Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has bolstered his election pitch to voters, unveiling an historic commitment to Medicare as the centrepiece of Labor's 2025 Federal Election campaign.
The government has announced an $8.5 billion Medicare boost over four years—the biggest in 40 years, to expand bulk billing and cut G-P costs.
Labor aims to ensure nine out of 10 G-P visits will be free by the end of the decade by tripling the bulk billing incentive, adding 18 million visits annually, and saving families $859 million by 2030.
The plan includes 400 nursing scholarships and Australia's largest GP training program for 2,000 doctors.
Mr Albanese says easy access to quality healthcare is key to building a strong and resilient economy.
"Stronger medicare is at the heart of our government and it will be the beating heart of our election campaign. A strong economy depends on a healthy society because if you don't have your health, if you don't have the security of knowing that a great doctor and the best medicine is always in reach; if you have to put off seeing a doctor because you can't afford it, it's not just the individual who suffers but our whole society pays a price."
Opposition leader Peter Dutton was quick to match and counter the Albanese government's Medicare funding pledge.
He also took aim at Labor, blaming a drop in bulk billing rates on the government.
"It's important to note 272 GP practices have closed over the course of the last three years, that is a record under this government. So I'm pleased to announce today that the Coalition government is committed to nine billion dollars worth of investment into our general practice network."
This was echoed by the Opposition spokesperson for Treasury Angus Taylor, who told Sky News the plan is just Labor fixing its own mess.
"The important point here to start with is that this is necessary because of Labor's abject failure when it comes to health, what we have seen is a collapse in billing rates from 88 per cent when we were in government to 77 per cent a 45 per cent increase in out of pockets being paid by people when they go to the doctor, 40 million bulk billing sessions that have disappeared since we were in government. And so people are feeling this because of Labor's failure."
These claims come despite Medicare billing data from November 2024 showing the Albanese government's earlier 2023 effort to triple bulk billing incentives for pensioners, concession card holders and children added an extra 5.4 million bulk billed visits over a one year period.
Health Minister Mark Butler says the weakened state of Medicare comes off the back of repeated attempts by the Coalition and Peter Dutton to undermine the public health scheme.
"Who tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether with a GP tax that every Australian would've had to pay every single time they went to the doctor? The man who Australia's doctors voted the worst health minister in the history of Medicare - you know him - Peter Dutton. When Australia's doctors and Labor teamed up to block his GP tax he made doctors pay. He started a six-year freeze on Medicare funding that stripped billions of dollars out of Medicare and froze the income of all of general practice."
