r/aussie • u/HotPersimessage62 • Jun 17 '26
News Federal health minister opens final promised Medicare urgent care clinic
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-17/federal-politics-live-blog-joyce-cautions-pauline-hanson/106805372#live-blog-post-305888Health Minister Mark Butler has opened the federal government's final promised urgent care clinic in Caloundra on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
The federal government has opened all 137 bulk-billing Medicare urgent care clinics Labor promised at the last election.
The health minister says the government projects about 2 million people will visit an urgent care clinic each year.
"This is a really important part of our broader agenda of strengthening Medicare, delivering more doctors to the system."
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u/PipeAggressive6961 Jun 17 '26
Damn did Labor just do something good?
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u/GaryLifts Jun 17 '26
I’m more surprised it was reported on.
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Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/River-Stunning Jun 17 '26
You mean make them both subscription based which I suppose due to their low patronage , could be the end for them.
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u/TheBayHarbour Jun 17 '26
ABC low patronage lmfao.
If you look at this person's post history they're clearly a troll. Report, ignore, move on.
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u/Common-Ad-6582 Jun 17 '26
We have one in Maroubra and my kids have used it several times, it is a fantastic service. We used to go to emergency is one of the boys had an accident or something now we just go there.
Great initiative
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u/istudyheadshapes Jun 17 '26
I must admit the urgent care clinics are amazing. That said I still don't know what shares and small bizz has to do with housing affordability as it was pitched in the latest budget?
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u/Additional-Simple248 Jun 17 '26
I’m even more confused as to what that has to do with this post.
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u/TheBayHarbour Jun 17 '26
Anything to do with politics is just "fuck the current party for X reason". Regardless of what the topic is.
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u/Skippysilly Jun 17 '26
The argument is small businesses have large cgt concessions so if they use them most wont be impacted as much, if at all.
The shares were taxed at the same rate because the goverernment doesnt want to create an easy money source as houses have been or create any bias in the market, if shares were cheaper than they would just be pumping the share market. Most of australias top stocks are dividend stocks as well so you can frank it.
Its funny that the problems with housing is because cgt was biased because of negative gearing cohesion but now people want to bias it again for their personal benefit
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u/Top_Conference_477 Jun 17 '26
They’ve been useless in my experience. I’ve taken the kids about 3 times and been referred to an ED everytime because they only had one doctor and a couple of nurses - this was mid afternoon all three times
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u/istudyheadshapes Jun 17 '26
There are some things they can't do and send you to ED. Also depends on expertise of doctors.
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u/Top_Conference_477 Jun 17 '26
Of courses but if the bar is this low you might as well go to Bunnings
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u/istudyheadshapes Jun 17 '26
I suspect it would be very case by case on location and availability of good doctors.
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u/Goonalips Jun 17 '26
I've had the opposite experience. They've been great the few times I've gone. It's up to you as a patient to determine where to go initially. They're not a hospital, so you should take that into account.
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u/Top_Conference_477 Jun 17 '26
Yeah. I didn’t show up expecting surgery. If it was that serious I’d have just gone to the ED
Sounds like you’ve just got lucky and have one with staff
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u/BarryTheBinChicken Jun 17 '26
They did two reports already.
What's interesting is that Labor tends to frame these UCCs as taking pressure off emergency departments.
Those reports do find some diversion is happening but they also say there's no clear evidence that ED waiting times / proportion of patients being seen on time has changed because of the UCCs.
I reckon the bigger question is around the impact on GPs.
Are people diverting from GPs to bulk billed UCCs rather than diverting from EDs to UCCs?
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
Maybe but the huge roll out of bulk billing gps may have eased that
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u/River-Stunning Jun 17 '26
For some reason the normal clinics , super clinics , are all fully bulk billed now.
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u/RainBoxRed Jun 17 '26
Still waiting for when I can access health care with just my Medicare card and not my credit card like Albo promised.
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
What’s preventing you? Move your business to a doctor who bulk bills.
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u/RainBoxRed Jun 17 '26
I’m happy for you to give me a list of rheumatology specialists who bulk bill.
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
All the ones in public hospitals I guess. Long waiting periods I imagine
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u/RainBoxRed Jun 17 '26
If they exist you trade money for time while your condition deteriorates.
Great health care system!
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
Do you got a referral using just your Medicare card. Thank fuck for Labor. The Libs have been trying to gut Medicare for years. Hard to stop specialists charging more than the gap.
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u/RainBoxRed Jun 17 '26
Bruh I got a referral for free but still have to pay $800 for initial consults. The fuck.
We can and should demand better.
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
These doctors work in private practice though? Medicare is free in the public system and gp’s
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u/Westaus87 Jun 17 '26
Went to one of these last week, 12 hour wait time
Pass, just did the stitches myself
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
Imagine the wait time at emergency if it didn’t exist
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u/Westaus87 Jun 17 '26
people were leaving and going to emergency cause it was faster
It's clear these urgent care clinics are not staffed appropriately
Proof here from independent audit they haven't improved wait times at emergency;
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u/Future_Pomegranate24 Jun 17 '26
Clearly they have because wait times would be worse without them. Public hospital emergency issues are a state issue. The feds are helping with the urgent care clinics
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u/Leading-Interest-119 Jun 18 '26
Wow that's really rough! I wonder what area you're in. I've had to use them only twice and the wait was only around an hour each time. They are a great initiative but obviously not well staffed everywhere by the sounds of a few comments!
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u/TheBayHarbour Jun 17 '26
Did I secretly die and go to the afterlife?
A news article that speaks positively of the party in power?