Labor Pledges $8.5 Billion Medicare Overhaul to Expand Bulk Billing

The plan aims to make nine out of ten GP visits free by 2030, marking the largest investment in Medicare's history.

Labor's $8.5 billion Medicare reform will extend bulk billing incentives to all Australians, not just children and concession cardholders, starting November 2025 if re-elected.
Doctors will receive increased payments for bulk-billing patients, with additional bonuses for clinics that bulk-bill all patients, particularly in rural and remote areas.
The government projects the reforms will triple the number of fully bulk-billing clinics to 4,800 by 2030 and save Australian families $859 million annually in out-of-pocket costs.
The plan includes funding for 2,000 new GP trainees annually by 2028 and 400 nursing scholarships to address workforce shortages.
Bulk-billing rates, which have been declining since 2021, are expected to rise to 90% of all GP visits by the end of the decade under the proposed measures.