Labor created Medicare. Only a Labor government will always strengthen and protect Medicare.
Strengthening Medicare and Urgent Care Clinics
Labor will make the single largest investment in Medicare ever. This will deliver an additional 18 million bulk billed GP visits every year so Australians can see a bulk billing GP.
Labor will also grow the health workforce to deliver more doctors and nurses than ever before, including the largest GP training program in Australian history, and hundreds of scholarships for nurses and midwives to extend their skills and qualifications.
A re-elected Albanese Labor government will make a billion-dollar investment to roll out even more places Australians can go for free, public mental health care backed by Medicare.
Labor will provide cost of living relief to millions of Australians by making medicines even cheaper. From 1 January 2026, the maximum cost of a prescription for a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicine will be cut from $31.60 to $25.
A re-elected Albanese Labor government will make a billion-dollar investment to roll out even more places Australians can go for free, public mental health care backed by Medicare. The $1 billion commitment continues the Albanese Labor government's work to fill the gaps in support with new free mental health services that are better matched to the needs of each Australian.
Urgent Care Clinics
More Australians in more locations can now walk into Medicare Urgent Care Clinics - open late seven days a week. And get fully bulk-billed care for urgent, but not life-threatening, conditions. Without having to waiting in busy hospital emergency departments.
Narre Warren Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
60 Victor Crescent, Narre Warren 3805
Tel (03) 9771 2020
Dandenong Medicare Urgent Care Centre
1/134 Logis Boulevard, Dandenong South 3175
Tel (03) 9579 7933
Cheaper medicines
The Albanese government is delivering cheaper medicines with a one-year freeze on the maximum co-payment for PBS prescriptions. And a five-year freeze for pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders.
More life-changing high-cost medicines are being added to the PBS, including medicines to treat early breast cancer and different types of heart disease.
Radiology and pathology tests
Every comprehensive practice with MRI equipment will be eligible to provide Medicare‑funded services, almost tripling the number of fully Medicare‑eligible MRI machines since Labor was elected to government. This will make MRI tests cheaper and more available, reduce waiting times and help to prevent people being referred for less appropriate tests.
To ensure pathology tests remain bulk-billed, the Labor government is also indexing the Medicare rebates for nuclear medicine imaging and many common medical tests for the first time in 25 years.