Families in Terrigal and the surrounding suburbs will get the free urgent care they need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department, if the Albanese Labor Government is re-elected.
Labor will open a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in the Terrigal catchment as part of a $644 million commitment to open another 50 Urgent Care Clinics, with more clinics in every state and territory.
Once all of Labor’s clinics are open, 4 in 5 Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.
If Labor is re-elected, the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will begin operating in the 2025-26 financial year, providing bulk billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week, for extended hours, and with no appointment needed.
The Urgent Care Clinic will help take pressure off the Gosford Hospital, which saw 35,102 non-urgent and semi-urgent presentations in 2023-24.
Parents and families swear by them: one third of patients are under the age of 15.
All you will need is your Medicare card, not your credit card.
The Liberals say the Albanese Labor Government’s Urgent Care Clinics are “wasteful spending”. Peter Dutton will close every Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, forcing over a million Australians a year back into the waiting rooms of busy hospital emergency departments.
Labor went to the last election promising to open 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and we have delivered 87 clinics. More than 1.2 million Australians have already been treated at one of Labor’s existing 87 Urgent Care Clinics.
Doctors have embraced the clinics, with a survey finding 7 in 10 GPs support Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and 8 in 10 GPs say they have a positive impact on hospital emergency departments.
Around 2 million Australians are expected to make use of an Urgent Care Clinic each year, getting the free urgent care they need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department.
This extends Labor’s election commitment to strengthening Medicare, with the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago.
Animated explainer – When should you visit | What do Urgent Care Clinics offer
Advertisement – That’s a case for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Mark Butler:
“Australia's doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.
“The Liberals had nine years to open Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and they never opened a single one. Now they call Labor’s clinics ‘wasteful spending’ and want to close every single one of them.
“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are an Albanese Government initiative because we believe in Medicare and in free urgent care, fully bulk billed.
“You can’t trust the Liberals with Medicare: you can’t trust them to open Urgent Care Clinics and you can’t trust them to keep them open.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid MP:
“It’s great to announce a new UCC for Terrigal and the surrounding suburbs. As always, there will be an open commissioning process where interested GP practices will be open to apply to become the new UCC.
At this election Australia faces a choice: a stronger Medicare with more bulk billing for all Australians under Labor, or more cuts to Medicare under Peter Dutton's Liberals.
“Only Labor will deliver a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Terrigal so you can get the free urgent care you need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department.
“The Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will be open seven days, for extended hours, and take pressure off the Gosford Hospital.
ENDS
