It is no secret that Australian general practice is under strain.

At the root of the ballooning issues is a GP workforce shortage, and the current decline of doctors signing on to the GP specialty is at the very core.

As a concerned GP and president of the peak body representing around 20,000 GPs in training, junior doctors and medical students, I emphasise that we need investment in Australia’s next generation of GPs, including an immediate uplift in the base rate salary for current GPs in training.

Medical graduates are turning to other specialty areas, with the growth of the non-GP specialist workforce continuing to outpace any growth in the GP workforce.