The Albanese Government is strengthening Australia’s home-grown doctor workforce, with additional Commonwealth supported places available from 2026.
Universities can now apply for Commonwealth supported places for an additional 100 medical students, increasing to 150 students per year from 2028.
These additional places are particularly focused on growing the pool of GPs.
To secure places, universities will need to demonstrate that they will train more GPs with more rotations in primary care.
Applications for Stream A will close 23 September 2025. It is expected that Stream B will open for applications by mid-2026.
By investing in medical education today, the Albanese Government is delivering the doctors Australia needs for the future.
The Government will also introduce demand driven places for First Nations medical students from 2026 to increase the number of First Nations doctors across Australia.
This is part of the Government’s commitment to strengthening Medicare and builds on our previous investments to grow the pipeline of future GPs, particularly in regional areas.
More information about the new places can be found here.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler:
“The Albanese Labor Government is strengthening Medicare with more bulk billing, more Urgent Care Clinics and thousands more doctors.
“By growing our medical workforce, we are strengthening Medicare for decades to come.
“More training places will deliver more doctors to care for Australians in every corner of the country.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“We want more young Australians to be able to choose medicine, and more of them to go on to become GPs.
“More places and more training means more opportunity for young people – and more doctors for communities that need them.
“We are backing more medical students today so we have the doctors we need for the future.”