Working as a General Practitioner in Australia | Moving from Hospital to General Practice | PRODA | Contractor | Salary | Percentage | Indemnity
This is a CORE BLOG and you can refer to related blogs in the FAQs at the bottom.
Need help understanding your pathway?
Date Updated: 2026-06-08
A General Practitioner in Australia is responsible for managing the primary care of their patients. They will assess, diagnose, treat and manage their patient’s health on an ongoing basis.
GPs in Australia primarily work from Private Clinics.
ACRRM defines the General Practitioner as “the doctor with core responsibility for providing comprehensive and continuing medical care to individuals, families and the broader community. Competent to provide the greater part of medical care, the general practitioner can deliver services in the primary care setting, the secondary care setting, the home, long-term residential care facilities or by electronic means – wherever and however services are needed by the patient within their safe scope of practice.”
According to RACGP standards for the purposes of accreditation, one is a general practice if they “provide comprehensive, patient-centred, whole-person and continuous care; and its services must be predominantly of a general practice nature…”
Commencing as a GP In Australia
Support in Practice
When you move into general practice in Australia, you are often on your own in decision making and reasoning, and whilst there are doctors in the practice who are able to support you at times, the bulk of your decisions will be made individually.
A Contractor—Not an Employee
Most GPs are sole traders (contractors), or have a company and therefore work for themselves! The biggest difference between being an employee and a contractor is the fact that as a contractor, you will be responsible for calculating and paying your own taxes.
Leave
As a contractor, be aware that most contracts will not include paid leave. This means that when you’re sick or want to take a holiday, this time isn’t paid for you and you’ll therefore need to save to cover these periods!
Insurance
As a GP, you will be required to get indemnity insurance. Please note that if you come from a hospital setting, you would still need to update your insurance as Hospital doctors have a different indemnity insurance to General Practitioners.
It’s mandatory for all medical practitioners to have professional indemnity insurance before practicing in Australia. We work with Aaron Macdonald from Business Insurance Cover Services.
PRODA and HPOS
The word PRODA is an acronym for Provider Digital Access. It’s a system used to access multiple online government services including HPOS (Health Professional Online Services) & NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). Anyone wanting to access HPOS must have a PRODA account. It is individual, so your details should not be shared with others wanting access.
HPOS is an acronym for Health Professionals Online Services. This is an online service allowing providers to liaise with Medicare more directly. You can access programs, Medicare items and make claims, generate reports and update your details. You can also apply for provider numbers. Read more about PRODA and HPOS here.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
GPs are required to participate in ongoing professional development to maintain their registration. This involves attending courses, workshops, and conferences to stay up-to-date with medical advancements. We can support you in building a CPD plan if you need. You can contact our team at help@peoplemedical.com.au to discuss.
About Income
Currently it is standard practice for General Practitioners to work as Sole Traders or Contractors, meaning they do not earn a salary and have leave benefits. They’re paid on a commission basis, per patient that they see. When commencing at the clinic, a GP will negotiate what percentage of each consultation they will receive. This percentage is between 50% and 70% depending on the GPs supervision requirements, experience and qualifications. It’s important to get a good accountant, as you will be responsible for calculating and paying your own taxes. We work with Xperion, who specialise in Medical Practitioners.
The Process as an International Medical Graduate
Medical Qualification Recognition:
- Apply to ECFMG to have your qualifications verified via EPIC: http://www.ecfmgepic.org/
- Apply to AMC to have a portfolio established: https://account.amc.org.au/sign_in
Required Examinations:
- Complete your AMC Part 1: https://www.amc.org.au/assessment/mcq-exam
- It is optional to complete your AMC Part 2 however; it will support your job applications and is highly recommended.
English Language Proficiency:
- Meet the AHPRA language requirements, document found here:
- https://www.ahpra.gov.au/registration/registration-standards/english-language-skills and our blog about it here.
- This may involve sitting an English language test, from the following options:
- Cambridge (C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency)
- IELTS
- OET
- PTE
- TOEFL iBT
- Note: Read more about each different English language test here, and the notes for Australian visa and migration purposes here.
Source a Job:
- Seek.com
- Indeed.com
- RACGP
- Via agencies such as People Medical
Note that prior to accepting a role ensure that the role meets the requirements for AHPRA and Medicare. Additional information is provided in links below.
Registration with the Medical Board:
- If you’re applying for a registration for the first time, there are three types of registration you may be eligible for. Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and the requirements before sitting your PESCI and applying to AHPRA.
- Limited Registration – Area of Need
- Limited Registration – Post Graduate Training & Supervised Practice
- Provisional Registration
Obtaining a Provider Number:
- To bill Medicare for your services, you need to obtain a provider number. This can be done through Medicare Australia.
- An IMG will be restricted by 19AB and be required to work in a DPA location.
- An Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen who is Non VR is restricted by 19AA & must participate in a 3GA Program.
Have more questions? Email us at help@peoplemedical.com.au and we can help you with your concerns and documents or book a consult with us below.
We Can Help You
Here at People Medical Consulting, we have a passion for guiding medical practitioners through their career pathways to Australia. We have extensive experience in assisting medical facilities in recruiting doctors from local and overseas who will best suit their requirements.
We provide Document Assistance for those requiring support for their PESCI with IME, ACRRM or RACGP, registration and all other mandatory AHPRA requirements, fellowship program related forms and letters, application for Medicare provider and prescriber numbers, application for 19AB or 19AA exemptions and preparation of employment documents.
If you want to talk to someone about your pathway or practice management—book a consultation with us below, or if you need Recruitment or Document Assistance, contact us at help@peoplemedical.com.au or click the buttons below. We’d be glad to help you!
FAQs
