The Royal Australian College of GPs has welcomed the Federal Election on 3 May 2025 as a turning point for improved access to essential health care following bipartisan support for significant investment to boost the specialist GP workforce and Medicare.
Political parties have embraced key recommendations in the RACGP's comprehensive plan for accessible and affordable GP care for all Australia, including committing to key initiatives to grow the GP workforce faster.
RACGP President Michael Wright welcomed the focus on improving access to essential GP care.
"It's heartening to see bipartisan political support for significant investment to improve access to specialist GP care, and to grow Australia's GP workforce faster to meet increasing patient needs," he said.
"Funding to grow our GP workforce faster is critical to keep pace with the need for care across the country. Australia's population is growing and ageing, and there's an epidemic of chronic illnesses, which requires high-quality and ongoing general practice care. I applaud the political support for our initiatives including expanding GP training numbers and incentivising more junior doctors to become GPs by matching the wages, parental and study leave entitlements of GP trainees to their hospital-based peers.
"There is no substitute for the quality care you get from a GP who knows you, and your history. It needs to be accessible and affordable for everyone in Australia, and this funding is an important step to get more GPs into communities in need.
"The scale of the investment committed for Medicare – $8.5 billion – is also welcome. Medicare has been underfunded for decades, and GPs have been bearing the cost.
"However, the new funding model proposed by Labor won't work for every practice. Extending bulk billing incentives to everyone won't mean everyone gets bulk billed, because patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care.
"The best solution is to increase bulk billing for those who need it and reduce out-of-pocket costs for people who aren't bulk billed is increasing patients' Medicare rebates.
"This is why the RACGP's plan calls for a 40% increase in patient rebates for longer consults, and a 25% increase in patient rebates for mental health. These are the most common consults in Australia for people living with mental health issues, chronic and complex illnesses, as well as women's health issues, including endometriosis, menopause and perimenopause – and accounts for more than half of Australia's population.
"We need to ensure the majority of Australians who need access to affordable longer GP consults and mental health consults don't miss out. But the proposed bulk billing model incentivises shorter appointments.
"As President of the RACGP, I look forward to working with the next government to ensure everyone in Australia can see a GP close to where they live, who they know and trust, and who they can spend the time they need with them to live a healthy and full life."
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