The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says training costs should not price graduates out of entering or advancing through specialist medical training. The AMA’s first-ever position statement on specialist medical training fees confirms what doctors in training have long raised concerns about: unpredictable and opaque college fees extend well beyond annual training and membership costs.
Developed by the AMA’s Council of Doctors in Training, the position statement outlines five guiding principles that build on the council’s long-standing advocacy. It was put together in response to 2025 Medical Training Survey data, which found 66% of specialist non-GP trainees experienced stress due to the financial cost of their training, with 13% citing cost as a barrier to their training progression.
The survey also found that 57% of specialist non-GP trainees disagreed when asked whether their college provided clear, accessible information on fee spending. This finding points to a broader trust deficit that could hinder trainees’ ability to assess value or plan their training pathway.
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AMA president Dr Danielle McMullen said college-provided specialist medical training was essential to Australia’s medical workforce pipeline, but transparent, predictable fees that supported diversity and wellbeing were equally essential. “The position statement we are releasing today supports constructive engagement with specialist medical colleges to find a balanced approach that recognises both trainee needs and system sustainability,” she said.
The AMA is calling for financial transparency for applications, membership, examinations, standard annual fees, and any other associated expenses. According to the filing, this includes justifying any training fee increases beyond inflation, with the Consumer Price Index currently at 4.2%, and communicating them promptly to trainees.
Dr Sanjay Hettige, chair of the AMA’s Council of Doctors in Training, said the costs were already compounded by insufficient capacity for specialist training places. “There still exists the misconception that trainee doctors come from privileged backgrounds,” he said. “On top of that, when training costs put whole specialties out of reach or make it harder to attract doctors to rural and regional communities, it is not only unfair to individual trainees – it is a workforce problem.”
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The AMA’s position statement proposes several solutions, including the establishment of a federally funded independent health workforce planning and analysis body to provide data-driven decision making. The statement also urges colleges to share IT and examination system resources to improve training efficiency and establish formal, publicly available college policies on financial distress, including deferred payments and hardship-based fee waivers.
Dr Hettige said the position statement had been in the works for almost two years, but that its timing could not have been more apt. They had written to all the major colleges and to the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges, and aimed to meet with them to collaborate on improving transparency.
Dr McMullen’s statement supports the need for a balanced approach to specialist medical training fees.
