About the National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021–2031

This strategy identifies practical actions to build a sustainable, highly trained medical workforce that meets the current and emerging health needs of Australians.

Purpose

The National Medical Workforce Strategy 2021–2031 identifies achievable, practical actions to build a sustainable, highly trained medical workforce.

The strategy aims to structure and support our workforce in a way that ensures we can meet the current and emerging health needs of Australians. Health Ministers endorsed the strategy in December 2021.

Why it is important

The strategy provides recommendations to address some of the issues that medical practitioners and consumers face, including:

  • changing models of care, including the impact of technology
  • the distribution of trainees and medical practitioners across locations and specialties
  • increasing pressures and demands affecting the mental health and wellbeing of the medical workforce
  • the underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical practitioners across the workforce
  • specialty training numbers not matching current or predicted community need
  • lower access to health care services in regional, rural and remote areas
  • complicated career pathways for medical students and junior doctors
  • a lack of data, planning and coordination across governments in the way we train, recruit and support doctors.

Goals

The strategy aims to address medical workforce issues by exploring actions that fall under the 5 key priorities of:

  • collaborating on medical workforce planning and design
  • rebalancing the supply and distribution of doctors across specialties and locations
  • reforming medical training pathways
  • building the generalist capability of the medical workforce
  • building a flexible and responsive medical workforce.

The strategy also includes 3 overarching contextual priorities that aim to:

  • grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical workforce and improve cultural safety
  • adapt to, and better support, new models of care
  • improve doctor wellbeing.

Related information

For more, see:

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