While many Australians tout the fact we have ‘free health care’ when you actually attempt to access the system there are significant financial charges to get care, medicine, and access to timely intervention.
The challenge of finding a doctor who will bulk bill if you are not on a pension, disability support or other government assistance is unachievable for many people both in the city and regionally.
Local MP for Richmond, Justine Elliot, has announced that a re-elected Albanese Labor government will make the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago, with $8.5 billion to deliver an additional 18 million bulk billed GP visits each year, hundreds of nursing scholarships, and thousands more doctors in the largest GP training program ever.
Ms Elliot said that the Albanese Labor government will expand the bulk billing incentive to all Australians, Labor tripled the bulk billing incentive for people who need to see their GP most often: pensioners, concession cardholders, and families with children. From 1 November 2025, Labor will expand that incentive to all Australians.
‘Labor will also introduce a new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient. From 1 November 2025, a new Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program will support practices that bulk bill all their patients – this is on top of the bulk billing incentive. Fully bulk billing practices will receive an additional 12.5 per cent loading payment on their Medicare rebates,’ she stated.
Labor are saying that they will get more doctors and nurses into Medicare, with 400 nursing scholarships and the largest GP training program in Australian history, funding the training of 2,000 new GP trainees a year by 2028.
‘Labor built Medicare, we will protect it and improve it for all Australians. We want every Australian to know they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, to receive the healthcare they need,’ said Ms Elliot.
‘For the first time, Labor will expand bulk billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient.
‘Labor’s record investment restores the $8.3 billion the Australian Medical Association says was cut from Medicare through the funding freeze initiated by Peter Dutton a decade ago.
‘Australia’s doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.
‘Peter Dutton tried to end bulk billing with a GP tax and then started a six-year freeze to Medicare rebates that froze GP incomes and stripped billions out of Medicare.
‘There is no question that when it comes to Medicare, you’ll be worse off under Peter Dutton’s Liberals and Nationals,’ she said
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