Posted March 26 2025
By Alasdair Spinner
The Australian federal Government announced its Budget on the 25th March. With a general election coming in May this budget must be viewed in the context of the political parties manuevering for positions.
As you may know already, the Federal government funds most of the pubic health systems throughout Australia, with the state government responsible for the devolved health system in their state.
What are the key takeaways relevant to medical specialists seeking to move to Australia?
Hospitals
The Albanese government annouced a one-off $1.8 billion funding boost for public hospitals in 2025-2026, to cut waiting lists and reduce wait times in emergency rooms, as well as dealing with ambulance ramping.
This complements the investment in Urgent Care Clinics to take the pressure of the public hospital system.
Medicare (the universal health care system)
The government has committed to spend an extra $8.4 billion over 5 years to improve the health system, particulary around primary care access and bulk billing programs for GP clinics.
This includes a $662.7 million investment to fund 400 additional postgraduate scholarships for nurses and midwives. The federal government also announced 2,000 more fully funded GP training places per year by 2028, along with financial incentives to encourage junior doctors to pursue general practice — including paid parental leave for GP trainees.
Other initiatives were announced of course but these above are the most relevant to overseas trained medical specialists interested in working in Australia.