Australian poachers cast net for NZ doctors

An Australian company is trying to lure New Zealand doctors across the Tasman by drawing their attention to relaxed registration rules.

It is now easier for many New Zealand doctors to work in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne when they first move to Australia, a change predicted to worsen this country's doctor shortage.

It appears that one Australian company has already seen the recruitment potential.

An advertisement in the Weekend Herald invited New Zealand GPs to a series of recruitment workshops in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch next month.

The advertisement begins: "Are you aware that due to relaxation in obtaining instant registration between Australia and New Zealand a lifestyle option for GPs from both side of the Tasman has emerged?

"Have you considered working in Australia?".

Doctors at the workshops will hear about opportunities to work for one of nine Sydney and Melbourne practices run by General Practice Support Services, a management company for doctors' clinics which is hoping to open new practices in Australia.

Dr Tufiq Shah of GPSS said the law change was not the reason the company decided to advertise, but it had made it easier for doctors on both sides of the Tasman to switch countries.

Until this month the rules generally allowed the federal Government to direct GPs towards the Outback or other rural areas with doctor shortages for 10 years after they registered in Australia.

But changes have made it easier for New Zealand GPs to work wherever in Australia they like.

Medical Association chairman Peter Foley said the law change was an added worry for a profession that was already under pressure.

"We've always been subject to heavy recruitment from Australia, advertisements and locum agencies, and certainly the change in rules will make it even more attractive," he said.

He said fewer trainee doctors were choosing to go into general practice over more lucrative specialist and surgery work, and for those that were, Australia was appealing.

"The income earning potential is much higher in Australia than in New Zealand," he said.

"It is easy to jump on a plane back to New Zealand and visit family, [in fact] it is often cheaper than flying within New Zealand."

Dr Foley said the situation would improve as the number of Australian medical graduates increased.

"By 2012 Australia will be self-sufficient. But in the meantime there is this window of trying to attract New Zealanders over there."

GPs can earn at least $50,000 more in Australia than in New Zealand.

New Zealand has had trouble keeping GPs and specialists in rural areas and provincial centres, and hospitals in the main cities need more resident doctors and specialists.

GPSS' Dr Shah said the recruitment drive was not all one way.

He said the company was considering running an exchange programme to help Australian doctors to move here.

"Many GPs in Australia may consider New Zealand for lifestyle reasons," he said.

But the medical association's Dr Foley said the two countries were increasingly operating as a single market for doctors, making it difficult to compete.

"We are short enough of them [doctors] here anyway," he said.

"It [the law change] is just another raising of the worry levels, as one of the barriers to GPs going to Australia has been removed."