It comes as a Department of Human Services investigation revealed 70,000 dole recipients were claiming to be too sick to work, but not sick enough to qualify for the Disability Support Pension.

In some parts of NSW more than half of all dole recipients had a sick note from a doctor to excuse their absence from work. 

A Sydney newspaper reported the most common conditions cited when skipping work included alcohol dependence and drug addiction.

Local GP Max Graffen said a proposal to hire government doctors to assess people’s fitness for work would not compromise ethical obligations to patient welfare.

“Unfortunately if there's a doctor that’s seen as an easy mark for certificates or drug prescriptions, word rapidly spreads,” Dr Graffen said.

“The government could feasibly hire approved doctors to assess fitness for work and bypass that temptation.”

Dr Graffen likened the proposal to the defence force hiring its own team of doctors to assess recruits’ fitness for combat.

“A doctor’s sole obligation is to the patient sitting in front of them, however if you're hired in the capacity of doing a particular assessment, the doctor’s obligation is to the employer.

“In that case the doctor is not tasked with assessing their own patient’s general well-being, rather their skills are required to make a specific determination.”

Human Services Minister Christian Porter said some regions had eight times more cases of illness than others, which was evidence of systematic rorting. 

“It appears some people are taking advantage of the system at the expense of the taxpayer, and it has got to stop,” Mr Porter said.

“A genuine medical condition such as depression that creates a temporary inability to search for work is one thing, but it is not reasonable to accept that some regions have eight times more people that have such severe anxiety or depression that they are unable to work.”