Policies and promises made by Labor and Liberal about health, side-by-side

These are the promises Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have made about health for Aussie voters. From GP clinics to women’s health, see what’s on offer.

Extensive waiting lists, expensive GP visits and inaccessible mental health assistance are all common concerns of voters across Australia.

Labor and Liberal have each made lofty promises about reviving the nation’s health sector, promising affordability, accessibility and ease.

Here are the policies and promises made about health.

Labor

• $8.5bn to triple GP bulk billing

• Expand the network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics by opening an additional 50 clinics. Four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive from a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

• Expand the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) so that the maximum cost of a prescription PBS medicine will be cut from $31.60 to $25.

• Introduce the largest GP training program in Australian history and offer hundreds of scholarships for nurses and midwives to extend their skills and qualifications.

• Invest more than $790 million in women’s health, including making contraceptives cheaper and funding more treatments for menopause. This investment also includes ensuring those suffering from endometriosis and complex gynaecological conditions have access to longer specialist consultations, covered under Medicare.

• Open an additional 11 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, extending their services to include specialist support for menopause and perimenopause.

• $1bn to establish and upgrade at least 100 mental health centres

• $10m for CareFlight to purchase a plane in the Northern Territory

• $200m for more beds and new emergency dept at St John of God Midland Public Hospital in WA

• $150m new health service for Adelaide’s south

• $8m for Burnie health hub in Tasmania

• $120m for birthing service at Rouse Hill Hospital, Sydney

• $2.6m for Street Side Medics - a mobile GP service supporting people experiencing homelessness in Victoria and NSW

• Legislate to guarantee that working parents dealing with stillbirth and early infant death can continue to access their employer-paid paid parental leave (PPL).

What has Anthony Albanese said about healthcare for Australia?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said throughout the campaign that Australians will be able to see the GP for free under Labor.

He said Medicare was at the centre of the party’s campaign and guaranteed bulk-billing would go up under the government’s second term at Tuesday night’s third leaders debate.

“We have a plan,” Mr Albanese said.

“I was in Bridgewater in Tasmania, just this week, and the facility where we were, the doctor came out and said, [they] will be fully bulk-billed as a result of the reforms that we’re bringing in.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Minister Katy Gallagher, and Labor’s candidate for Lyons, Rebecca White visit the Bridgewater Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. Picture: Jason Edwards / NewsWire

What do Australians think about Labor’s health promises?

The latest Newspoll results showed Mr Albanese was streets ahead of his rival when it came to providing quality healthcare – 42 per cent to 22 per cent.

Analysis has also shown that after announcing the biggest injection into Medicare in decades last month, a dramatic $8 billion investment in Medicare, the Prime Minister’s fortunes are improving.

What promises have Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton made about health for Australia? Picture: Matt Roberts/ ABC/ Pool/NewsWire

Liberal

• $500m to increase Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20

• $8.5bn to match Labor’s GP bulk-billing announcement

• Match Labor’s commitment to reduce PBS scripts to no more than $25

• $9m to review women-specific health items on the MBS and PBS and invest in Ovarian Cancer Australia

• $573.3m to match Labor’s women’s health funding

• Additional $400m in youth mental health services

• $3m over three years to support Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision (MRV)

• $60m for a new residential aged care home in Darwin

• $10.1m for CareFlight to purchase a plane in the Northern Territory

• Support the growing funding of Medicare.

• Support Australians to receive healthcare in a timely way wherever they live.

• Invest $9 billion into general practice to restore Medicare bulk billing and ensure all Australians have affordable access to healthcare.

• Grow the GP workforce through new incentive payments, entitlements and training support.

• Restore the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20 on a permanent basis.

• $15m for Suicide Prevention Australia

• Support women’s health through developing new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics.

• Invest in cancer treatments, such as specialist cancer nurses to support those with ovarian cancer.

• Invest in medical research

• Invest in training for health professionals to address women’s health issues, including endometriosis, menopause and perimenopause.

• Support regional health worker attraction, recruitment and retention initiatives.

• Ensuring cheaper medicines and targeted healthcare for women through a specific review to ensure they are able to get the best quality care when they need it most.

• Deliver cheaper medicines by reducing the PBS general co-payment to $25.

What has Peter Dutton said about healthcare for Australia?

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has said the Coalition would invest $9 billion into Medicare.

In Tuesday night’s leaders debate, Mr Dutton hit out at the prime minister saying people can’t afford to go to the doctors because of the out of pocket expense.

“[It] now is about $43 per person. That’s a lot of money, and it’s why people are putting off going to the doctors,” Mr Dutton said.

He has previously said: “when we were in government, the Coalition increased hospital funding by 86 per cent and delivered record Medicare bulk billing rates.

What do Australians think about Liberals’ health promises?

According to Newspoll results, Mr Dutton does not have the trust of the Australian public when it comes to providing quality healthcare.

His preference was only at 22 per cent, compared to Mr Albanese who was favoured by 42 per cent of voters.

Originally published as Policies and promises made by Labor and Liberal about health, side-by-side