Government funding for general practice has barely moved in real terms over the past decade, while hospital funding has risen almost a third over the same period. Here's what RACGP's own annual survey of the profession says about funding, workforce distribution, cost of care and whether GPs plan to stay.
Australian Government recurrent spending per person, in 2023–24 dollars.
| Year | General practice ($/person) | Public hospitals ($/person) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 442 | 2804 |
| 2015–16 | 452 | 3031 |
| 2016–17 | 456 | 3039 |
| 2017–18 | 460 | 3079 |
| 2018–19 | 454 | 3155 |
| 2019–20 | 466 | 3225 |
| 2020–21 | 494 | 3370 |
| 2021–22 | 487 | 3616 |
| 2022–23 | 440 | 3649 |
| 2023–24 | 452 | — |
General practice funding per person was $452 in 2023–24 — the same as in 2015–16, after nine years. Public hospital funding per person rose from $2,804 (2014–15) to $3,649 (2022–23, the latest year available) — up 30.1%. General practice remains the cheapest part of the health system per person treated.
Full-time-equivalent (FTE) GPs per 100,000 people, 2024. National average: 113, up from 110 in 2023.
Tap your state or territory above to compare it with the national average.
| State/territory | FTE GPs per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| NSW | 117 |
| Vic | 117 |
| Qld | 115 |
| SA | 107 |
| Tas | 105 |
| WA | 97 |
| ACT | 91 |
| NT | 84 |
The Northern Territory (84) and ACT (91) have the fewest GPs per population; NSW and Victoria (117 each) the most. Remote areas fare worse again: the most remote practice locations (MM6) have fallen to 68 FTE GPs per 100,000 people, down from 78 in 2019.
The $82.06 average fee for a standard (Level B, 6–20 minute) GP consultation includes the Medicare rebate of $42.85 — leaving an average gap of around $39. Half of GPs now charge $90 or more for this consultation. Separately, industry billing-software data (Cubiko Touchstone, ~1,048 practices) puts the overall invoice-level bulk-billing rate at 64–70% over 2023–24 — a different measure from GPs' own self-reported patient share above, since it's based on individual invoices rather than GPs describing their typical patient mix.
| Year | Would recommend (%) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 38 |
| 2024 | 44 |
| 2025 | 47 |
One bright spot: the share of GPs who'd recommend general practice as a career to junior colleagues has risen three years running, from 38% (2023) to 47% (2025) — though a majority still wouldn't or are unsure. The top-rated challenge GPs face is the rising complexity of patient presentations (68%), followed by feeling undervalued (62%) and workload (55%). Mental health is now the top reason for GP visits cited by 71% of GPs, up from 61% when the survey began in 2017.
Fewer medical students are choosing general practice as their preferred specialty — down to 9.4% in 2024, from 13% in 2022 (it ranks fourth among specialties, or second when combined with rural generalism). Despite that, the number of doctors actually entering RACGP's Australian General Practice Training Program rose from 1,204 in 2024 to 1,544 in 2025.