Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said the Labor government would spend $644 million to open the clinics if elected in the 2025/2026 financial year.
Once the extra 50 are opened, Albanese said it would mean most Aussies would be within a 20 minutes of a clinic.
“Whether your family needs urgent or ongoing health care, under Labor, Medicare will be there for all Australians, in every community,” the PM 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.”
There will be 14 clinics opened in NSW, 12 in Victoria, 10 in Queensland, six in Western Australia, three in South Australia, three in Tasmania, one in the Northern Territory and one in the ACT.
The federal government said it decided on locations based on an independent commissioning process.
Labor has already opened 87 Medicare urgent care clinics, Albanese said.
They provide bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life threatening issues with extended hours every day of the week, no appointment necessary.
Labor also promised free doctor visits for most Australians by 2030 as part of its multi-billion dollar Medicare vow.
Albanese said Labor will spend $8.5 billion across four years to commit to universal bulk-billing, which would make nine out of 10 GP visits free.
The PM estimated this would increase the number of 100 per cent bulk-billed practices to 4800 and save patients $859 million every year by 2030.
This proposal would mark the single biggest investment in Medicare since it was created in 1984.
Currently about 80 per cent of GPs do not accept bulk-billing for generic appointments.
