Labor promises 50 new Urgent Care Clinics in election health blitz
Anthony Albanese has brought back a signature 2022 health policy ahead of the upcoming federal election. Here’s what you’ll get under Labor.
A re-elected Labor government will open 50 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in round two of the signature health policy Anthony Albanese took to the last federal election.
In 2022, Labor promised to build 50 clinics but delivered 87 during their time in government.
The government will on Sunday continue its pre-election primary care blitz, committing $644m for another 50 clinics.
Labor has ambitiously committed to opening all new clinics in the next financial year.
The latest announcement takes Labor’s election spending on health to just shy of $10bn, after $573m was committed to women’s health and $8.5bn was earmarked for a historic expansion of bulk-billing.
“This announcement of 50 additional Urgent Care Clinics if we are re-elected will provide the urgent care people need — and all you will need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,” Mr Albanese said.
“Four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billed Medicare Urgent Care Clinic once all Labor’s clinics are open.”
The funding for the latest measure was factored into the government’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).
NSW and Victoria were the biggest winners, with 14 clinics promised to NSW and 12 to Victoria.
Among the promised sites in NSW is Maitland where the Coalition had recently promised locals an Urgent Care Clinic if they form government.
Electoral distributions have whittled Labor’s 3.3 per cent margin to 2.6 per cent.
Another clinic has been promised to Rouse Hill in Sydney’s rapidly growing northwest, where plans for a state hospital have once again stalled.
Mr Albanese also earmarked a clinic in Marrickville, for his own electorate of Grayndler.
Queensland will get 10 new clinics, followed by six in Western Australia, three each in South Australia and Tasmania, and a clinic in each of the two territories.
Health Minister Mark Butler pressed on with Labor’s mounting Mediscare campaign against the Coalition, saying “you can’t trust the Liberals with Medicare”.
“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are an Albanese government initiative because we believe in Medicare and in free urgent care, fully bulk-billed,” Mr Butler said.
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Originally published as Labor promises 50 new Urgent Care Clinics in election health blitz
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