"Tasmania is attracting record numbers of trainee GPs. The strong interest in our Single Employer Model shows that when we provide security and a clear pathway, doctors choose to build their lives and careers here.
"More doctors training in Tasmania means more families can access care close to where they live. This is good for patients, good for local clinics and good for the strength of our rural and regional communities."
