The State Medical Indemnity Policy of the hospital will apply to all locum physicians who are employed by the hospital (PAYG workers).
For the term of their locum, several hospitals further provide indemnity coverage to contractors, including sole proprietors and Pty Ltd businesses.
Health Care Circle is unable to insist on this coverage on your behalf; instead, the hospital or clinic will decide this. In the end, it is your duty to be aware of your degree of medical indemnity coverage prior to the start of the locum employment.
We highly advise all locum doctors working in Australia to obtain their own private medical indemnity cover at all times, regardless of the degree of coverage the client provides during your locum.
Doctors and other health professionals can practice anywhere in Australia as long as they are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), subject to any limitations or requirements specified on their registration.
AHPRA registration, which can be limited, provisional, general, or specialist, is required for all medical professionals practicing in Australia. You can get help from Health Care Circle in figuring out the appropriate registration type.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) holds highly respect for General Practitioners who were trained in New Zealand and hold their Fellowship of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP).
The approval process for a first-time AHPRA registration typically takes six to eight weeks, and it involves fulfilling a number of requirements, such as proficiency in English, clearance from criminal past, and recent experience in the field. Health Care Circle will collaborate with you at this time.
It is mandatory for all Australian doctors who practice medicine to apply for a Tax File Number (TFN). The ATO uses this number to identify you within the Australian tax system.
It is crucial to remember that:
Once you are in Australia, you can apply for a TFN.
The approval process for TFNs may take up to 28 days.
Prior to the processing and approval of your TFN application, you can be subject to a higher tax rate.
Please visit the DoctorConnect website for further details on DWS, DPA (Distribution Priority Area), and s19AB exemptions. We also have knowledgeable recruitment experts available to help you with any inquiries you may have.
A geographic area designated as a District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) occurs when the local population’s access to Medicare-subsidized medical services is lower than the national average.
The DWS areas are determined using Medicare billing figures and data from the Australian Bureau of figures (ABS).
The geographic regions for general practitioners’ DWS classifications are known as SA2 borders. SA3 borders are used for specializations other than general practice.
In accordance with section 19AB of the Health Insurance Act 1973, you must work in a District of Workforce Shortage (DWS) area for a maximum of ten years following the date of your first medical registration if you received your qualifications outside of Australia or New Zealand and are applying for initial registration in Australia.
How much locum doctors are paid depends on a variety of criteria, including the client’s options and their on-hire procedures.
If more than one choice is available, you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
Among the choices that are possible are:
- Employee of PAYG Health Care Circle
- Health Care Circle contractor, Pty Ltd
- lone proprietor with an ABN who gets paid by the client directly
- Employee of PAYG customer
Health Care Circle will be able to provide two options for payment: becoming a Pty Ltd Health Care Circle contractor or a PAYG Health Care Circle employee if the client does not supply payroll services.
Payroll taxes and superannuation are deducted at the moment of payment for PAYG Health Care Circle employees, and superannuation is paid in accordance with applicable laws. Pay slips are emailed to you, and wages are paid every two weeks.
In addition to submitting a timesheet and tax invoice, Pty Ltd Health Care Circle contractors will get payment every two weeks.
There is no assurance that, should you choose to take on an assignment with a different client, you would still have access to the same choice if you have previously worked for a client under that option.
Health Care Circle is not allowed by law to hire sole proprietors who have an ABN.
Regretfully, we frequently hear stories like this. Another labor hire company is breaking the law if they are using your services and not paying you taxes. This holds true regardless of the person’s status as an independent contractor or employee.
Agencies engaging in this conduct run the risk of facing fines, tax recovery costs, or interest charges in the case of an ATO audit or inquiry.
Health Care Circle compensates our on-hire physicians as employees even though they are registered as sole traders with an ABN for a variety of reasons.We hope that our responses to commonly asked questions concerning this subject will be of assistance. If you have any further questions, we strongly advise you to speak with your knowledgeable recruitment consultant.
Yes. If you were previously registered in Australia and have spoken English as your first language for the last five years, you are exempt.
Additionally, neither students nor non-practising registrations are covered by the policy.
Depending on the situation, there can be more exemptions. For more information, please refer to the policy.