General practitioners

A general practitioner (family physician), commonly referred to as a GP, is a doctor who works in family medicine or primary healthcare. Most GPs work in small private practices (nearly 65%) and are usually the first point of contact for someone seeking general healthcare services. They may be self-employed or contracted to a practice. Roughly 25% of GPs work in hospitals. Rural GPs tend to work in both private practice and in public and private hospital settings.

GPs have an important role in the public health system and in rural Australia. This section outlines those roles and also provides information on incentives for GPs.

Under the Support for doctors section, you will find a range of information and reference sources relevant to GPs. The Working in private practice section should also prove to be a valuable source of information.

Information on how a GP with overseas qualifications may gain registration to practise in Australia can be found under the information for GPs under Registering and qualifying.

Employment for GPs can be sourced in many places. The Finding a job section provides an excellent starting point.