Government Confirms GP Training Incentive Payments
In mid-October, the Honourable Mark Butler, Minister for Health, Aged Care and Disability, formally approved the long-awaited GP Training Incentive Payments.
These incentive payments will be available to eligible GP and Rural Generalist (RG) registrars enrolled in a Commonwealth-funded GP or RG training pathway.
Purpose of the Incentives
The program is designed to:
· Encourage prevocational doctors to specialise in general practice or rural generalism.
· Bridge the gap between hospital-based and community-based specialty training entitlements.
· Support registrars throughout their training and progression to GP or RG fellowship.
· Improve access for patients to high-quality GP and RG services across Australia.
The incentives will commence from Semester 1, 2026.
Updates to the NTCER and Employment Contracts
Following this announcement, GPRA and GPSA have collaborated to update the National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER) and the associated employment contract templates.
While these incentives are not employment entitlements—and payments will be made directly through Services Australia - both organisations believe it is important for employers to:
· Be aware of the incentives, and
· Support registrars in accessing them.
This intent is clearly documented in the jointly released NTCER and employment contract updates.
Availability of Updated Documents
The NTCER v2026.1 and updated employment contract templates will be published on the GPSA website no later than Friday, 31 October.
Please note:
· Current contract templates remain NTCER-compliant, but
· They do not reference the new Commonwealth incentive program.
Practices issuing contracts in the coming weeks are strongly encouraged to use the most recent versions once available.
Further Information
For full program details, visit the Department of Health and Aged Care’s GP Training Incentive Payments page.