Australia is becoming increasingly dependent on internationally trained doctors to staff its health system, with new national registration data showing that fewer than half of all doctors entering practice were graduates of Australian medical schools.

New national data released today by Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand shows a decade-long shift in how medical students are supporting themselves through their degrees, and increasingly relying on paid employment alongside Centrelink payments to cover living and placement costs.

Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand has welcomed the Albanese Government’s announcement of 50 additional Commonwealth Supported Places for medical students, delivered through a $30 million investment to strengthen the general practice workforce.