IPSWICH and surrounding rural and regional communities are set to benefit from a major expansion in Australia’s general practice workforce.
The industry is welcoming a record 1772 doctors to specialist GP training in 2026 through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners under the Commonwealth-funded Australian General Practice Training Program.
The intake represents a nearly 19 per cent increase on last year’s record cohort and reflects strong growth in doctors choosing to train and work in regional, rural and outer-metropolitan areas, including fast-growing communities such as Ipswich.
Almost half of all new GP trainees will spend the full three years of their training in regional, rural or remote locations.
Of these, 841 doctors have committed to the rural training pathway – a 44 per cent increase on 2025 and a 125 per cent rise in interest since 2024.
For Ipswich and nearby regional centres, which continue to experience rapid population growth and ongoing pressure on local health services, the increase offers welcome relief.
Trainees placed in outer-metropolitan and regional practices provide additional capacity in clinics, improve patient access to care, and help build a sustainable local workforce by encouraging doctors to stay long-term.
A further 770 doctors will train on the general pathway, primarily in metropolitan areas, but are required to complete at least 12 months in outer-metropolitan, rural, non-capital city or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services – a requirement expected to deliver more doctors into communities like Ipswich over the course of their training.
The cohort also includes 293 doctors (16.5 per cent) training as Rural Generalists, gaining advanced skills in emergency medicine and hospital care. These doctors play a critical role in smaller regional hospitals and mixed primary care settings across rural Queensland and beyond.
RACGP President Michael Wright said the record intake was the result of targeted investment and a deliberate focus on training doctors where they are most needed.
“We’ve worked with the Federal Government and health department to fill all available training places for the second year in a row,” Dr Wright said.
“The strong growth in rural and regional pathways shows that when you invest in general practice, communities see real outcomes.
“Nearly half of all GPs in training this year will be treating patients outside capital cities for the full duration of their training. That includes growing regions like Ipswich, where demand for accessible, ongoing care continues to rise.”
Dr Wright said the RACGP had expanded rural training places, supported trainees to secure positions in preferred regions, and promoted the professional and lifestyle opportunities of regional practice.
“It takes around 10 years to train a GP,” Dr Wright said.
“Workforce planning needs to match that reality. Communities like Ipswich – and regional Australia more broadly – need more specialist GPs, and the RACGP is ready to train them.”
