Election days away, Tassie has its say

3 minute read


Only days away from the election, Tasmanian health advocates have taken their stance on what the major parties should be delivering.


The loss of PHN-funded Tasmanian telehealth service has become a focal point of the state election, with the RACGP, AMA and ACRRM all expressing their disappointment with the decision to cut funding to the network.

“Our members are deeply concerned this will risk leaving rural hospitals, aged care facilities, and vulnerable patients without critical after-hours local medical support,” AMA Tasmania vice president Dr Meg Creely said.

“This isn’t just a funding issue, it’s a patient safety issue.”

Health advocacy bodies have called for the government to support collaboration with Primary Health Tasmania and the GP Assist working group to maintain services and transition to a modernised “Tasmanian Virtual ED” model.

“The VVED is very keen to partner with the Tasmanian Government and the GP Assist working group to maintain essential acute care services for all Tasmanians and transition to a modernised Tasmanian Virtual ED model, staffed by Tasmanian clinicians,” Hobart GP Dr Emily Isham said.

Rural advocates have been especially concerned about the program’s withdrawal given the dependence of rural communities in accessing the service.

ACRRM Tasmania rural director of training Dr Aaron Hawkins expressed concern that replacing GP Assist with a nationally-run model would weaken care continuity due to a lack of local context.

“We call on the parties contesting the election this weekend either continue funding GP Assist, or commit to a replacement model that meets the unique needs of rural and remote Tasmanian communities,” Dr Hawkins said.

The Labor party have announced a replacement for GP Assist to be titled TassieDoc 24/7 that would launch on 1 February 2026.

While the program is developed, Labor has committed to extending GP Assist funding for an additional six months.

“There was over 11,000 potential visits to an Emergency Department that were avoided through that GP assist service,” Shadow minister for health Ella Haddad told The Medical Republic.

“We’ll keep the service running for six months while preparing for the transition to the TassieDoc 24/7, that will continue will be worked on for the first of February.”

As at time of writing, the Liberal party of Tasmania have not yet released a statement regarding the integration of 1800 Medicare or on the handling of GP Assist’s future.

A YouGov poll from June has shown that 52% of Tasmanian voters are prioritising health and health investment this election.

ACRRM has reiterated that this election is a prime opportunity for all parties to demonstrate genuine commitment to rural, remote and First Nations healthcare.

The Labor Party has put primary care at the forefront of its health campaigning, calling for primary care to receive state support in addition to federal.

“It’s not good enough that the Liberal Party basically says primary care is not our job, it’s the domain of the federal government,” Shadow minister for health Ella Haddad told TMR.

“We know that being able to avoid hospital admission because people have early access to GP led care is really vitally important, and I do want GPS in Tasmania to know that we recognise and value that.”

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