Australia recruitment is campaign-driven. If you miss the window, you don’t “apply late” — you wait a year or scramble for off-cycle leftovers. Your advantage is calendar discipline.
The pattern
For many jurisdictions, the main recruitment window opens mid-year (often June–August) for roles starting in the following clinical year. Exact dates change annually — use official campaign pages as your source of truth.
1
NSW (Junior Medical Officer recruitment)
NSW runs an annual JMO campaign with published main-round campaign dates. Treat NSW as a “hard deadline” system: prepare documents and referees before the window opens.
2
Queensland (RMO and Registrar campaign)
Queensland Health publishes campaign dates (e.g., the 2025 cycle opened early June and closed late June). Build your application packet by May: CV, referees, statements, and eligibility evidence.
3
Victoria (PMCV match / PGY2 and beyond)
Victoria uses structured matching (PMCV). Key dates are published (pre-match offers close before the match opens; match applications open around early August in the documented 2025 PGY2 cycle).
4
Back-planning checklist (90 days before open)
1) Finalise CV. 2) Line up referees. 3) Collect registration/eligibility proof. 4) Draft your “why this state/service” statement. 5) Build a target list of hospitals and terms.
Referees are a bottleneck
Most applicants fail operationally: referees are slow, forms are incomplete, or documents aren’t consistent. Lock your referee commitments before the campaign opens.
SourceNSW Health: JMO campaign dates (official)
Open Link SourceNSW Health: JMO recruitment hub (official)
Open Link SourceQueensland Health: RMO/Registrar campaign dates (official)
Open Link SourceQueensland Health: RMO/Registrar campaign hub (official)
Open Link SourcePMCV: PGY2 Match key dates (official page)
Open Link SourcePMCV PDF: PGY2 Match information + key dates
Open Link