Overseas-born doctors fill critical GP shortages in rural NSW town of Bundanoon

It might be unusual to find a country medical centre drenched in shades of pink, from the scrubs worn by practitioners to the cowboy hats adorning the walls.

But one thing that is not rare at The Practice Bundanoon, in the NSW Southern Highlands, is the presence of overseas-born doctors filling critical staffing gaps.

Practice co-owner Aarielle Turner is the only Australian-born GP out of the five working there.

Dr Turner said recruiting migrant doctors had allowed the practice, servicing the town of 3,000 people, to keep its books open to new patients.

"Our recruitment process is open to anybody, but we get very limited, if not no applications from Australian graduates," she said.

"A lot of our applicants are from overseas or internationally trained doctors who are actually already living in Australia but have international qualifications."

International medical graduate Thilini Wijayarupa said she applied for about 600 jobs in Australia before landing her position as a GP at Bundanoon in January.

Her husband, Sheirl Fernando, was hired at the same time, but only started practising in June due to the wait for his registration to process.

As part of their transition to Australia's healthcare system, the couple completed extensive exams and training.

"We're so grateful to continue our medical career here … we're not going to forget our roots but we are here for the long term," Dr Wijayarupa said.

'There's nobody else'

The couple is being sponsored for permanent residency by Dr Turner and co-owner and registered nurse Jessie Smith.

The cost of sponsorship for each applicant could total up to $12,000 according to the practice owners, who said they had also spent weeks filling out paperwork.

Dr Turner said the process also involved navigating multiple bodies such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Medical Board of Australia to get the doctors' international qualifications recognised.

"It can take 12 months-plus from start to finish," she said.

Dr Turner said the process also involved navigating multiple bodies such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Medical Board of Australia to get the doctors' international qualifications recognised.

"It can take 12 months-plus from start to finish," she said.

Dr Turner rejected recent political sentiment that suggested skilled migrants were taking jobs from Australians, saying the practice needed doctors to meet an immediate demand for care.

"We're filling a gap that exists because there's nobody else to put in that gap."

'Regions would suffer'

A past president of the Rural Doctors' Association of Australia, Robert Lewandowski, said recruiting an international doctor was an "intense process".

"There are quite a few practices that, despite need, they just don't have the resources, time, energy and money to expend to get through the hoops and hurdles of getting an international graduate to work in the practice."

He said the process needed to be streamlined and accountable for timeliness.

"It's not uncommon that you might send in all the correct paperwork and get a response three, six or nine months later."

Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher said 59 per cent of GPs working in Australia were migrants, with the proportion even higher in regional areas.

"GPs are just one example of a profession where we very, very much rely on migrants," he said, also pointing to aged care and truck driving.

Mr Kuestenmacher said proposed migration cuts ahead of the 2028 election were often framed around easing pressure on housing, but the impact on the healthcare system was seldom debated.

"Every migration visa that you cut, while it might sound popular, it will have negative consequences," he said.

Immigration is looming as a key political issue ahead of the 2028 federal election.

In the 2024-25 financial year, 306,000 migrants were accepted into Australia, with 86,200 of those on temporary and permanent skilled-worker visas.

Last week, the federal government announced its plan to bring net overseas migration down from 306,000 to 225,000 by 2028.

The announcement came as One Nation unveiled its proposal to cut immigration by 750,000 places over three years, while the Coalition is finalising its policy, which is expected to pursue a target between 150,000 and 170,000 people.

'Beautiful to watch'

Dr Turner said she had no regrets about the time and money spent on her international recruits.

"If I look at the qualifications, the personalities of the people that we've recruited, if I'd been blinded to whether they were international or Australian-trained, I would pick the same people again," she said.

Dr Turner said the local community had responded positively to their new residents.

In June, she put out a call for help furnishing a home for a newly arrived GP from Iran.

The centre's lunch room was filled within 24 hours with donated homewares, clothes and food vouchers.

"The support was quite beautiful to watch," she said.