Pledge for ‘most Aussies to be within a 20 minutes of health clinic’

Labor has promised it will open 50 more urgent care clinics as part of its $8.5 billion Medicare boost.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said the Labor government would spend $644 million to open the clinics if elected in the 2025/2026 financial year.

Once the extra 50 are opened, Albanese said it would mean most Australians would be within a 20 minutes of a clinic.

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Medicare reform

It's the second healthcare pledge in two weeks, as the Coalition pitch instead on defence and national security.

"Whether your family needs urgent or ongoing health care, under Labor, Medicare will be there for all Australians, in every community," Albanese said.

"Four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billed Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, once all Labor's clinics are open."

There will be 14 clinics opened in NSW, 12 in Victoria, 10 in Queensland, six in Western Australia, three in South Australia, three in Tasmania, one in the Northern Territory and one in the ACT.

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Medicare card

The federal government said it decided on locations based on an independent commissioning process.

Labor has already opened 87 Medicare urgent care clinics, Albanese said.

They provide bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life threatening issues with extended hours every day of the week, no appointment necessary.

Labor also promised free doctor visits for most Australians by 2030 as part of its multi-billion dollar Medicare vow.

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Doctors say a multibillion-dollar spend on Medicare will not hit bulk-billing targets because it doesn't match the actual cost of care.

Albanese, who turned 62 today, said Labor will spend $8.5 billion across four years to commit to universal bulk-billing, which would make nine out of 10 GP visits free.

The PM estimated this would increase the number of 100 per cent bulk-billed practices to 4800 and save patients $859 million every year by 2030.

This proposal would mark the single biggest investment in Medicare since it was created in 1984.

Currently about 80 per cent of GPs do not accept bulk-billing for generic appointments.

The federal opposition pledged to spend at least $3 billion to buy an extra 28 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

"We're going to invest in defence, and we're going to rebuild the Defence Force, which has been run down under Labor," Shadow Health Minister Andrew Hastie told Sky News' Morning Agenda.

A flotilla of Chinese warships circumnavigating Australia has put defence capabilities in the political crosshairs.

Beijing gave Papua New Guinea notice of their presence, but not Australia.

"We need to demonstrate our own strength and our own resilience in this relationship in order to make it the mutually respectful relationship we want it to be," Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson told Sky News.

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