Category: Systemic advocacy

We reiterate our unflinching support for everyone in our community

Posted on September 4, 2025

It can be hard to find the right words to acknowledge the events of last weekend. The images of some people in our community expressing hatred and violence towards others based on race or immigration status, have been deeply distressing.

We know that racism has a big impact on people’s health and wellbeing — not only through the direct mental health harm of experiencing or witnessing it, but also due to systemic racism within our healthcare system and structures that make it more difficult to access care.

At Health Consumers’ Council WA, we reiterate our unflinching support for everyone in our community — including refugees, migrants, and the traditional and ongoing custodians of this land: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We stand alongside you as allies in the fight against prejudice and discrimination.

One way we contribute to breaking down barriers in health and healthcare is by championing the voices of people from a wide range of backgrounds — ensuring their perspectives are included in how health services are designed, delivered, and evaluated. Another way is offering the opportunity to people to learn to craft your own meaningful Acknowledgment of Country. We regularly host workshops as part of our contribution to reconciliation, supporting people to grow their confidence to play their part through this important ritual.

Alongside these broader reflections, the health system itself remains under intense pressure. Recently, staff from the Department of Health presented their plans for expanding access to the Hospital in the Home program. This ambitious plan will create capacity equivalent to a medium-sized hospital by July next year. Consumer feedback was positive, while noting the importance of ensuring that the role and needs of carers were considered. But everyone could see the benefits of receiving hospital-level care at home, supported 24/7 by clinical teams. If you or a loved one need hospital care, don’t forget to ask your treating team whether Hospital in the Home might be an option.

As you know, at HCC we regularly speak up about the community’s calls for greater investment in preventative health. This past fortnight, I had the opportunity to join the Australian Dental Board Conference for a panel on Profit-driven vs patient-centred dental care. I highlighted the urgent need for better access to affordable dental care, reminding participants that preventable dental conditions are the leading cause of hospitalisations for children requiring a general anaesthetic, and account for nearly a quarter of all potentially preventable hospitalisations in Australia. Serious investment in preventative health must include dental care. I also called for better regulation to protect the health and financial interests of health consumers when accessing dental care. We continue to advocate on this issue – and will provide further updates in coming weeks and months.

 

Finally, we recently hosted a forum last week bringing together consumer leaders and health system staff to explore how we can strengthen and expand consumer leadership in WA. It was a warm, constructive conversation that left me hopeful we will continue to build on the excellent work already underway.

Thank you, as always, for the many ways you each contribute to advocating for and shaping a stronger, fairer, more people-centred healthcare system.

Until next time,
Clare Mullen
Executive Director, Health Consumers’ Council WA

The Productivity Commission has released an Interim Report into delivering health care more efficiently

Posted on August 18, 2025

Productivity Commission report on delivering quality care

The Productivity Commission has released an Interim Report into delivering health care more efficiently. While the words “efficient” and “productivity” often spark fear as they may suggest that important things might be delivered more cheaply, this report is taking a different perspective. This time the Commission is examining how some key parts of the health system might be considered differently. We welcome all opportunities to contribute to such as we believe that applying a new lens to the way things are done can lead to better outcomes for consumers.

The areas being examined are:

  • Reform of safety and quality regulations – without sacrificing the important outcomes of safety and quality, making the safety and quality registration and regulation process less repetitious and more efficient.
  • Embedding co commissioning across the health system – finding ways that the different parts of the health system can collaborate and work together to improve integration and remove repetition.
  • Government investment in preventative health – examining how wide a lens to apply to preventative health, and acknowledging that the cost “savings” from preventative health are not seen in the short term, but over the course of decades.

HCCWA contributed to this interim report and are pleased to see that the interim report now continues to progress towards recommendations that would see some interesting changes in the health sector. We’ll be providing further feedback on this interim report and we welcome input from anyone in our networks who would like to share their views.

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead

Media enquiries: 0488 701 839 | info@hconc.org.au

Housing as a health issue: Homelessness Week

Posted on August 4, 2025

As we head into Homelessness Week, we are all acutely aware of the housing crisis in Western Australia.

Recent research from Curtin University shows the depths of this crisis, with increasing numbers of people finding it hard to afford a home and over 40% of people who live in unaffordable housing experiencing poor physical or mental health. The report also tells us that homelessness in WA has risen 8% since 2016 and that the waiting list for social housing has grown to over 20 000. There are 6300 people who are considered to be of the highest priority of needs waiting for a home.

Sometimes we assume that all people experiencing homelessness are street present or “rough sleepers”. In fact, this is often not the case with many people (particularly women) who experience homelessness choosing to stay with family or friends, sleeping in their cars or staying in short term accommodation, which means they are often not visible and also underrepresented in data.

There is no debate that homelessness causes poor health with people who experience homeless experiencing much higher rates of mental health issues, stress and suicide. In addition to this, people who do not have a home tend not to access preventative health care, so their health needs are not addressed early and rapidly become more serious health concerns.

What often happens is that people who experience homelessness seek care at emergency departments of tertiary hospitals and their stay is often longer at these hospitals because there is no safe place for them to go upon discharge. The cost to the health system in treating and accommodating people who experience homelessness is considerable. In a recent study in Western Australia it was identified that over $400 000 was saved in the health system in 12 months by just three patients being placed in appropriate, safe, permanent accommodation. Hospital attendance and hospital admissions reduce significantly once housing needs are met, particularly if those housing needs include wrap around services such as integrated primary health care providers.

Of course we believe that safe, secure and permanent housing should be provided to everyone simply because it’s the right thing to do, for their physical and emotional wellbeing. However, we are aware that often times there needs to be an economic argument as well as a compassionate one, and well-designed social housing using Housing First principles seems to us to tick both boxes.

Photo by Gary Steadman of a reported bag

Photo by Gary Steadman of a reported bag from his LinkedIn post: “Thank you for bringing my living room to my attention.”

Housing First projects argue that housing should be provided first, rather than requiring people to meet a set of criteria before being provided with accommodation. This is a key change in the way homelessness is understood and managed, as it recognises that once someone has a home and appropriate support services nearby, it is much easier to transition into a situation where people may be able to seek work or otherwise make changes that allow less social isolation. Housing First principles make provision of housing a priority, while allowing the clients to access support services without conditions attached. The principles also eliminate the complexity of deciding who is more “worthy” of public housing, and rather just understands that housing is a human right and a health issue.

We are pleased to see some Housing First project progressing in the inner city of Perth and in Mandurah and some funding in the budget for further projects. While these projects are being built, however, we still see many street present people in our neighbourhoods, and this cold, wet weather makes us all acutely aware of how challenging and distressing this must be. We welcome initiatives like the Orange Sky mobile laundry and the Brollie Brigade who provide free mobile hot showers, haircuts and hygiene services, along with Street doctor services. These organisations work tirelessly on the front line of service provision for street present people.

We are still heartbroken though to hear stories of local government rangers removing or threatening to remove the possessions of street present people, as was highlighted recently on LinkedIn or the callous approach some local governments take to move on people who are sleeping in their vehicles or on the streets.

We consider homelessness to be a health issue, as well as a social one, and we welcome the appointment of a Minister for Preventative Health. We hope this preventative health lens takes a wide look at the social determinants of health, including housing, to ensure that housing programs continue to be a high priority for this government.

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead

Media enquiries: 0488 701 839 | info@hconc.org.au

What will the new bulk billing incentives mean for consumers?

Posted on July 29, 2025

What will the new bulk billing incentives mean for consumers?

Cleanbill have released a report that forecasts what they believe will be the impact of the incoming Medicare bulk billing incentives.

From 1 November there will be increased Medicare rebates available to GPs who bulk bill all of their patients. This initiative was designed to increase the rates of bulk billing and make affordable primary care more accessible for all patients. The government announced that they forecast that about 80% of practices would end up being fully bulk billing practices as a result of these changes. This report questions this modelling and suggests that the increases in the number of bulk billing practices may be more modest than consumers and the government were hoping for.

According to the data that Cleanbill uses, right now in WA only 42 practices, or just under 7% of practices are entirely bulk billing practices, which means they bulk bill every patient, not just those who are eligible for concessions.

Cleanbill’s modelling suggests WA can expect a doubling of fully bulk billing practices, which may sound terrific, but given that we are coming off a pretty low base it’s not as much of a game-changer as we might have hoped. This would see 85 fully bulk billing practices in WA bringing the rate of practices bulk billing to close to 14%.

Currently across the country, Cleanbill estimates that just over 21% of practices are fully bulk billing. With the incentives being introduced in November, their modelling suggests that there will be 740 additional bulk billing clinics across the country, bringing the percentage of clinics who bulk bill to over 33%. The largest increases are forecast to be in Victoria and New South Wales.

The report goes on to model bulk billing rates if the bulk billing incentives were 10%, 20% and 30% higher than those that are being implemented in November. Unsurprisingly, this comparison shows that if the incentives were increased, we could expect considerably more practices to become fully bulk billing. The modelling shows that if incentives were 30% higher than those being proposed, then nearly 82% of WA practices would fully bulk bill which reflects the forecast national figures.

Primary healthcare is the foundation of good health for individuals and a well-functioning health system for everyone. Here at HCCWA we want to see quality primary health care that is accessible and affordable for everyone, and we hope that increased bulk billing incentives see more people being able to see their GP without cost being a barrier.

Consumers’ Health Forum are a federal health advocacy body who undertake extensive systemic advocacy on Medicare issues and like us, they will continue to closely monitor the impact of the new incentives.

When considering this data it is worth knowing that Cleanbill are not a research institute or a Think Tank, they are not connected to a not for profit group and nor are they a government initiative. Rather, Cleanbill is a practice listings business where practices can pay to have their information available. Cleanbill list all practices and their fees, including those who have not paid for a listing, but the accuracy of their information is unclear, as many practices are unaware of the listing and therefore do not have the chance to update or correct their information.

For this reason, we consider this information to be interesting and potentially useful, but it is important that it is viewed through the appropriate lens.

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead

Media enquiries: 0488 701 839 | info@hconc.org.au

Your voice at the table: HCCWA’s recent ministerial meetings

Posted on July 23, 2025

Clare Mullen speaks about the Healthcare Consumers' Council

Building strong partnerships with WA’s new Ministerial team

Over the past few weeks, we have been busy meeting with the new ministerial team and their advisers. These meetings have been a great opportunity to share the experiences and priorities of health consumers across Western Australia. We’re pleased to report that the response from ministers and their teams has been very positive and encouraging.

Why these conversations matter
In all our discussions, Ministers and their advisers were genuinely interested in hearing about the diverse experiences of health consumers — the people who use health services every day. It’s clear that while many lobby groups approach government, our unique focus on the lived experiences of health consumers stands out as vital and valued.

Key highlights from our meetings

  • Making healthcare fair
    In our discussions with all the ministers and their teams, we discussed how consumers deserve healthcare that is fair for all. This includes

    • access to independent advocacy support to reduce harm and level the playing field if things go wrong
    • particular efforts to ensure that the concerns and interests of Aboriginal people, people from multicultural backgrounds, and people with intellectual disability are heard and not dismissed in healthcare settings
    • addressing the financial barriers to healthcare like expensive hospital parking fees.

 

  • Preventative health and system sustainability
    In our discussions with Minister Hammat – Minister for Health and Mental Health – and with Minister Winton’s team (Minister for Preventative Health) we talked about how health consumers and community members would like to see the commitment to increased investment in preventative health delivered on, noting it is a priority highlighted in the Sustainable Health Review. We also shared how critical it is for consumers to be involved at every level of decision-making, particularly as our health system evolves and faces workforce challenges. We recognised the strong work happening in some parts of WA health services to ensure consumer perspectives are understood from Board to bedside – and that there are more opportunities to build on these strong foundations.
  • Addressing the social determinants of health and weight stigma
    Our meeting with Minister Winton’s team reaffirmed their strong understanding of the social determinants of health and their commitment to preventive strategies.  We also commended Minister Carey for his action on increasing access to social housing. We shared updates from the WELL Collaborative (Weight Education, Lifestyle Leadership) — a partnership focused on improving health outcomes and experiences for people impacted by overweight and obesity that HCC has been involved in since 2018.
  • Consumer leadership in major projects
    With Minister Carey – Minister for Health Infrastructure, a new portfolio – we discussed the success of having consumer leadership embedded in the Women and Babies Hospital project. This approach ensures that consumer perspectives are integrated early and meaningfully in major developments. We encouraged that this approach be considered for all major infrastructure activities. We heard that work is underway to streamline and standardise consultation processes on these activities and we will continue to advocate for consumer representatives at every stage – including before ideas are generated, as well as being consulted on outcomes.
  • Health Research and Consumer Involvement
    With Minister Dawson’s office, we advocated for continued consumer involvement in medical research planning, decision-making, and the communication of research outcomes. We discussed how bringing researchers, practitioners, and consumers together can accelerate the translation of research into the real-world applications that consumers are keen see.
  • Aged Care and Community Models
    In our conversation with Minister McGurk – Minister for Aged Care and Women – we emphasised the need for strong support for older people — whether staying well at home or transitioning to aged care. We also discussed the value of community connector models, which help people navigate complex systems. The Minister had a good knowledge of these as she’d been involved in helping to establish a similar model aimed at supporting children in out of home care access essential healthcare.

Looking ahead
These meetings were a great opportunity for us to ensure that the new ministerial team and their advisers understand the importance of health consumer perspectives and how they can help to cut through the vested interests that exist in healthcare. It’s clear that WA’s new ministerial team values the voices of health consumers and is keen to hear about the real-world experiences of those accessing – or trying to access – care.

We look forward to building on these strong foundations to ensure that consumer perspectives remain central in shaping health policies and services.

Clare Mullen, Executive Director

High Specialist Fees: The Grattan Institute Report has identified some interesting solutions.

Posted on June 30, 2025

HCCWA welcomes the recent report “Special Treatment: Improving Australians’ access to specialist care” from the Grattan Institute into the cost of specialist appointments.

“The cost of specialist care is a problem for many people, across all areas of health.” according to Clare Mullen, the Health Consumers’ Council WA’s Executive Director in regards to the Grattan Institute‘s report about expensive specialist doctor fees.

“It’s really tough for people to have to make the choice between going on to a public wait list and with no information about how long they might be on that wait list, or trying to find the money to pay for care privately if they do have private health,” she stated in her interview with Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC News Perth Mornings.

Our Health Advocate Team, who are on the front line of our specialised one-on-one advocacy service, know this all too well; we hear regularly about the prohibitive cost of specialists from people across WA. As Clare Mullen points out in this interview; the emotional and vulnerable nature of healthcare decisions make it crucial for consumers to have trustworthy information. “It’s important that consumers are given access to the information that they can trust to make informed decisions and let’s make healthcare a bit fairer for everyone.”

Health Consumers’ Council WA offer the ONLY free individual health advocacy service in Australia.

Listen to the interview starting at 51:45 here.

Our hybrid health system means that consumers can find themselves caught between choosing to attend an appointment with a private practitioner or waiting for an outpatient appointment in the public system. The lack of transparency around waiting times for public appointments does see people choose to see a private practitioner, but as this report highlights, the cost of these appointments can be well outside the reach of many consumers with one extreme example of an appointment that left a consumer with an out of pocket cost of over $600.

Ideally the health system would have sufficient staff and funding to mean that the toss up between high costs and long waits would not occur .  We are encouraged by the recommendations of the report to identify and train specialists in the fields that are most in need, and also to invest in public clinics in areas where they are most needed.

It is also interesting to note that the report has identified that the current system makes it challenging for GPs to receive advice from specialists about managing specific patients, which therefore leads to a larger than required number of referrals being made to those specialists. The report recommends a secondary consultation system which would reduce referrals to specialists and reduce patient expense and stress at navigating the complexities of the health system. It also has the undeniable benefit of reducing pressure on the specialist system, freeing up time for more patients to be seen. It is these kinds of radically different approaches to the provision of health services that we need to ensure our health system can evolve to manage a growing and aging . Before the state election in March this year the WA Labor government promised a pilot program called “GP Ask” to trial a secondary consultation model, and we look forward to the results of this pilot.

The report refers to the Commonwealth Government’s Medical Costs Finder website which provides some helpful information about how much people can expect to pay for certain procedures. Sadly, very few doctors have voluntarily provided their fees for this website, but the Government has committed to using Medicare data to upgrade the website to give a more accurate picture of the costs a patient can anticipate if undertaking their care in the private system.

The Grattan Institute goes further though and suggests that the government legislate to claw back some extreme fees charged by practitioners. We would be interested to see how this might look and we continue to monitor this situation with great interest.

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
For media enquiries: 0488 701 839

2025-26 Budget “The No Surprises Budget”

Posted on June 20, 2025

The State Budget was handed down on 19 June and HCCWA was pleased to be invited to the industry budget briefing and lock in.

Reading the budget documents, it was great to see all health-related election commitments being funded, as these included some important infrastructure promises and some interesting and innovative programs. We are looking forward to the implementation of the GP ASK program, which should reduce unnecessary referrals to specialists, which in turn reduces waiting times for patients. We are also interested to see the WA Virtual Emergency Department expanded and serving more community members. Great preventative programs such as funding for Ngala and the Australian Breastfeeding Association are also welcomed.

Other health items included:

  • Improvements to nurse to patient ratios
  • Expanding the pharmacist scope of practice to allow greater choice for consumers for access to care for some uncomplicated health conditions
  • Additional beds in the Time to Think program, accommodating hospital patients who are waiting for an aged care placement
  • Funding to develop the Perth Biomedical manufacturing hub to help grow the local medical research industry
  • Funding for the first Dementia Action Plan
  • Funding for a Medical Respite Centre for continuing care people experiencing homelessness who need access to the hospital system.

Spending on healthcare for people in regional areas is vital and we welcome the increases to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme, as well as infrastructure investment in health services in Bunbury, Albany, Geraldton, Kalbarri and Kalgoorlie. Expansion of renal dialysis in Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing is also a great step in providing crucial health care close to where people live.

While spending on infrastructure is crucial, there is a wider picture in the health system that needs to be examined. We were hoping to see investment in radically different models of care, as recommended by the Sustainable Health Review. Community Connector and Social Prescribing models are proving to be hugely important at providing services to community members where they live and in keeping people well, connected, and out of hospital. While Silver Chain programs are funded in this budget, there is nothing for new and innovative community connector programs that will be essential in the future of our health system.

While we welcome many cost of living initiatives, such as free public transport to school, we were disappointed that there was nothing in the budget to help WA health consumers and their carers with the high cost of parking at hospitals. Our hospitals are free, but accessing them is not free, we’ve heard from people who have had to take out pay day loans to cover the cost of hospital parking. Subsidising hospital parking would be an excellent initiative to assist people with the escalating cost of living and provide relief for people who are experiencing the acute stress of a sick, hospitalised family member.

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
For media enquiries: 0488 701 839

Evelyn Le’s literature review to identify the barriers that are faced by LGBTQIA+SB people in accessing healthcare in Western Australia: intern from the McCusker Centre for Citzenship at UWA

Posted on June 12, 2025

At HCCWA we regularly host interns from the McCusker Centre for Citzenship at UWA because we believe in helping to educate future leaders, as well as having the opportunity to get input on projects we’re keen to make happen and wouldn’t otherwise be able to Students who choose the McCusker Internship as an elective in for one semester are placed with an organisation where they undertake 100 hours of supervised project work.

Evelyn Le joined us in semester one. She is undertaking a major in Biomedical Science (Pharmacology) with a minor in French, so her time spent at HCCWA was a new opportunity for her to think about a different type of work and a different way of undertaking research.

Evelyn undertook a literature review to identify the barriers that are faced by LGBTQIA+SB people in accessing healthcare in Western Australia, and further to identify what resources exist to assist members of the LGBTQIA+SB community to navigate the health system and be aware of their health rights. We developed this project brief after our Executive Director was invited to attend the Youth Pride Network Queeries event last year and heard from participants how challenging many people in the LGBTQIA+SB community found it to find welcoming safe healthcare.

Evelyn presented her findings to all staff at the end of her internship, and included:

  • That the LGBTQIA+SB community have higher rates of some mental illnesses than other people
  • That often young members of the LGBTQIA+SB community find themselves having to educate their medical practitioners
  • That gender diverse people find healthcare particularly challenging when being faced with health procedures that they associate with a different gender – such as cervical screening tests.
  • That young gender diverse people feel unsupported by healthcare workers if they do not address them using their preferred name, pronouns and gender.
  • That there is a strong intersectionality issue around young LGTBQIA+SB people who are living in rural areas being able to access safe and supportive healthcare.

These findings helped Evelyn to identify gaps in resources for LGBTQIA+SB people in accessing care. She found that while there are ample resources around for LGBTQIA+SB that relate to their specific health needs, there are not very many resources around their health rights and where to seek support for those rights. We’re looking to use Evelyn’s great research and advice to ensure that all community members are well informed of their health rights.

Our next steps are to reach out to LGBTQIA+SB peak bodies and explore how HCC can support their efforts to advocate for more inclusive accessible healthcare for the community.

Meet your HCCWA Team: Bronwyn Ife

Posted on May 15, 2025

Our team works hard for the people of WA, we’re passionate about making a difference in the lives of West Aussies and working hard to make patients, carers, loved ones – all health consumers – are at the centre of our healthcare system to make healthcare fair.

We’d like you to meet Bronwyn, our Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead

How long have you worked at HCCWA?

Since January 2025

What inspired you to work at HCCWA?

A meaningful workplace, where no two days are the same and a job that encourages me to use my qualifications and my passions for human rights, health equity, politics and and policy.

Describe what you do at HCCWA

I’m the systemic advocacy and engagement lead. So anything about wider health system issues beyond an individual complaint can cross my desk. I also monitor the political landscape to identify any emerging issues across the health sector that may impact consumers. I have a few big systemic projects on the go, and also undertake “one off” projects when we see patterns emerging from our individual advocacy cases. I also coordinate responses from HCC when giving feedback on government policies and strategies, always seeking to amplify consumer voices in all that we do.

What do you think about HCCWA and the work we do?

HCCWA, as the peak consumer body for the health sector, has a long and proud history of amplifying consumer voices, advocating for individual consumers, running engagement activities and being a critical friend in the health system. The work we do matters. I wouldn’t work here if it didn’t. From one of advocates giving helpful advice that changes the outcome for someone who needs support through the system, to our engagement team working closely with consumer representatives to ensure they are supported in representing consumers in the health system, we are making improvements in people’s lives every day.

How do you see your work helping to improve outcomes and experiences for everyone in WA?

My work may not have the same direct impact on one individual as the work of our individual advocates does, but I believe that my work contributes to making the whole health system better, by calling out injustice, by identifying broad, system-wide inequities and raising these with decision-makers. I bring my passion and energy

Ever met anyone famous?

Yep.

Federal Election 2025: Why Australia’s Health Future Depends on Your Vote

Posted on April 28, 2025

The Federal Election 2025 is fast approaching, and for Australians, we have been keeping an eye on the announcements from the major parties to see what they are saying about health – this is an important opportunity for healthcare system consumers like you and me to use our vote to shape the future of our healthcare system to make a stronger, fairer, and more accessible system for everyone.

Healthcare issues in the 2025 federal election are front and center. From bulk billing cuts to aged care reforms, Australians are asking critical questions:

  • How will Medicare evolve after the election?

  • Will rural and regional Australians finally gain better healthcare access?

  • What commitments will political parties make toward mental health funding and health equity?

Health election promises need to be about more than spending money on hospitals, although that is always welcome and necessary. It is important to look at investments in health in a way that makes a difference to people’s lives, even if they are not currently a patient in a hospital, because we all use the health system.  

At Health Consumers’ Council we want to see increased investment in primary care, increased investment in preventative health measures, a continued focus on improving the efficiency and capacity of  the hospital system and improved access to health care in the community. Women’s health has also been a priority this election, so we’re tracking that too.  

At the Health Consumers’ Council, we believe that a healthy society is the foundation of a thriving community. That’s why we’re urging everyone to look at the 2025 federal election through a health lens. We’ve had a look at what the major parties have said about each of our priority areas and we’ve summarised them for you, to help you decide what is important for you in health when you are going to vote:

Our Priority Labor Liberal/National Greens 
Increased investment in Primary Care 
  • $7.9 Billion in bulk billing incentives  
  •  Supporting training for 400 additional GP places so 2000 GPs enter training each year 
  •  Salary incentives for junior doctors to be GPs  
  •  400 nursing and midwifery scholarships 
  •  1800 MEDICARE telehealth service
  • $9 billion to strengthen medicare 
  • Grow the GP workforce through new incentive payments, entitlements and training support 
  • $195 billion to cover dental treatment under medicare 
  •  $21.5 billion to triple bulk billing incentives 
  •  $31.7 billion for 1000 new healthcare clinics where you can see a GP, dentist, nurse, Psychologist at no cost 
  •  $900 million in grants to encourage more GPs 
  •  Include free autism and ADHD diagnosis in medicare 
  •  Expand Chronic Disease Management Plan to remove service caps and increasing rebates
Increased focus on preventative health 
  • $1 billion mental health services  – includes 31 new and upgraded Medicare mental health services, 58 new, upgraded and expanded headspace services, 20 youth specialist care centres, 1200 training places for mental health professionals 
  •  $32 million men’s health program to break stigma around seeking help 
  •  8 new Perinatal mental health centres
  • Restore the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 10 to 20
  • Support Australians to access suicide prevention services. 
  • Investing in medical research
  • Free mental health care by including mental health in medicare 
  • $400 million in grants to community mental health organisations to expand programs 
  • $180 million to create and implement and align a National Suicide Prevention Act 
  • $15 million to train mental health practitioners in gender affirmation, anti discrimination and cultural responsiveness 
  • $180 million for FAS-D diagnosis and treatment 
  • Pill testing and $786.2 million for 11 new safe injecting rooms  
  • $1.2 billion in resourcing the alcohol and other drug treatment sector
Access to care in the community 
  • Support regional health worker attraction, recruitment and retention initiatives
  • Continue support for the timely access to medicines through community pharmacies
  • Support regional health worker attraction, recruitment and retention initiatives
  • Continue support for the timely access to medicines through community pharmacies
  • $2 million to review telehealth capacity  
  • $750 million to Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations for advancing Closing the Gap initiatives 
  • $2 million for a review into making Medicare and PBS available to imprisoned people
Women’s health 
  • Larger rebates for long acting reversible contraceptives 
  • Additional oral contraceptive pills on the PBS 
  • Menopause hormones added to PBS 
  • 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics  
  • Additional endometriosis treatments added to PBS
  • New endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics 
  • Specialist cancer nurses to support Australians with Ovarian Cancer
  • Deliver training for health professionals to address endometriosis, menopause and peri-menopause
  • Ensuring cheaper medicines and targeted healthcare for women.

Many of our allies in the health consumer and social services sector have published what they are seeking in the election, and we’ve summarised some of these here for you. 

Carers WA

  • Cost of living support for carers – increase Carer allowance by 15% and a one off boost of $300 to the Carer Supplement
  • Superannuation for carers
  • Expand the Young Carer Bursary
  • Expand the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative
  • Carer Recognition  – training professionals to identify and support carers from the beginning 

Consumers Health Forum

  • Increase Medicare bulk-billing incentives to encourage more practitioners to bulk bill, particularly in areas with low rates of bulk-billing and socio-economic disadvantage
  • Reform the Medicare Safety Net to ensure it is more effective in reducing costs
  • Introduce a system to ensure automatic application of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Safety Net pricing
  • Work towards universal affordable dental care and implement the next 10-year National Oral Health Plan
  • Support longer and more flexible specialist referrals, so consumers don’t have to keep going back to their GP
  • Allow other healthcare providers to refer patients to specialists where appropriate 

Australian Men’s Health forum

  • Fund Men’s health
  • Act on Male Suicide
  • Improve Boys Education
  • Support Aussie Dads 

Australian Women’s Health alliance

  • Affirm abortion as essential healthcare
  • ensuring the Medicare Benefits Schedule includes appropriate remuneration for healthcare providers to deliver affordable care
  • supporting workforce capacity building by working with medical and professional colleges providing sexual, reproductive and maternal healthcare training
  • ensuring public hospitals provide abortion care as part of standard, comprehensive reproductive health services
  • working with state and territory governments to implement all 36 recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into universal access to reproductive healthcare. 

Council on the Aging

  • Fund dental care for seniors
  • Review and increase rental assistance payments for seniors
  • Energy bill relief for pensioners
  • Affordable basic internet plans for seniors
  • Expand the lower-income super tax offset scheme (LISTO) to ensure those earning between $37,000 and $45,00 are included
  • Create innovative programs to help older women find affordable housing and improve their financial knowledge
  • Create a national plan that improves outcomes for an Ageing Australia and tackles ageism
  • Require businesses to accept cash payments and prohibit debit card fees
  • Create a peer-led training and support service for victims of online fraud and scams
  • Provide elder abuse prevention and support services – including for older women experiencing family violence
  • Ensure people requiring aged care services in their home don’t have to wait longer than 30 days for the support they need
  • Test a program that provides medical care at home to help older people avoid hospital stays 

Bronwyn Ife  |  Systemic Advocacy and Engagement Lead
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