Practice models need to be innovative, with more scope and greater diversity. The poor take-up of some rural relocation incentives, despite two waves of reform, reinforces the international evidence base suggesting that financial incentives are often limited in their capacity to change preferences for where doctors work. Many Australian universities have taken the lead in encouraging student doctors to gain experience in rural areas. There is scope to make this obligatory, for instance in the form of compulsory rural rotations as part of medical internships.