A national report has found that 25.8 percent of GP clinics in the Gippsland region offer bulk billing – slightly higher than the Victorian average of 24.8 percent but well below the serviceable amount many in the community would like to see.

The Labor government’s 2025/26 Federal Budget has pledged to expand bulk billing incentive eligibility to cover all Australians from 1 November 2025, with commitment to achieve 9 out of 10 GP visits being bulk billed by 2030.

What is the government promising?

Last week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ used his 25/26 budget speech to announce an $8.5 billion investment towards Medicare, with the aim to boost bulk billing availability and overall healthcare access across the country.

“More bulk billing will mean less pressure on families,” he said.

“These incentives mean there will be around 4800 fully bulk billing practices across the country, making it easier to see a doctor and get the care you need.

“This Budget also delivers new incentives for doctors to train as GPs, new scholarships for nurses and midwives, better access to Urgent Care Clinics and another 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.”

The Liberal Party chose to match Labor’s promise to increase funding for Medicare, and it also announced that it would provide an additional $500 million for mental health services.

One of the 12 new Urgent Care Clinics announced for funding in Victoria would be located in Warragul.

Urgent Care Clinics provide care for people with conditions that require urgent attention but not an emergency response. Their aim is to support nearby hospitals by providing GP services for urgent but not life threatening conditions.

What is bulk billing and why has it become so rare?

Bulk billing is a service provided by some GP clinics where all charges are put through Medicare. This means there is no out-of-pocket charge required from the patient attending the GP clinic.

A number of factors lead to the decline in GP clinics bulk billing. Often cited is the fact that the Medicare rebate has not kept up with inflation, meaning clinics have been forced to move away from bulk billing in order to maintain financial viability.

How rare is bulk billing in Gippsland?

The amount of patients in Gippsland who have bulk billed all of their GP appointments over the course of a full year has fallen 12 percent in the two years from 2022 to 2024.

Data from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care shows that 54 percent of Gippsland patients had all of their GP appointments bulk billed from the financial year 2023-24. This was 66 percent in 2021-2022.

Gippsland ranked third nationally in the category for Medicare-subsidised GP appointments, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare based on Medicare data from 31 Primary Health Network areas in Australia.

In Gippsland, a total of 89 percent of people saw a GP at least once in 2022-2023 compared to the national average of 86 per cent. This figure has dropped from 93 percent in 2021-2022.

According to Cleanbill data, 20.8 percent of people in Gippsland felt they had to wait longer than acceptable for an appointment with a GP, more than the national average of 18.6 percent.

What do health advocacy bodies think?

Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) president Dr Michael Wright said the extra funding would be better placed towards patients with the highest costs to bear.

“While it’s clear general practice is central in this year’s Budget, we are concerned the plan, which has also been backed by the Opposition, won’t deliver the bulk billing rates they expect because patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care,” he said.  

“There is a missed opportunity here to properly fund patient Medicare rebates to ensure affordable access to general practice care for all Australians.

“That’s why we've been saying for a long time that Medicare funding should be targeted to those who need it most, including the 61% of Australians living with chronic and complex illnesses.

What do local candidates and MPs pledge towards the local health sector?

Independent candidate for Monash Deb Leonard used her response to the Medicare funding announcement to call for more to be done for mental health services in Gippsland.

"While I welcome any investments in Medicare and GP services that can help address mental health needs,” she said. “The Prime Minister's budget simply does not go far enough in providing the dedicated, specialised mental health support that communities like ours in Monash are crying out for.”

Liberal Party candidate Mary Aldred said that “top of mind for so many people is investing in healthcare services.” She told the Gippsland Monitor that “whether I’m in Phillip Island or West Gippsland or other areas, people raise it with me everyday.”

Nationals MP for Gippsland Darren Chester has signaled a scholarship program to entice more regional healthcare workers to stay and work in Gippsland. “Regional, rural and remote health is built on the commitment, the skill, the resilience and the expertise of its workforce, and we want this sector to grow,” he said.