Allocation Process 2026

General Statement

Allocation is the first stage of the standardised process whereby participating NSW Health Facilities select the most suitable candidates for their First Year Graduate (FYG) positions. It is not a guarantee of a position but rather an opportunity to compete for a FYG role within a hospital of the applicant’s choice.

The Allocation process entails allocating applicants to a hospital based on their preferences. Following this, the applicants become part of that hospital’s FYG recruitment. Successful candidates are selected from the hospital recruitment.

Eligibility for NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program

To be eligible for Allocation, Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Studying at a NSW University or NSW Residency of at least 5 years’ duration (note that this is for students studying at an interstate university. See below for details)
• On track for the completion of a tertiary qualification in Physiotherapy by the end of the 2026 academic year.
• Australian Work Rights:
• Australian Citizenship OR
• Permanent residency
• Commitment to complete 12 months employment at the Allocated hospital
• Attainment of AHPRA Registration in time to commence the FYG position

At time of application, Applicants will be asked to indicate that they:

• Have read and understood the policies on Vaccinations, Working with Children and the Code of Conduct.
• Understand the position they are applying for is a 12-month contract with the Local Health District (LHD).
• Understand that the recruitment process and position is the responsibility of the Local Health District.
• If studying at an interstate university that they have been a NSW Resident for at least 5 years (proof will also be required)
• Are applying for an Indigenous position (proof will also be required)

Applicants for Allocation must:

• Have not participated or been eligible to participate in the NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program on a previous occasion.
• Not defer your application or if successful in gaining a position, defer the commencement.
• Have not been employed as a registered physiotherapist in any form or location before 1 July 2026
• Be aware of the timelines for submission of the required documentation for the Physiotherapy registration with AHPRA.

Eligibility for NSW Residents at non-NSW Universities

NSW residents who have studied at non-NSW Universities are eligible for First Year Graduate positions within the NSW Allocation Program.

Requests for non-NSW university applicants will be reviewed as a Special Consideration requiring candidates to meet one of the following 3 criteria in addition to the normal selection criteria for allocation.

The three criteria are:

1. Statutory Declaration stating residency in NSW for the last 5 years.
2. Proof of ID: Passport or current NSW Driver’s Licence or Identity card
3. Proof of Residence: can include name on Utility Bill with NSW address, name and address from the Electoral Roll, address details from secondary school or University

Proof of NSW Residency is submitted at the Application Phase of Allocation. On submission and verification of all the relevant evidence, candidates will go into the general allocation process.

Indigenous Allocation

A number of hospital sites have targeted Indigenous First Year Graduate positions and there is a separate allocation process for these positions.

The committee reviews all Indigenous applications prior to allocation to ensure that the applicants meet the following selection criteria:

• Be of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander descent, identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; and be accepted as such by the community in which you live, or have lived. You will be required to confirm your Aboriginality (e.g. presenting a certificate or paper from a recognised Aboriginal organisation with a common seal or Aboriginal Land Council).

The Committee will accept Statutory Declarations of a candidate’s Aboriginality in addition to other official documentation such as letters from the appropriate Land Council or Aboriginal Authority. This is consistent with University and hospital processes. If a Stat Dec is offered as proof, it must declare the following:

• That the applicant is of Aboriginal descent,
• That the applicant identifies as an Aboriginal,
• That the applicant is accepted as such by the community in which they live and have previously lived.

The Proof of Aboriginality is submitted at the Application Phase of Allocation. Applicants for the Indigenous positions must also base their preferences on the targeted positions.

Following allocation to a hospital site, the Indigenous Applicants will be subject to the same recruitment process as the other applicants.

The Allocation Process

• The applicants choose their preferred hospitals for allocation by ranking them in order. Applicants must preference all hospitals.
• Once an applicant has successfully submitted their preferences, they become part of the Allocation Pool as a Candidate.
• The candidates within the pool are submitted to a preferential randomisation computer program, which allocates all applicants to a hospital, based on giving the highest number of applicants as close as possible to their highest preference.

Points of Note:

• Applications for Allocation are submitted via the Allocation website (this website).
• To be able to apply, applicants need to register a login account on the Allocation Website.
• The Website is open for applications at 9.30 a.m. on Friday 11 September 2026 and closes for applications at 5.00 p.m. on Sunday 11 October 2026. The system will not accept late applications.
• Once the application is lodged electronically, it is final. You may not change your preferences or the content of your application. However, you will be able to edit your contact details up until the close of applications on the website at 5.00 p.m. Sunday 11 October 2026.
• The Allocation of candidates to hospitals will take place on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
• The number of candidates allocated to each hospital is determined by how many First Year Graduate positions are taken by that hospital relative to the overall number of FYG positions and the total number of candidates. For example, if a hospital takes 12 FYG positions and there are 120 total FYG positions they represent 10% of the program and will take 10% of the applicants. If there are 250 applicants, this hospital will have 25 candidates allocated.
• Prior to submission, applicants must accept the Allocation Declaration. By accepting the declaration, the applicants acknowledge that they accept the conditions of participating in the New Graduate Program. The applicants acknowledge that they understand:
  1. They may not be successful in obtaining a FYG position
  2. If they are not eligible for AHPRA Registration or do not progress through hospital recruitment they will not be offered an allocation position.

Withdrawal from the NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program

It is possible for you to withdraw your application for the NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program up until Tuesday 13 October 2026. This can be done via the website. If you withdraw, you will receive a confirmation of your withdrawal via an email. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact the Chairperson via email as the process may not have been completed.

There is no obligation to give any reasons for the withdrawal but please complete your withdrawal before the deadline . This is required to ensure the accuracy of the Allocation process and to minimise disruption for other participants and hospitals.

Fees for the NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program

All students applying for the NSW Physiotherapy New Graduate Allocation Program are required to pay $30.00. The fee is non-refundable - even if you are not successful in gaining a position or withdraw from the program. This fee is necessary to cover costs and payment is required at the time you submit your application online via 'PayPal'.

The Recruitment Process

Recruitment commences once the Department Heads/Managers are issued with the names of the applicants who have been allocated to their facility/Local Health District (LHD). There are four steps:

• Selection Criteria: The Department Head/Manager will contact the candidates and provide them with the details about the submission of the selection criteria and other required documents. The candidates must submit these documents within the timeframe stipulated by the hospital.
• The Department Head/Manager processes candidates’ responses to the selection criteria and determines which candidates progress to the interview stage. If candidates do not adequately meet the selection criteria, they will not progress to the interview stage.
• Interviews: Department Managers will contact the candidates with details about the date and time of their interviews. Candidates who do not progress through the Selection Criteria stage will not receive any notification.
• The Department Head/Manager conducts the interviews to determine the preferred candidates for the First Year Graduate positions.
• Referee Checks: The Department Head/Manager performs referee checks for the preferred applicants. Candidates will need to provide the names and contact details of all clinical educators for clinical referee checks. They will need to be people who can endorse your clinical skills, work ethic and experience. A 'character' type reference is not relevant to this application.

  Applicants will need to include the referees’ names, location, email address and phone contact. The dates of interaction with them (e.g. clinical placement type and date) should also be provided. These details will be provided to the Department Head/Manager along with the Selection Criteria and CV. Hospitals may also request the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) from your clinical placements

  The Department Head/Manager will contact a minimum of 2 referees to complete reference checks. The referees will be contacted following the interview stage

  Referees are not required to provide any written reference for the purpose of the New Graduate Allocation program prior to being contacted by the Department Head/Manager.

  The preferred candidates are confirmed as successful following the reference check.

• Outcome: The Department Head/Manager contacts the applicants to advise them of the outcome of the recruitment process. Successful candidates accept the position at this point.
• Successful candidates progress to completing the necessary paperwork and LHD processes
• Unsuccessful candidates who show that they suitable for the position may be placed on an eligibility list. This eligibility list may be used if any candidates drop out of a position or if there is a like L1/2 position. The eligibility list is in place for 12 months and can be used across the local health district.
• If you are unsuccessful for a FYG position through allocation but are still keen on working in public health, there are other potential avenues for employment in the NSW Health system. This includes applying for other Level 1/2 positions, part-time or casual positions and rural and regional positions. Please refer to the NSW Health Job Board or contact the Head of Department at your preferred hospitals.

Points of Note:

• The Department Head/Manager is in charge of coordinating the process but a suitably experienced senior delegate may do parts of the recruitment.
• Applicants will be contacted from Thursday 15 October 2026 with details about the recruitment steps
• It is important that your contact details are accurate and that you are able to answer your phone or emails promptly. Applicants are required to provide the name of a contact person
• If a candidate is unsuccessful or refuses the position, there will be no further offers of employment.
• Following acceptance of a First Year Graduate position the Hospital will commence employment processing. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of all LHD processes and paperwork.
• The Department Head/ Manager will advise the Committee Chair of their successful candidates.
• If required, the New Graduate Allocation Committee will review any decisions to cull applicants to monitor due process.
• If there are any unfilled positions or withdrawals, candidates may be taken from a list of candidates from that hospital or from other district sites. If there are no suitable candidates from the hospital’s list, other candidates may be sought from the Allocation Committee
• The New Graduate Allocation Committee reserves the right in exceptional circumstances to allocate an applicant based on the needs of the applicant and/or the needs of the hospital.

Physiotherapy Registration

To practise in Australia, Physiotherapists must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). It is the responsibility of the individual to organize registration. If there are delays with the processing of a candidate’s registration the hospital may not proceed with recruitment. Therefore it is vitally important that candidates are aware of the timelines for registration and meeting submission timelines for their registration paperwork.

Further information is available at:

Phone: 1300 419 495, Website: www.ahpra.gov.au

Postal address: GPO Box 9958 SYDNEY NSW 2000

A video for students who are about to graduate is also available for viewing at the Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s website .

Registration is renewable annually. It is important to inform the Registration Board about any change in your contact details.

The First Year Graduate Position

Once you have accepted a First Year Graduate position, you are expected to take up the position, honour the year's contract and decline any other later offers.

The pay scale and award conditions for First Year Graduate Physiotherapists working in the public system are set according to the NSW Health State Award. Those who did an undergraduate degree will be on Award Level 1 year 2, those who did a post-graduate degree will be on Award Level 1 year 3.

Information regarding the award, salary range and terms of employment can be found at the following link:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/careers/conditions/pages/default.aspx

The First Year Graduate Year commences on Monday 8 February 2027 and concludes on Sunday 6 February 2028.