Doctor rubbishes Labor's 'see the GP for free' promise as Anthony Albanese comes under fire over Medicare pledge

Sky News AU

23-04-2025

A doctor has rubbished the government's "see the GP for free" campaign promise as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continues to come under fire for his Medicare pledge.
Mr Albanese has repeatedly claimed that "you just need your Medicare card" to see a GP amid a multi-billion dollar pledge to boost bulk billing rates over the next five years.
But a GP who spoke to Sky News in Melbourne's south-east on Wednesday doubted the government would be able to live up to its key election promise.
"For me, I'm a GP, and I do not like the rhetoric that's out there at the moment - this see your GP for free rubbish," she told Sky News Election Analyst Tom Connell.
"We're private people trying to run our own private businesses so I'm not too sure how the government think they're actually going to do that."
The GP, who was outside a pre-poll centre in the Labor-held seat of Chisholm, was asked by Connell whether she was worried it would lead to people demanding a free appointment.
"Yes, that's what's going to happen. And it's asking us to take a pay cut," she said.
"We are on the edge trying to run a business and trying to keep people fit and well and healthy. And they're making empty promises.
"Both sides – I just don't understand how either of them can say we're going to make sure you see a GP for free, it makes no sense."
Amid recent efforts to boost the bulk billing incentive, only 48 per cent of Australians have reported being able to access bulk billing for every visit.
These rates have declined under the Albanese government, falling about 11 per cent in three years.
Labor has since pledged $8.5 billion to boost bulk billing up to 90 per cent by 2030, with the Coalition matching this investment.
The plan includes higher GP incentive payments, new training programs for health workers, and a 12.5 per cent practice bonus for clinics that bulk bill all patients.
Mr Albanese has promoted his "see the GP for free with Labor" promise throughout the campaign, including on his social media channels.
"You just need your Medicare card not your credit card, because Labor created Medicare, we'll strengthen Medicare and we'll make sure that in the future, we get those bulk billing rates back up to 90 per cent," Mr Albanese said at the Sky News/The Daily Telegraph People's Forum earlier this month.
However, there are doubts about the plan's effectiveness.
"I'd like to see them actually talk to us and see how that's going to work. We're all private businesses," the GP said.
"And they rely on us to keep people out of public hospitals. It's this constant stoush between the state and federal government with funding for health.
"And they're relying on us to keep people out but they're not making any, I guess adequate promises that are actually going to work."
Dr Michael Wright, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), last week warned expanding incentives would not necessarily result in wider access to bulk-billed consultations.
"Patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care," he told Sky News.
"Ultimately, we need to make sure GPs are enabled to deliver high-quality care that is sustainable and doesn't put unreasonable pressure on practitioners to see people quickly or make it harder for people to get more time with their GP.
"More targeted funding to support people with chronic and complex conditions is still the most cost-effective way to improve Australia's healthcare system.
The RACGP has instead called for a 25 per cent increase to patient rebates for mental health, which are one of the most common consults, and a 40 per cent increase to patient rebates for longer consults.
The $8.5 billion bipartisan commitment has also drawn criticism from Morgan Begg, Director of Research at the Institute of Public Affairs for being too costly.
He described the proposal as a "feel-good" political move that risks financial mismanagement.
"The cost of seeing a GP is borne by taxpayers, and today, we are living through the fastest growth in government spending since the Whitlam era," he said.
"We are facing a debt and budget crisis. Our political leaders need to be reining in government spending, which is at its highest levels as a percentage of GDP in 40 years outside the pandemic."