The Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) commends the Federal Budget’s key investments into relieving student debt, establishing women’s health services and increasing mental health and suicide prevention services. However, AMSA continues to urge for greater investment in creating a diverse healthcare workforce, making the medical degree affordable and supporting medical students from low-SES and rural backgrounds.

Leading up to the budget release, the Department of Health made several public commitments to create Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, expand mental health and suicide prevention services, and introduce Commonwealth Prac Payments for nursing & midwifery students. While these investments are welcomed by AMSA, greater support for the healthcare sector, especially medical students, in light of the cost of living crisis remain unaddressed. 

The Australian Medical Students’ Association has been raising awareness surrounding the grave impacts that the cost-of-living crisis has had on the medical workforce and medical students since 2023. 

AMSA recognises the unique challenges of the medical degree. The full-time nature of clinical placement means that medical students struggle to find time for other means to support themselves. Moreover, the rotating placements that are integral to the medical course make transportation and accommodation more costly for medical students.

AMSA is also concerned that with the current structure of the medical course, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and rural areas are struggling to access the medical degree. 

“Wondering how I’ll afford basic living costs has been the most stressful part of my degree, no contest. I don’t have any family support. I don’t have a home I can stay in for low or no cost, or parents giving me money. At points, I’ve considered quitting altogether because I wasn’t sure how I’d afford to continue,” said medical student Kate from Griffith University.

“I can't just rely on my parents to help out because they come from a low socioeconomic background,” said rural medical student Raener from Adelaide. “I have had to relocate over three hours to study at university and then be forced to undertake unpaid placements; it is simply not economically sustainable or healthy to work myself to the bone during the holidays to afford expenses during the semester.”

“No student should have to make a choice between their learning and supporting themselves, least of all the future of our medical workforce. Unpaid placements price out our most disadvantaged students from accessing the medical degree,” said Allen Xiao, the 2024 AMSA President.

“Research shows it is precisely these students that return to their communities, and become the doctors that Australia needs the most,” said Mr Xiao.

A petition launched by the Australian Medical Students Association on paid placements has gathered over 9,000 signatures in two weeks. This outlines the overwhelming support from the medical community to help disadvantaged students in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

The impacts of the cost of living crisis on medical students were made evident in AMSA’s publicly available Pre-Budget Submission. AMSA is disappointed to see this matter remain unresolved in the 2024-2025 Federal Budget and urges the government to consider the impacts on Australia’s future healthcare workforce. 

AMSA is the peak representative body for Australia’s 18,000 medical students. AMSA advocates for equitable health outcomes for all Australians and medical students including basic access to safe, stable and healthy living conditions as fundamental human rights.