Latest news with #HealthCareCard
West Australian
5 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Broome Aboriginal short stay operator, MercyCare, calls for more investment in regional homelessness services
MercyCare, which operates Aboriginal short stay accommodation facilities in Broome and Derby, is calling for increased investment in homelessness services as homelessness rates continue to rise. MercyCare general manager of youth and homelessness services Suzanne Caren said regional WA was being left behind. 'While Perth's homelessness challenges receive significant attention and resources, regional Western Australia is facing a crisis that's proportionally more than double the metropolitan rate,' she said. 'For every homeless person you see in Perth, there are two more struggling in regional WA and most people don't even know they exist.' According to statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 49 per cent of homeless people in WA were from regional areas despite representing only 21 per cent of the population. Some 26 per cent were from remote or very remote areas with 50 per cent identifying as Aboriginal. 'These aren't just statistics, they represent thousands of Western Australians, many of them families with children, who are struggling to find safe, appropriate accommodation,' said Ms Caren. 'The disparity between regional and metropolitan service provision is stark and unsustainable. We need urgent action to expand services in regional areas, particularly culturally safe options for Aboriginal communities. 'Every Western Australian deserves access to safe, appropriate housing, regardless of where they live.' In WA the median length of support is 31 days, compared with 58 days nationally while the median number of nights accommodated was eight, compared with 33 nationally. However, overall 45 per cent of WA clients received accommodation, compared with 29 per cent nationally. MercyCare facilities in Broome, Derby and Kalgoorlie provide accommodation for rough sleepers for up to 28 days helping people travelling to the regional centres for medical appointments, training, cultural events, or family gatherings. Without the facilities such journeys often result in people sleeping on the street or in overcrowded homes. 'Our facilities aren't just about providing a bed for the night,' said Ms Caren. 'We're addressing the root causes by connecting guests with Aboriginal support workers who help them access essential services like health care, employment support and family services.' Rates run from $30 per night or $195 per week for adults and $15 per night or $83 per week for children, with discounts for Health Care Card holders and reduced rates for larger families. WA now has the highest proportion in Australia of people sleeping rough, with the number of people sleeping rough doubling over the past five years, while overall homelessness has risen 8 per cent since 2016. The calls come as the country observes Homelessness Week which runs from August 4 to 10.
Sky News AU
29-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Major banks to repay $60 million to low-income Australians after corporate watchdog ASIC investigated excessive fees
Three major banks will repay almost $60m to low-income Australians after the corporate watchdog conducted its latest bank-fee review. Excessive fees that banks charged to low-earning Australians came under the microscope in a fresh report from the Australian Securities and Exchange Commission (ASIC). It follows a 2024 report from the corporate watchdog that demonstrated low-income customers, many of whom are Indigenous Australians, copped excessive fees - forcing major banks to repay $33m. ASIC said an additional $60m will be refunded to more than 770,000 customers across the nation. Westpac, ANZ and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank have agreed to repay the low-income customers who were in high-fee accounts. ANZ is returning almost $48m to low-income customers in high-fee accounts while Westpac is repaying almost $10m, and Bendigo Bank customers will receive about $150,000. Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which was also named in the 2024 report, will not make repayments of about $270m it charged low-income customers. The bank, however, has agreed to move 1.5 million customers to a new 'nominal fee account'. At least seven banks have improved processes, and an additional nine banks have made it easier to access low-fee accounts. This includes removing requirements to present a Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card, Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card when opening an account. ASIC chair Joe Longo said despite the improvements Australian banks have made since the corporate watchdog launched its investigation, 'there is clearly work to be done'. 'It should not take an ASIC review to force $93m in refunds or make banks assess their processes to ensure the trust and expectations placed in them are justified,' Mr Longo said. 'Banks need to truly hear the messages in this report - read it, review it, and ask themselves some difficult questions about what led to this situation. 'We expect banks to regularly assess product design and distribution to ensure customers have the most appropriate products and that they are given the support they need.' The corporate watchdog highlighted the real impact these refunds would have on many Australians that receive government payments or earn minimum wage. It said that Charlotte, an ANZ customer in Western Australia that receives JobSeeker, will be refunded more than $5200 by ANZ – equivalent to 13 weeks of JobSeeker payments. A single parent from Adelaide named Cassie will be repaid $2645 - equivalent to about 110 hours of minimum-wage work - in overdraw fees by Westpac. Meanwhile, Derek, a pensioner from Victoria, has been refunded $1236 – equivalent to one fortnightly age pension payment - for Bendigo Bank fees. ASIC commissioner Alan Kirkland said the report highlighted how excessive bank fees hurt Australia's most vulnerable. 'When you read in the report that refunds of $1,200, $2,600 and $5,200 were paid, it's important to understand what those amounts mean for people struggling to make ends meet,' Mr Kirkland said. 'Our intervention has forced many banks to take action, but more needs to be done to ensure financially vulnerable consumers are not put in this position again. 'We encourage consumers to challenge their banks to ensure that they are in the best account for their needs. 'More importantly, we encourage banks to do more to proactively identify low-income customers and move them to low-fee accounts.'
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Should Australia's GPs and patients be excited about the Medicare pledge? Yes and no
'I haven't really had a GP in years,' a single mum friend says, as we push our children on the swings. 'Just popped into the local bulk-billing clinic for a quick script, but even they charge a gap now. And you're just in and out. But I do actually need a good GP to talk about all the stuff I've been ignoring. You know, for me and for the kids. And for my ageing parents. Do you know anyone?' It's a question I've been asked – on repeat – for the past few years. You've probably had the conversation too. Many of us have been worrying about the demise of Australia's universal healthcare. Medicare rebates for general practice have been essentially frozen for over a decade. But now, finally – finally! – the Labor government commits to pulling Australia out of the ice age. And to our even greater astonishment, the LNP – which has previously argued against socialist universal healthcare – is matching the pledge. So should we be excited? Yes and no. Anthony Albanese says he has a vision that 90% of GP consultations will be bulk-billed by 2030. As a public health-trained GP, I rejoice. General practice, and more broadly primary care, is the backbone of the Australian healthcare system. Done well, it prevents health crises and helps patients survive and break cycles of despair and disability. A stitch in time saves nine: primary preventive care has been shown to cut tertiary hospital costs and healthcare spending. There are many things to celebrate here: an investment in primary care and particularly the commitment to support for junior doctors entering the GP workforce. But it's worth interrogating what the government is promising. Medicare funding is complex, and it is getting more complex. It isn't well known that the vast majority of GPs are not salaried health workers (unlike hospital doctors). GP practices are run as small businesses, with the government using our universal health insurance scheme to set patient rebates and incentivise GPs to work in a particular way. The government is proposing boosting funding to bulk-billing incentives and applying these incentives to all patients – not just children and Health Care Card holders. I, and many, have tried (and failed) to run completely Medicare-funded quality bulk-billing GP practices for the underprivileged. It is an extremely difficult, almost impossible, endeavour. This change will make it easier for those bulk-billing clinics that have been running in the red, especially if they have been doing a lot of short consultations. But there are some downsides. Albanese's reform entrenches the notion that a quick consult is a good one. There is still more detail to be revealed about funding measures for chronic disease management and practice payments. But it appears that Medicare might still incentivise 'throughput' over 'quality'. And these quality consultations are what I (and many in 'deep-end GP clinics' have been advocating for. I have written before about the value of slow medicine. I've spent the past decade working with underprivileged people who cannot afford a gap. This pledge will support that sort of clinic to stay afloat. But I'm not sure that it will support listening, rapport or good communication. I'm not sure it recognises that longer consults are needed for people with more complex conditions, low literacy, more severe illness, mental health issues and other barriers. For many non-bulk billing clinics, these changes may be a cut in funding, rather than a boost. I suspect that many clinicians will opt not to participate and rather continue to practise slower, more thorough medicine for wealthier people. They will continue to charge a gap. The new patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of this sort of care. If the Labor government isn't careful, it could entrench two types of care: good, thorough care for those who can afford it. And quick, bulk-billed care. Prime minister Albanese has said that he wants 'every Australian to know they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, to receive the healthcare they need'. It's music to my ears. After decades of underfunding primary care by all political parties, we have a lot of catch-up investment to do. I'm excited to see progress and a commitment to universal healthcare by the Labor government. But I'm worried that without reform for quality care, we won't be able to provide good, free care for 90% of people. Patients want to be heard. GPs want to be able to listen and care. We want to hear and respond when a teenager is suicidal. To debrief a woman after a traumatic birth, and support her breastfeeding and bonding. To recognise when chest palpitations aren't just anxiety. To make good referrals, not write one-line handoffs. To call a specialist or allied health worker and ask for advice. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is asking for better funding for longer consults and mental healthcare. It's an important demand because we need good medicine, not just fast medicine. Dr Mariam Tokhi is a general practitioner and teaches narrative medicine at the University of Melbourne In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at
