The PM threw ‘well over 90%’ into the mix at the National Press Club. He’s well over 90% wrong.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has doubled down on his party’s bulk-billing ambition of 90% by 2030, swiping the AMA and the RACGP on the way. He also claimed bulk-billing rates were already “well above 90%”.eHe
Speaking at the National Press Club today, Mr Albanese was quizzed on what he thought the bulk-billing rate would be by 2028 – presumably the next time the country goes to the polls.
“In last year’s Budget, we tripled the bulk-billing incentive for concession card-holders and what that has done is lift bulk-billing rates up to well above 90% per cent,” he said.
Mr Albanese is either wrong about that or he meant that the bulk-billing rate for concession card-holders, only, was above 90%. The latest data shows that the national bulk-billing rate is 75%, with GPs bulk billing about 77% of the time.
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“Doctors under our scheme will go from getting – if they’re in a fully bulk-billed clinic – will go from earning around about $280,000 to above $400,000.
“The modelling that we’ve done shows that it will be in their interests to have fully bulk-billed service.”
Mr Albanese responded to doubts expressed by both the AMA and the RACGP about the chances of getting to the 90% overall target.
“The AMA haven’t always been great fans of the whole concept of Medicare,” he said. “So we’re not shocked that occasionally not every doctor comes on board there.”
He was pressed on if he has a 2028 figure.
“What we’ve got is a 2030 target of achieving that … this is a measure that was in our Budget, that was funded and that is our objective by 2030.”
Otherwise, health announcements were thin on the campaign ground today with the only announcement a $3 million over three-year commitment from Labor to support Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision.
The money will support the continuation and growth of the Maddie’s Vision Centre for Research Excellence in Bone Marrow Biology, and to expand the reach of MRV’s support and engagement to patients and their families through a tele-support service and peer support program.
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Also supported will be an educational outreach service for bone marrow failure syndrome presentation and management, and the long-term future of the Aplastic Anaemia and other Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes Registry and the Australian Marrow Failure Biobank.
“This year marks a decade since our family lost Maddie to the bone marrow failure syndrome, aplastic anaemia,” said AFL great Nick Riewoldt.
“While the pain of losing Maddie is still with us, we remain inspired by her final wish – that no one should have to endure what she did.
“When Maddie was first diagnosed our family was overwhelmed and frightened of what lay ahead. Beyond her haematologist and other allied health support, there was no one else to help us understand what was happening.
“When Maddie passed at just 26 years old, we wanted her spirit and legacy to live on by making sure that no patient or family would have to face this diagnosis alone. We are so grateful to the Albanese Labor government for making their funding commitment of $3 million over three years to help secure the future of Maddie’s Vision.
“This significant investment ensures we can continue standing beside every patient and family impacted by BNFS while driving critical research in pursuit of life-saving treatments and a cure.”
After PM Anthony Albanese’s comments yesterday about cutting consultants as a way of boosting the budget bottom line, Coalition leader Peter Dutton refused to rule out spending more on private consultants in the public service, despite his promise to cut the sector by 41,000 staff.
“What we’re going to do is spend taxpayers’ money wisely – and that’s exactly the approach that the Howard government had,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we respect people’s money.”
A 2023 audit of the APS found the former Coalition government led by Scott Morrison spent more than $20 billion on consultants in its final year in office.
After saying last week that the 41,000 cuts would come from Canberra-based government agencies only, Mr Dutton today guaranteed that the cuts would not be in ASIO, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service or the Australian Signals Directorate.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley today confirmed that the Coalition’s election promise costings will be released tomorrow.
“Not long to wait now … the costings will come out tomorrow,” she told Sky News.
“But let’s not forget on the matter of costings, Labor has spent $5 billion in 20 days trying to buy this election.
“Every single dollar they are wasting is coming from the pockets of a hardworking Australian taxpayer.”
Meanwhile, the AEC has released its latest pre-polling figures, revealing that four million Australians have already voted, about a million more than had done so at the same stage of the 2022 campaign.
There have also been more than 100,000 votes cast with mobile voting teams and 2.6 million postal vote applications.
