NT politician Luke Gosling promises Darwin a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

If re-elected, the Albanese Government is promising to deliver a second Medicare Urgent Care Clinic to Darwin as part of a $644 million commitment to open 50 centres across the nation. What Solomon MP Luke Gosling said.

At a press conference on March 2, 2025, Solomon MP Luke Gosling announced Darwin would receive a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic if the Albanese Government is re-elected at this year's federal election.

If re-elected, the Albanese Government is promising to deliver Darwin a second Medicare Urgent Care Clinic as part of a $644 million commitment to open 50 centres across the nation.

With Palmerston already home to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, it is expected the new clinic would start operations in the 2025-26 financial year.

On Sunday, Solomon MP Luke Gosling said the demand for service at Palmerston’s clinic, which opened in 2023, had influenced the decision.

“(Palmerston) has had about 20,000 presentations so far, and is one of the most successful in the country,” he told a press conference in Casuarina.

“What today’s announcement means is that (an Albanese Government) will open one in Darwin as well – a free, bulk billed, urgent care clinic right here.”

Only requiring a Medicare card, Medicare Urgent Care Clinics can serve people facing non-life-threatening conditions.

Mr Gosling confirmed the clinic would be open for extended hours, seven days a week for people facing urgent but non-life-threatening conditions.

“It’s the perfect place when you’re really worried – maybe about your kids,” he said.

“What we’ve found in urgent care clinics is that at least one-third of patients are children under 15.

“You don’t want to be waiting in an emergency department that’s crowded and stressful with your children when you can get seen much quicker in a bulk bill way, seven days a week.”

A site has not been determined for the new clinic, with the government planning to invite expressions of interest should they be re-elected.

“We’ll go through a process of working out what makes sense, where’s the best place to put it, where the most supportive current clinics are for adaptation but we’re open-minded as to where it will be,” Mr Gosling said.

Mr Gosling says there will be “double the amount” of GPs being trained in the Territory. Picture: Harry Brill.

Asked if the Territory was capable of effectively staffing a second clinic, Mr Gosling claimed the Territory would “double the amount” of general practitioners being trained in the Top End.

“I fought for and successfully announced recently that starting next year, should everything go well with the accreditation process, Charles Darwin University will start a full doctors program as well as Flinders program (and) this will mean more doctors from the Territory,” he said.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Albanese promised nine out of 10 GP visits would be free by 2030 last month.

At a cost of $8.5 billion over four years, the pre-election pledge has become the cornerstone Labor’s re-election pitch.

Originally published as NT politician Luke Gosling promises Darwin a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic