Future of GP Training Forum

Sweeping reforms to GP training were announced in the Federal Budget in May. These include the abolition of General Practice Education and Training Limited (GPET), axing the Prevocational General Practice Placements Program (PGPPP) and other reforms to general practice financing. The Government has also decided to absorb the functions of GPET within the Department of Health for cost savings and put the general practice training program out to tender.

These changes are bringing uncertainty to GP trainees on the continuity and quality of the profession-led and apprenticeship-based model of training. Today the AMA is bringing together a small representative group of GP registrars to discuss and define the AMA’s immediate priorities for GP training. Discussions at the forum will include the implications of the Budget measures for general practice training; general practice training capacity; funding models; and, the professional and educational governance structures needed to ensure high-quality training.