Six GPs and one medical student will attend Tasmanian Parliament today to provide health checks for state politicians as representatives of the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP).
Alongside blood pressure checks and other preventive health, the GPs will also be advocating for their patients and a better health system for Tasmanians.
"We've got a modest budget despite an ageing population and the highest burden of chronic disease of any Australian state," RACGP Tasmania Chair and Launceston GP Dr Toby Gardner said.
"The budget proposals and policies we'll be discussing with Tasmanian members of Parliament are designed to deliver much-needed support for patients and benefits to our whole health system.
"Our patients are worried about their costs, our politicians are looking for savings, and what we've been proposing are solutions that'll improve Tasmanians' healthcare at low-to-zero cost to the budget's bottom line."
With the Tasmanian Government set to deliver its budget on Thursday 21 May, the GPs will be reiterating and discussing priorities from its 2026–27 Tasmania Pre-Budget Submission.
Priority 1: Remove payroll tax obligations for GP registrars
General practices are currently incentivised against training more GPs in instances where the registrar's salary takes the practice above Tasmania's payroll-tax threshold.
"This is a handbrake on the number of GPs we can train in Tasmania, despite strong interest in training here among junior doctors," Dr Gardner said.
"People want to move here and train to become GPs for our communities. The number of future GPs training with the RACGP surged by 57% in 2025, and a further 19% this year. That shouldn't be a ceiling.
"Currently there are 159 GPs in training at 78 Tasmanian practices, but we could be training more. The State Government releasing that payroll tax handbrake will help make that possible for more practices. And that'll make it easier for more Tasmanians to see a GP who knows them and their health when they need care."
Priority 2: Support general practices to train registrars via infrastructure support grants
General practice training requires appropriate clinical, physical, and digital infrastructure, but too many practices face structural limitations in regional and rural Tasmania.
"Infrastructure grants will dramatically improve many of our rural and regional practices' ability to train more GPs in their communities," Dr Gardner said.
Priority 3: Redirect pharmacy scope-of-practice expansion pilot funding to embedding pharmacists in residential aged care facilities (RACFs)
Embedding pharmacists in RACFs with funds currently allocated to the pharmacy scope-of-practice expansion pilot would deliver safer, more integrated, and more cost-effective care for Tasmania's most vulnerable residents.
"Tasmania's aged care residents need medication systems that prevent harm and reduce the strain medication errors put on our hospitals, not a retail-based prescribing experiment," Dr Gardner said. "That's where you get real bang for your buck. The evidence shows embedding pharmacists in aged care is a truly cost-effective way to improve safety."
Priority 4: Support the widespread embedding of GPs with Special Interests (GPwSIs) into Tasmania's public outpatient clinics
GPs with Special Interests, those with additional training in an area of hospital or non-GP specialist medicine, have been extremely effective at reducing wait times for Tasmanians. Long-term sustainability for these programs will boost access to care.
"With government support, the Department of Health can boost access to care by ensuring our regulatory and governance frameworks support this innovative approach into the long term," Dr Gardner said.
Priority 5: Support GPs who provide services to Clinical Networks
GPs are often asked to participate as part of Clinical Networks and welcome the opportunity to provide their expertise through these programs.
"Remunerating GPs for their work is fair, but more importantly, it'll mean more GPs can participate in work of value to the Tasmanian health system," Dr Gardner said.
