PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Dr SCAMPS (Mackellar) (11:15): Every year, more than 22 million Australians see a specialist general practitioner for essential health care, making GPs the most accessed health professionals in the country. We know high-quality general practice reduces emergency department presentations and hospital admissions and improves long-term health outcomes. The latest quarterly bulk-billing data is encouraging, particularly the rise in bulk-billing for non-concessional patients to 72.5 per cent—up 8.5 percentage points over the year.
But more than one in four non-concessional GP visits are still not bulk-billed, meaning too many Australians still face out-of-pocket costs. The government should treat these figures as a foundation for further reform. As a priority, we must ensure that people who need more time with their GP can access this care.
More than two-thirds of GPs nominate the increasing complexity of patient presentations as the greatest challenge facing the profession. Last year's Health of the nation report showed that 84 per cent of GPs want to provide more preventive care, but only one in three have time to provide it. The average GP appointment is now 20 minutes long, and three in five Australians live with at least one chronic health condition, yet Medicare rebates still fail to reflect the time, complexity and continuity required in modern general practice.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has again called for GPs to be properly remunerated for longer consultations, including most recently at the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs in Australia. In alcohol and other drug care, as in so many other areas of health, GPs need time to have those sensitive conversations, identify risks early, coordinate care and support recovery for complex conditions.
Many leading patient and health organisations agree. To quote just a few, Chris Forbes, Chief Executive Officer of Kidney Health Australia, says: Kidney Health Australia supports GPs to take the time needed to identify those at risk of kidney disease, enable early diagnosis, and ensure the latest evidence-based medications and support programs are appropriately utilised—drastically improving outcomes and slowing disease progression.
Daile Kelleher, CEO of Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia, says: Longer GP consultations are essential in sexual and reproductive healthcare. They enable meaningful conversations, support informed decision-making, and ensure patients feel comfortable raising sensitive issues. Adequate time leads to earlier intervention and better health outcomes.
Professor Tanya Buchanan, CEO of Dementia Australia, says: It is vital that the estimated 446,500 Australians living with dementia have access to affordable long GP consultations to ensure they receive timely, comprehensive and coordinated health care tailored to their needs. What is key is that, when GPs have more time with patients, care is earlier, safer and more effective.
In 2024, Deloitte Access Economics found that a 40 per cent increase to patient rebates for level C and D consultations would lift the bulk-billing rate to 85 per cent, halve out-of-pocket costs for patients who are not bulk-billed and deliver around $339 million in annual health savings to the system. Out-of-pocket costs disproportionately affect people with chronic and complex health conditions, particularly those on low incomes; carers; and people unable to work because of their poor health.
If patients cannot afford high-quality general practice care, they delay treatment, become sicker and are more likely to end up in hospital. If we are serious about improving Australia's health, easing cost-of-living pressures and reducing pressure on hospitals, we must strengthen general practice. That means supporting GPs to spend the time their patients need with them, investing in preventive care and ensuring Medicare rebates reflect the complexity of Australia's changing healthcare needs.