The 10-year moratorium, also known as Section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (Cwlth), restricts access to Medicare benefits and requires these doctors to work in a distribution priority area (for general practitioners [GPs]) or a district of workforce shortage (for specialists) for at least 10 years in order to access Medicare rebates.

The 10-year moratorium applies to doctors who either obtained their primary medical qualification overseas (International Medical Graduates [IMG]) or obtained their primary medical in Australia or New Zealand and were not a permanent resident or Australian or New Zealand citizen at the time they enrolled in their degree (foreign graduates of an accredited medical school [FGAMS]).

Note: The 10 year moratorium does not apply to doctors who obtained their primary medical qualification in New Zealand and were a New Zealand or Australian permanent resident at the time of enrolment.

Section 19AB applies for a minimum of 10 years from the date a doctor first gains medical registration in Australia, which includes provisional or limited registration, as listed on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Register of Practitioners. The moratorium ends at the 10-year mark, provided the doctor is a permanent resident or citizen of Australia. For temporary residents, the moratorium continues until they become permanent residents or Australian citizens.

The moratorium may be able to be reduced through moratorium scaling.

If you are subject to the 10-year moratorium and you have exceptional circumstances which would prevent you from training on the rural pathway, you can submit a request for a rural pathway exemption.   

Applications for rural pathway exemptions must be made by the close of AGPT applications for the intake in which you are applying. Applications received after this date will not be considered for that intake. 

Please see the rural exemption webpage for more information.