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Securing agreement from both Colleges: the SLO Advisory Council

In light of the changes to the GP training environment in the transfer of training from the 9 RTOs to the 2 unevenly sized GP specialty Colleges, GPSA has played an active role in securing a future network for the nation’s Supervisor Liaison Officers. This has involved the development and execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) tied to newly created Terms of Reference (TOR) for the SLO Advisory Council.

MoU between GPSA-ACRRM-RACGP

Terms of Reference for the SLO Advisory Council

Building ties with the university and prevocational sectors

Throughout 2023/24, GPSA has been busy expanding a traditional focus on vocational training to better support supervisors and practice teams engaged in the supervision of medical students and prevocational learners.

This has resulted in a significant win for GPSA members and the sector more broadly, as our initiatives translate into a more inclusive era for GP pathways.

Partnering on research

Recognising the increased impact our research can have through broad collaboration, we continue to grow our research partnerships: 

  • GPEx

  • General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA)

  • Monash University

  • Victorian Rural Generalist Program (VRGP)

  • The University of Queensland

  • The University of Melbourne

  • the Department of Health and Aged Care (DOHAC)

  • Oglethorpe University, USA

  • The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)

  • The University of Adelaide

  • Federation University

  • James Cook University

  • WAGPET

  • NTGPE

  • EVGPT

  • Christies Beach Medical Centre

Date reviewed: 24 September 2025

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.

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Advocacy

Advocating to make a difference

At GPSA, we take our role as member advocate very seriously.

Recognising our members’ crucial role in shaping the future general practice workforce, our stakeholder engagement extends beyond the Australian vocational training sector.

We sit on a growing number of steering groups and advisory committees and meet regularly with sector stakeholders such as GPRA, RACGP, ACRRM, Commonwealth Government and also:

  • Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA)
  • Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS)
  • Australian Medical Association (AMA)
  • Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM)
  • Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ)
  • Universities and rural training hubs
  • Jurisdictional Single Employer Model (SEM) teams
  • Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA)
  • Postgraduate medical councils
  • Rural workforce agencies
  • State-funded rural generalist pathways
  • National Rural Health Commissioner
  • Workforce Planning and Prioritsation Organisations

Advocacy priorities

Through our expanded sector stakeholder engagement, GPSA now has a seat at most of the tables where decisions impacting our members are made.

We use these sector fora to promote the issues our members have shared with us as priorities, such as:

PLACEMENT PROCESSES
  • placement processes (AGPT) should be developed around the needs of registrars and practices rather than the needs of the well-funded training provider – no more than one process per year, ideally for 12-month placements but otherwise for 2 x 6-month placements
    • challenging the need for 6-month fixed term placements that limit the employment relationship between practice and registrar
    • challenging the need for a 6-monthly recruitment process that imposes hardship for practices and registrars, and makes business planning problematic
    • longer placements essential for practices to recoup costs and therefore offer more flexibility in employment arrangements
    • longer / more flexible employment / training contracts and MPN arrangements needed so that practices can assist registrars taking unpaid parental leave to retain skills currency and bond with supervision team (assumes the registrar commits to returning to the same training site left at the point of commencing parental leave, which would need to be accommodated by a more flexible training provider approach to placements)
  • challenging continuing sector expectations that supervisors should be supervising the future GP/RG workforce with no remuneration, and only receiving financial compensation for the small number of hours attributed to dedicated teaching time
  • supervisors required to do more and more for less and less – current funding prioritisation of formal education undermining the value of in-practice training and whole-of-practice supervision
  • without adequate remuneration of non-owner supervisors (medical students through to vocational trainees), the shrinking pool of owner-supervisors is reducing registrar access to quality training practices
  • practice-registrar relationship needs to be prioritised as central rather than ancillary to the quality of training outcomes
  • limitations to practice viability and employment flexibility imposed by training program / MPNs / placement policies / funding models across educational continuum
  • need to tackle varying degrees of powerlessness and frustration members have expressed over  the increasing training program impact on
    • patient access
    • supervisor availability and workload
    • administrative burden
  • failure of training providers to ensure that new registrars are familiar with the “basics” from the commencement of employment so that their time in the training practice can be maximised on developing consultation skills and ensuring registrar and patient safety in preparation for independent practice
    • base level induction and introduction to key concepts needs to be done and certified by the training provider prior to the start of each placement, with training site visibility of content – allowing for resources allocated to local community induction to be utilised effectively without duplication of effort and time
  • collaboration across universities, postgraduate medical councils and Colleges needed to
    • minimise duplication of accreditation and supervisor PD requirements
    • provide greater recognition of the important role supervisors and training practices play in fostering a passin for general practice
    • provide sufficient financial and professional support for GP supervisors to make this role a destination in its own right for the medical students and junior doctors they play a part in shaping as future GPs/RGs
  • see the GPSA discussion paper on this topic here
FY24-25 communiques
FY23-24 communiques
What can we advocate for on your behalf?
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Connecting the dots - sector conduit

As the peak organisation for General Practice (GP) and Rural Generalist (RG) training across Australia, General Practice Supervision Australia (GPSA) acts as a sector conduit – connecting our members with Commonwealth and state governments, the GP specialty training Colleges, universities, affiliated peaks like General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA), and other sector stakeholders.

Building ties with the university and prevocational sectors

GPSA has broadened its traditional focus on vocational training to better support supervisors and practice teams involved in supervising medical students and prevocational learners. This shift has resulted in significant wins for our members and the broader sector, ushering in a more inclusive era for GP pathways.

Securing agreement from both Colleges: the SLO Advisory Council

In light of the changes to the GP training environment in the transfer of training from the 9 RTOs to the 2 GP specialty Colleges, GPSA has played a pivotal role in securing a future network for the nation’s Supervisor Liaison Officers. This has involved the development and execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) tied to newly created Terms of Reference (TOR) for the SLO Advisory Council.

Date reviewed: 11 December 2025

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.

This website uses cookies. Read our privacy policy.

GPSA response to Tasmania's SEM announcement

For convenience, you can read through this media release here, or use the pdf tools at the top of the document to download and / or print the file. 

Date reviewed: 26 September 2025

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.

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Why is GPSA concerned about the new payroll tax ruling in QLD?

Your say in whether the new QLD SRO ruling poses a threat for GP training

GPSA represents GP supervisors and training practices, without whom the future for the general practice specialty would be very bleak.

By extension, any threat to the profession that poses a threat to GPs who supervise, and the training practices that offer employment to registrars through their training, is of major concern to GPSA.

If this payroll tax threat results in a mass departure of GPs from the specialty, inevitably there will be a great many experienced GP/RG supervisors amongst them.

If registrars find themselves impacted by a shrinking pool of supervisors, extra pressure on practice workforce with departing GPs, and/or heightened tensions in the training practice as new structures and systems are rushed into place to mitigate the likely effect of the payroll tax ruling, this will undermine the sustainability of GP training and in turn the profession. So this is what is making GPSA concerned.  

Through this rapidly-implemented, quick member survey, our goal was to give your individual voices the volume of this community of practice, loudly adding the unique and very important perspective to the College and AMA discussions with state and federal governments on this issue.   

When the announcement came through that there’d be no retrospective application under a so-called ‘amnesty’, it could be argued that three minutes of your time made a mighty big difference.

Read here how your voice on this issue was interpreted in the ongoing media coverage.

Summary of Rapid Survey - January 2023

Date reviewed: 24 June 2025

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.

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