Australia’s 2026 GP Policy Outlook
The Australian government is expected to introduce significant reforms for general practitioners in 2026. There will be increased funding for rural training, with more places added to the Rural Genera...
Medicare
2025: A Pivotal Year for Australian General Practice
In 2025, general practice in Australia played a central role in health debates and reforms. The RACGP president highlighted how GPs provided over 172 million services, with most Australians trusting a...
Australia Hospital Funding Dispute Continues
The Australian government is trying to negotiate a new funding deal for public hospitals before the end of the year. States and territories control hospital operations but rely on federal funding, whi...
Australia’s Healthcare Shifts: Funding, AI and Regulation
The Australian government has made several moves affecting healthcare. On November 1, mental health billing codes, including reviews and consultations, were removed from Medicare's billable items. Thi...
Gender Pay Gap in Australian GPs Widens in Regional Areas
A new analysis from Ochre Health shows female GPs in Australia earn about 6.5% less per hour than male GPs. The study looked at data from 511 GPs across five states during 2024. It found male GPs bill...
Australian GP Bulk Billing Holds Steady Despite Rising Patient Costs
The government’s latest Medicare data shows GP bulk billing rates in Australia have remained relatively stable over the past year. The September 2025 quarter saw a bulk billing rate of 77.6%, slightly...
Tasmania Launches Bulk Billing GP Clinics to Boost Access
Tasmania’s government has issued an expression of interest to establish five new bulk billing GP clinics. Both major parties had committed to this before the July election, with Labour proposing fundi...
GPs oppose midwife contraception rebate expansion
The RACGP opposes expanding Medicare rebates for midwives to insert and remove long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). The government’s draft report suggests that endorsed midwives, with extens...
Australian GPs Face Financial and Regulatory Pressures
The Australian government is shifting towards a form of managed care that risks devaluing general practitioners (GPs). New tax rules, like payroll tax, are encouraging the Tenant Doctor model, which a...
AMA Pushes for Better Funding in Aged Care
The AMA has called for reforms in aged care funding in Australia. They want higher Medicare rebates for GPs to cover the extra time needed for complex older patients. The government introduced new age...
Major Healthcare Booking Platforms Hit the Market
HealthEngine and HotDoc, two major healthcare booking platforms in Australia, are both up for sale. HealthEngine is seeking private equity or strategic buyers like Zocdoc, with a valuation over $200 m...
Australia Moves Toward Seamless Health Data Sharing
The Australian government will require pathology reports to be uploaded to My Health Record by October 2025 and diagnostic imaging reports by February 2026. Medicare benefits will only be paid if prov...
Australia’s Bulk Billing Push Risks Practice Sustainability
The Australian government is pushing for universal bulk billing for GPs starting November 1. The government claims this will make healthcare free for patients. However, many GPs are sceptical about ho...
Australia’s Mental Health Funding System Faces Growing Strain
Rising demand for mental health services in Australia is exposing the fragility of the current funding system. Despite over $18.5 billion invested annually from sources like Medicare, private insuranc...
Australia's Medicare Telehealth Changes May Limit Rural Nurse Practitioner Access
On 1 November, new (Medicare) reforms in Australia changed telehealth rules. Nurse practitioners now need an established relationship with patients to access telehealth funding, similar to GPs. This m...
Australia's New Bulk Billing Incentive Could Boost Primary Care Access
The Australian government is rolling out the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) on 1 November. Many clinics are still deciding whether to join, as they are crunching their numbers. About...
Australian GPs face $27m in repayments over record keeping and billing issues
The Professional Services Review (PSR) ordered doctors to repay over $27 million in 2024–25 due to issues like poor record keeping and insufficient clinical input. Most repayments came from negotiated...
Data Discrepancies Could Skew Australia’s GP Resource Planning
New research from the University of South Australia shows that counting methods for GP visits can be inconsistent. The study compares population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Medic...
Australia PSR recovers $27.2m as billing and telehealth scrutiny rises
The Professional Services Review (PSR) in Australia recovered $27.2 million from practitioners for billing issues in 2024-25. It investigated 116 cases, mostly related to inappropriate billing, telehe...
Major Medicare Funding and Service Changes Launch in Australia on November 1
On 1 November, the Australian government is introducing major changes to Medicare funding and health services. The biggest update is a large funding boost for Medicare, the largest in its history. Alo...