National Terms & Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER)

NTCER Agreement updated for 2023-25

The 2022 Review of the NTCER has resulted in a number of revisions to the Agreement, introduced across 4 training semesters starting on 1st February 2023 (2023.1):

  • → staggered 4% increase to minimum Base Rate;
  • → extending Educational Release support for GPT3/CGT3 registrars;
  • → amending Educational Release to provide full-time parity for part-time registrars;
  • → strengthened focus on fatigue management through increase in allocated Administration Time;
  • → revised Preamble to emphasise the minimum nature of the terms and conditions under the NTCER, above which practices and registrars are free to negotiate for mutual benefit and according to commercial viability;
  • → replacing the Restrictive Covenant with a Non-Solicitation clause.

This national instrument outlines the minimum employment conditions for registrars, therefore individual practices are free to offer higher base rates and/or percentage of billing/receipts, and/or increased frequency of billing calculations, compared to what is specified in the NTCER. Training practices cannot employ registrars below the conditions outlined in the agreement.

3 key priorities should always guide the negotiation of employment arrangements beyond the minimum terms and conditions outlined in the NTCER:

  1. The registrar must be able to access high quality supervision amidst a positive placement experience;
  2. The registrar should be encouraged to develop an understanding of the business of general practice to assist them in maximising their earnings;
  3. The training practice must be able to sustain the remuneration structure agreed for the registrar while meeting all legal obligations including the requirement under section 95A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) to make sufficient profit to remain solvent at all times. As registrar wages are largely funded through the fee for service model, sustainability relies on adequate patient numbers to cover these wages and associated on-costs.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT TEMPLATE

Having an appropriate employment contract in place before your registrar commences working in your practice is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle. This contract is distinct from the training agreement, serving as the document to which you and your registrar will refer if there is ever anything in question about their employment conditions. Getting this right is not always easy. An overly-lengthy contract is rarely read in full, and a contract that’s oversimplified is liable to under-explain the two-way protections – rights and responsibilities of employer and employee – that need to be set out in an employment agreement. GPSA has proudly supported our members since 2016 with an employment contract template developed in line with both Fair Work Australia’s National Employment Standards (NES) and the National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER). As we were undergoing a full collaborative review of the NTCER with GPRA through the second half of 2022, what we provided for recruitment to Semester 1 of 2023 was likely to be significantly altered. Accordingly, in order to provide practices with a template to customise for use through recruitment of registrars prior to the negotiation of the revised NTCER, we created this 2023.1 template: Interim-Employment-Contract-Template-2023.docx When using this interim template for 2023.1, we asked that you advise your registrar that an Addendum would need to be added to the contract to clarify any terms revised during the NTCER review. This Addendum ensures that the employment contract remains valid after implementation of the changes agreed in the NTCER review. Please download, talk through and jointly sign with your registrar, and attach to both copies of the executed contract as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email projectmanager@gpsa.org.au.

Date reviewed: 21 March 2023

Please note that while reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the time of creation, we frequently update content and links as needed. If you identify any inconsistencies or broken links, please let us know by email.
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