Latest news with #TassieDoc
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Health headlines dying stages of election campaign
Health has dominated the final days of Tasmania's snap election campaign, as major parties try to get undecided voters on board. The island state is heading to the ballot box on Saturday for a second election in as many years after minority Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff lost the confidence of parliament in June. All signs point to another hung parliament, with the latest poll putting the Liberals ahead of Labor but both short of the 18-seat mark needed to reach majority. Tasmania's health outcomes lag behind national averages on many metrics, with life expectancy the second worst of any Australian jurisdiction. An ageing population and socio-economic disadvantage put significant pressure on the health system, according to a Primary Health Tasmania 2024 report. Mr Rockliff says the Liberals would deliver a purpose-built $15 million medical precinct, including a mental health hub, in the Huon Valley south of Hobart. It would feature 100 per cent bulk-billing GP appointments, as well as after-hours and weekend services. Labor leader Dean Winter was in Launceston in the state's north to reveal the location of one of its 10 proposed TassieDoc bulk-billed GP clinics. His party doubled their TassieDoc commitment to 10 clinics, after the Liberals matched their initial commitment to set up five clinics. "It takes an election campaign and sensible policies to see them do anything about health," Mr Winter told reporters. The state's rural doctors association has called for urgent action to address an "exorbitant" budget spend in the northwest on locum services. Some $3.7 million per year could be saved if the health service permanently recruited GP emergency and GP anaesthetics instead of using locums, the association said. The two party leaders, who have both made health announcements in recent days, will go head-to-head in the only debate of the campaign on Wednesday. The Liberals hold 14 of 35 seats in the lower house, while the 11-year Labor opposition has 10. The no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench MPs, was critical of the state's ballooning debt.
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Tasmanian Labor officially launches election campaign week before snap poll
The Tasmanian Labor Party has pledged to double the number of free GP clinics it will open, if elected into government at next weekend's snap poll. The party had previously proposed creating five government-run GP clinics in health hubs around the state, in a move inspired by the federal and state governments' Urgent Care Clinics. Under the TassieDoc plan, the state government would pay nursing and admin staff as well as provide the clinic and consulting rooms. The clinics are also intended to operate with extended hours, including weekends. The initial pledge was matched by the Tasmanian Liberal Party — but on Sunday, at Labor's official campaign launch in Devonport, party leader Dean Winter announced it was bumping up its promise to 10 clinics. He said he had been "stunned" by reception to the TassieDoc plan. "Doctors calling us saying they want to get involved, Tasmanians begging us to put them in their communities. "We'll make sure that Tasmanians can access free doctor appointments no matter where they live." The party has previously identified Ravenswood, Burnie, Devonport, Glenorchy and Risdon Vale as the locations for the first five clinics. During the campaign launch, Mr Winter also pledged to introduce legislation to ensure GP contractors do not have to pay payroll tax permanently, and introduce an exemption for GP registrars. '"Labor will also establish an ongoing State-Federal Tasmanian doctor recruitment task force to continue to train and retain doctors in Tasmania," he said. Having flown in to support the campaign launch, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers threw his support behind the state Labor leader. "The Liberal waste, the overruns and the blowouts are costing Tasmanians dearly," Mr Chalmers said. "This is the Liberal legacy laid bare." The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association said it welcomed the investment — but that staffing challenges could not be ignored. "We're already short of GPs in Tasmania," vice-president Meg Creely said. "So while we welcome the investment in primary care and the recognition that it's such a vital part of our entire healthcare world here in Tassie, we've got to work out how we attract the doctors to work there." Dr Creely said things like the task force put forward by Labor sounded "positive" for the short-term recruitment of doctors. But, she said it was important retention was also in focus — and that the clinics did not impact on existing practices. When it first announced the clinics, Labor said it would spend $5 million fitting out the five clinics, then $4 million a year to keep them running, and $2 million towards incentives for GPs to work at them. Liberal health spokesperson Jacquie Petrusma described Labor's announcement as a "last-ditch campaign con". "The Liberal Government backs establishing sustainable GP clinics in areas of need that are able to be supported and staffed," she said. "We have generous settlement allowances and settlements on the table, and our viability grants to strengthen practices across the state are working." Ms Petrusma said GPs who contract a clinical space were already exempt from payroll tax. A Liberal spokesperson said the party would not be matching the TassieDoc expansion pledge. Tasmanians will head to the polls on July 19.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Website, business name-slanging in election campaign
Liberal and Labor leaders have traded barbs over a website address and a signature policy business name as Tasmania's election campaign enters its final week. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, some six weeks after minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament. The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have governed in minority since 2023 with voter surveys pointing to another hung parliament. Former Labor premier Paul Lennon has thrown a spanner in the works of the Liberals by registering the business name TasInsure. TasInsure is the Liberals' self-described signature campaign pledge to create a state-owned insurer. The Liberals returned serve somewhat, setting up a website at after the Labor-named pledge to create five government-run bulk-billed GP clinics. Mr Rockliff, whose party has committed to matching Labor's TassieDoc plan, denied his party was playing political games. "(The website) is simply explaining a policy," he told reporters on Saturday. Mr Lennon told The Australian he registered TasInsure to expose the fact it wasn't a serious proposal. Labor leader Dean Winter said he wasn't concerned about the Liberals claiming because information would be available on official health channels if he was elected. He said Mr Rockliff had gone to the trouble of making TasInsure merchandise without providing costs or any modelling about why the proposal stacks up. "What Jeremy Rockliff has been doing is running around with hats and posters telling people about policy that has no detail to it," Mr Winter said. The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench members, was critical of his budget management. Tasmania's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29, according to the most recent budget. An increased number of voters have already made up their minds ahead of the election, Tasmania's second in two years and fourth in seven years. Almost 54,000 people have cast pre-poll votes heading into the final week of campaigning, more than double the 26,000 figure at the equivalent point in 2024. The Liberals hold 14 seats and Labor 10 in the state's 35-seat lower house. Liberal and Labor leaders have traded barbs over a website address and a signature policy business name as Tasmania's election campaign enters its final week. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, some six weeks after minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament. The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have governed in minority since 2023 with voter surveys pointing to another hung parliament. Former Labor premier Paul Lennon has thrown a spanner in the works of the Liberals by registering the business name TasInsure. TasInsure is the Liberals' self-described signature campaign pledge to create a state-owned insurer. The Liberals returned serve somewhat, setting up a website at after the Labor-named pledge to create five government-run bulk-billed GP clinics. Mr Rockliff, whose party has committed to matching Labor's TassieDoc plan, denied his party was playing political games. "(The website) is simply explaining a policy," he told reporters on Saturday. Mr Lennon told The Australian he registered TasInsure to expose the fact it wasn't a serious proposal. Labor leader Dean Winter said he wasn't concerned about the Liberals claiming because information would be available on official health channels if he was elected. He said Mr Rockliff had gone to the trouble of making TasInsure merchandise without providing costs or any modelling about why the proposal stacks up. "What Jeremy Rockliff has been doing is running around with hats and posters telling people about policy that has no detail to it," Mr Winter said. The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench members, was critical of his budget management. Tasmania's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29, according to the most recent budget. An increased number of voters have already made up their minds ahead of the election, Tasmania's second in two years and fourth in seven years. Almost 54,000 people have cast pre-poll votes heading into the final week of campaigning, more than double the 26,000 figure at the equivalent point in 2024. The Liberals hold 14 seats and Labor 10 in the state's 35-seat lower house. Liberal and Labor leaders have traded barbs over a website address and a signature policy business name as Tasmania's election campaign enters its final week. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, some six weeks after minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament. The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have governed in minority since 2023 with voter surveys pointing to another hung parliament. Former Labor premier Paul Lennon has thrown a spanner in the works of the Liberals by registering the business name TasInsure. TasInsure is the Liberals' self-described signature campaign pledge to create a state-owned insurer. The Liberals returned serve somewhat, setting up a website at after the Labor-named pledge to create five government-run bulk-billed GP clinics. Mr Rockliff, whose party has committed to matching Labor's TassieDoc plan, denied his party was playing political games. "(The website) is simply explaining a policy," he told reporters on Saturday. Mr Lennon told The Australian he registered TasInsure to expose the fact it wasn't a serious proposal. Labor leader Dean Winter said he wasn't concerned about the Liberals claiming because information would be available on official health channels if he was elected. He said Mr Rockliff had gone to the trouble of making TasInsure merchandise without providing costs or any modelling about why the proposal stacks up. "What Jeremy Rockliff has been doing is running around with hats and posters telling people about policy that has no detail to it," Mr Winter said. The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench members, was critical of his budget management. Tasmania's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29, according to the most recent budget. An increased number of voters have already made up their minds ahead of the election, Tasmania's second in two years and fourth in seven years. Almost 54,000 people have cast pre-poll votes heading into the final week of campaigning, more than double the 26,000 figure at the equivalent point in 2024. The Liberals hold 14 seats and Labor 10 in the state's 35-seat lower house. Liberal and Labor leaders have traded barbs over a website address and a signature policy business name as Tasmania's election campaign enters its final week. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, some six weeks after minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament. The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have governed in minority since 2023 with voter surveys pointing to another hung parliament. Former Labor premier Paul Lennon has thrown a spanner in the works of the Liberals by registering the business name TasInsure. TasInsure is the Liberals' self-described signature campaign pledge to create a state-owned insurer. The Liberals returned serve somewhat, setting up a website at after the Labor-named pledge to create five government-run bulk-billed GP clinics. Mr Rockliff, whose party has committed to matching Labor's TassieDoc plan, denied his party was playing political games. "(The website) is simply explaining a policy," he told reporters on Saturday. Mr Lennon told The Australian he registered TasInsure to expose the fact it wasn't a serious proposal. Labor leader Dean Winter said he wasn't concerned about the Liberals claiming because information would be available on official health channels if he was elected. He said Mr Rockliff had gone to the trouble of making TasInsure merchandise without providing costs or any modelling about why the proposal stacks up. "What Jeremy Rockliff has been doing is running around with hats and posters telling people about policy that has no detail to it," Mr Winter said. The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench members, was critical of his budget management. Tasmania's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29, according to the most recent budget. An increased number of voters have already made up their minds ahead of the election, Tasmania's second in two years and fourth in seven years. Almost 54,000 people have cast pre-poll votes heading into the final week of campaigning, more than double the 26,000 figure at the equivalent point in 2024. The Liberals hold 14 seats and Labor 10 in the state's 35-seat lower house.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Website, business name-slanging in election campaign
Paul Lennon has poked Tasmania's election campaign, exposing what he says is a non-serious policy. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS) Paul Lennon has poked Tasmania's election campaign, exposing what he says is a non-serious policy. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP Liberal and Labor leaders have traded barbs over a website address and a signature policy business name as Tasmania's election campaign enters its final week. The island state is heading to the polls on July 19, some six weeks after minority Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in parliament. The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have governed in minority since 2023 with voter surveys pointing to another hung parliament. Former Labor premier Paul Lennon has thrown a spanner in the works of the Liberals by registering the business name TasInsure. TasInsure is the Liberals' self-described signature campaign pledge to create a state-owned insurer. The Liberals returned serve somewhat, setting up a website at after the Labor-named pledge to create five government-run bulk-billed GP clinics. Mr Rockliff, whose party has committed to matching Labor's TassieDoc plan, denied his party was playing political games. "(The website) is simply explaining a policy," he told reporters on Saturday. Mr Lennon told The Australian he registered TasInsure to expose the fact it wasn't a serious proposal. Labor leader Dean Winter said he wasn't concerned about the Liberals claiming because information would be available on official health channels if he was elected. He said Mr Rockliff had gone to the trouble of making TasInsure merchandise without providing costs or any modelling about why the proposal stacks up. "What Jeremy Rockliff has been doing is running around with hats and posters telling people about policy that has no detail to it," Mr Winter said. The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench members, was critical of his budget management. Tasmania's net debt is set to more than double to almost $11 billion in 2028/29, according to the most recent budget. An increased number of voters have already made up their minds ahead of the election, Tasmania's second in two years and fourth in seven years. Almost 54,000 people have cast pre-poll votes heading into the final week of campaigning, more than double the 26,000 figure at the equivalent point in 2024. The Liberals hold 14 seats and Labor 10 in the state's 35-seat lower house.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
What's TassieDoc? Labor's government-run GP clinic solution explained
If it is not the cost of doctors that is concerning Tasmanians, it is the availability. The wait to see a GP can be weeks long and the gap between the doctor's fee and what Medicare covers can be costly. For some, it means taking fewer trips to the doctor. Delaying GP visits also places more pressure on the state's already overburdened hospital system. Labor thinks it has the answer: TassieDoc. The idea is so promising, the Liberals have even vowed to match it. Tasmanian Labor is proposing to create five government-run GP clinics in health hubs across the state that bulk-bill. The idea is that the state government would provide the clinic and consulting rooms, as well as paying the nursing and admin staff. Instead of needing to own the practice, doctors would be contractors. Labor says each clinic would have four full-time-equivalent GPs. The hope is that by alleviating the cost burdens of staffing and the clinic itself, doctors would be able to charge patients the cost of the Medicare benefit. It's inspired by the federal and state governments' Urgent Care Clinics (UCC). Labor says it will result in 100,000 bulk-billed appointments per year. To put it in perspective, data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows GPs in Tasmania provided 6.7 million appointments between June 2024 and May 2025. The plan is also for the clinics to operate with extended hours, including evenings and weekends. Labor's Clark candidate and health spokesperson Ella Haddad said the clinics would be run out of existing state-run health clinics such as the Glenorchy Health Centre. "We'll provide the bricks and mortar, we'll provide the nursing and admin staff that will allow doctors to come in and do what they do best, which is provide care to their patients. "Not every doctor wants to be a business owner or have to worry about hiring staff." TassieDoc patients will be bulk-billed for visits, meaning there will be no out-of-pocket payment. As an election promise, Labor says it will spend $5 million to fit out the new clinics, then $4 million a year to keep them running, and $2 million towards incentives for GPs to work at them. It has yet to be costed by Treasury. A UCC is simply that, a clinic for urgent situations, not regular GP check-ups or emergencies. UCCs were created to try to deal with that middle ground so that only genuine emergencies end up presenting in emergency departments. The other difference is the way they are run and funded. UCCs are co-funded federal and state initiatives and are found across the country. While Tasmanian Labor has been talking up what state and federal Labor can do when their powers combine, TassieDoc is not a partnership. The "powered by Medicare" policy just takes advantage of the Albanese government's decision to triple the Medicare bulk-billing incentive for GPs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not even utter the words "TassieDoc" while standing alongside Labor Leader Dean Winter at a press conference on Tuesday, instead spruiking his government's many UCCs. Within hours of Labor revealing their plan, the Liberals pledged to "open five new GP bulk-billing clinics", claiming they were already doing it and had just announced one the day before in Legana. But that was a UCC. The Liberals have suggested Labor is rebadging said clinics, but the models are different. At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he would match Labor's promise "and more". In a further statement, Liberal Franklin candidate and health spokesperson Jacquie Petrusma said the Liberals would "work with GPs on the best way of delivering additional GP services right around the state". "Including five clinics under the TassieDoc model and other innovative ways to support existing GPs like in Legana and Bicheno," Ms Petrusma said. That is where those $2 million in incentive payments come in. Labor is hoping they will be able to attract and retain 150 new GPs to Tasmania. There will be 100 payments worth $10,000 available for GPs working in urban areas, and 50 worth $20,000 for GPs in rural and regional communities. The Liberals have their own incentive payments that are already in place, offering up $100,000 to mainland doctors who want to move to the state. The Liberals have also been trying to boost the number of GPs through the single-employer training model, where the state government offers doctors a single contract for their entire traineeship. "We have 200 GPs in training right now, so [it's] fully subscribed," Mr Rockliff said. "One hundred and fifty GPs are being supervised in regional clinics, [with] 40 of those fully qualified by the end of the year." Standing with Labor at the first very TassieDoc press conference, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP) Tim Jones described the policy as "future-focused". He also said he believed it would be "attractive" to new and interstate GPs. "We are training a record number of GPs here in Tasmania, but those are doctors who do not have business experience, who are not clinic owners," he said. "We think that working under this model is going to enable them to do what they do best, which is just focus on the care of their patients." Rural Doctors Association of Tasmania president Ben Dodds was more reserved, saying it was "an interesting line for the state to cross". "It's one that may lead to some perils in terms of the state learning how to own, operate and run general practices. It's an area that they don't have any experience in," he said. "There's evidence of other jurisdictions doing it in areas of market failure [and] in rural and remote areas. "In the context of TassieDocs, implementing this initiative where there might already be viable private General Practice does risk reorganising the doctors in the local community and not actually bringing any new services to Tasmania." Dr Dodds said with the cost of running a general practice having increased significantly, the TassieDoc model might appeal to those doctors who were less interested in the business side of things. "But the state government is going to be up for the cost of running the practice, which ultimately the taxpayer foots the bill for," he said. "When local government steps in to run general practices, for example, in the Huon Valley with Geeveston and Dover, they're often run at a loss. "Even though they're subsidised by the council, the overall practice loses money with higher bulk-billing rates, so it will be a very costly exercise for the state government."
