Medical Training Review Panel 19th Report

States and territories	General practitioners^(a)	Specialists^(a)
Total
New South Wales	2,180	1,323	3,503
Victoria	2,188	1,002	3,190
Queensland	2,176	1,415	3,591
South Australia	684	397	1,081
Western Australia	1,165	635	1,800
Tasmania	235	210	445
Northern Territory	183	102	285
Australian Capital Territory	122	129	251
Australia^(b)	8,162	4,420	12,495

1. 
   General practitioners include section 3GA (under the Health Insurance Act 1973) placements and Specialists include assistant specialists.
   
2. 
   Overseas trained doctors may work in more than one location across different states/territories.
   

Source: The Australian Government Department of Health administrative data as at 30 June 2015

There is marked variation in the reliance on overseas trained doctors across jurisdictions and by remoteness.

The following figures show the distribution of overseas trained doctors across states and territories and by remoteness (Figure 5.1 to Figure 5.4). These figures highlight the variation between jurisdictions in the overall and relative number of overseas trained doctors, as well as where they are working.

Although overseas trained doctors constitute a far higher proportion of the medical workforce in more remote areas of Australia, the majority work in Major cities and Inner regional areas. More specifically, more than half of overseas trained general practitioners and three-quarters of overseas trained specialists worked in Major cities (Figure 5.1), where just over two-thirds of the population reside. More than one-third of overseas trained general practitioners and nearly half of specialists worked in Inner regional areas (Figure 5.2), where one-fifth of the population resides.

Queensland has relatively high numbers of overseas trained doctors across all Remoteness Areas, while Western Australia stands out for the relatively higher numbers in Remote and Very remote areas (Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.1: Overseas trained doctors in Major cities by state/territory, 2015

Source: Medicare data, the Australian Government Department of Health administrative data, 2015

Figure 5.2: Overseas trained doctors in Inner regional areas by state/territory, 2015

Source: Medicare data, the Australian Government Department of Health administrative data, 2015

Figure 5.3 Overseas trained doctors in Outer regional areas by state/territory, 2015

Source: Medicare data, the Australian Government Department of Health administrative data, 2015

Figure 5.4: Overseas trained doctors in Remote and Very remote areas by state/territory^(a), 2015

1. 
   Data for Remote, Very Remote and Migratory classes have been combined.
   

Source: Medicare data, the Australian Government Department of Health administrative data, 2015