News the federal government wants to open a new medical school in Western Australia has been met with criticism from doctors.
The West Australian newspaper reported on Saturday that Prime Minister Tony Abbott would fly to Perth on Sunday to announce the new medical school.
But the Australian Medical Association says the public health sector needs more training places, not more schools.
"Opening a new medical school in Western Australia at this time does not make sense," AMA president Brian Owler said.
"In fact, there is no evidence for the need of a new medical school anywhere in Australia right now."
The AMA says it has opposed moves to add a medical school to Curtin University for some years at a state and federal level.
Instead, it wants to see more training places because there is a shortage of traineeships that would enable Australia's medical graduates to become doctors.
The AMA says a decision at the federal level to establish a new medical school goes against the recommendations of the medical field.
"Funding this new medical school appears to be a purely political decision," Professor Owler said in a statement.
There is no point establishing a new school if students have little hope of getting a job at the end of their studies, he said.
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