The residents of the Australian Capital Territory draw to the attention of the Assembly to the following: Australian citizen IMGs residing in the ACT have completed internationally recognised medical qualifications, passed Australian Medical Council (AMC) examinations, and met Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) requirements. Despite this, many are unable to access initial supervised clinical roles within ACT Health. There is currently no publicly available, ACT-wide data or transparent reporting outlining how employment decisions affecting these local IMGs are made. This includes a lack of clarity on:
- Whether candidates are interviewed or clinically assessed,
- Whether decisions are based solely on CV screening,
- The reasons doctors are deemed unsuitable due to “clinical gaps,” and
- How many local IMGs are supported through supervised re-entry or integration pathways after meeting regulatory standards.
At the same time, visa-holding IMGs are routinely employed in the same supervised roles to meet workforce shortages, while Australian citizen IMGs — who are residents, taxpayers and long-term members of the community remain excluded from the hospital system. This lack of transparency and consistency has significant consequences for workforce planning, fairness, clinician wellbeing and the efficient use of public investment in medical assessment processes. It also risks the loss of trained doctors into non-clinical roles or other unrelated jobs making their skills underutilised, despite ongoing workforce shortages.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government to:
1. Require ACT Health to collect and publish ACT-wide data on Australian citizen IMGs, including:
- Numbers applying for clinical roles,
- Reasons for rejection,
- Use of interviews or clinical assessments,
- Numbers supported through supervised integration pathways.
2. Develop a clear, transparent, and equitable entry pathway for Australian citizen IMGs who meet AHPRA and AMC requirements, including access to supervised clinical roles and observer ships.
3. Ensure consistent oversight and governance of IMG recruitment and assessment processes across ACT Health facilities.
4. Prioritise fair consideration of Australian citizens in workforce planning, while maintaining patient safety and clinical standards.
5. Engage directly with affected Australian citizen IMGs to inform policy reform and workforce solutions.