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Chapter 3: General practice viability

General practice ownership

There are approximately 7135 accredited general practices in Australia.11

Around one in four GPs indicate they are a practice owner (25%).

Males are more likely to be practice owners than females (34% compared to 17%), and GPs aged over 45 are more likely to be practice owners than younger GPs.

Practice owners are more likely to work more than 40 hours per week (60%) than non-practice owners (29%). They are also more likely to express dissatisfaction with their work hours, the amount of administration associated with their work, and their work–life balance. 

Among non-practice owners, interest in owning a general practice in the future remained relatively steady at 10% between 2023 and 2024. Concerningly this figure has more than halved since 2018, when interest in owning a general practice was 25% (Figure 36). GPs in training expressed the greatest interest in future practice ownership, with 29% of this group indicating they were interested in owning a practice in the future. 

Figure 36. Rates of interest in practice ownership since 2018

Rates of interest in practice ownership since 2018

Measure: Proportion of GP responses to the question, ‘Are you interested in owning a general practice in the future?’ by year. 
Sample: Non-practice owner GPs 2018 n=1205, 2019 n=931, 2020 n=1342, 2022 n=2438, 2023 n=1582, 2024 n=2215.
Source: The Navigators, RACGP Health of the Nation survey April/May 2024.
Note: This question was not asked in 2021.