This review examined the effectiveness of current health workforce distribution levers. These levers are laws, policies and classifications that encourage or require health professionals to work in areas of workforce shortage. The review finds current levers are not sufficient to the task and makes 26 recommendations to update them.

The review looks at the original intent and current outcomes of key health policies and recommends retaining existing levers with significant changes to ensure that they continue to meet the intended outcomes, in particular, to supply remote and regional Australia with appropriate healthcare. The recommendations seek to create a more transparent, agile and effective system for health workforce distribution. 

Key recommendations

• Establish a Health Workforce Independent Review Panel.
• Implement an improved classification systems to better identify areas of workforce shortage.
• Develop robust governance and review arrangements, particularly relating to the processing of exemptions to current requirements.
• Develop a more appropriate balance between the domestically trained medical workforce and Australia’s high dependency on international medical graduates.
• Ensure training and practice standards, currency of knowledge and skills are maintained across all medical professions.
• Implement longer-term strategies to improve training pathways and decrease reliance on international workforce.
• Develop a program of post-graduate training and support for other primary care providers in areas of need.