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RACGP slams Government’s ‘cherry picked’ bulk-billing intervention
Amid a shakeup of billing models in the ACT, the college warns a ‘short-sighted policy distorting the market is the last thing the community deserves’.
The Bulk Billing GP Attraction Initiative is part of a $24.3 million package to open three bulk-billed general practices in the ACT.
Angered by recent Federal Government bulk-billing intervention in Canberra, the RACGP is warning that policies forcing universal bulk billing will destabilise the health system and undermine existing practices.
Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler recently announced a ‘future secured’ for general practice in the Australian Capital Territory under a $10.5 million initiative to deliver new bulk-billing clinics in the capital – where rates remain low compared to the rest of Australia.
The Bulk Billing GP Attraction Initiative comes as part of a $24.3 million package announced late last year to open three bulk-billed general practices in the ACT under a strong ‘market intervention’ campaign.
These clinics have committed to bulk billing for three years with an intention to maintain universal bulk billing after the funding ends.
Minister Butler also allocated fresh funding for the Interchange Health Co-op at the Tuggeranong Family Medical Centre to support the new provider, ForHealth Group, to take over and maintain services.
A heavily relied on clinic which supports around 5000 patients with complex health needs, the Co-op was placed into voluntary administration in April last year, with the Labor Party promising to help re-open its doors if re-elected.
The bolstered funding and security for the practices has been welcomed by many in the Canberra community, with hopes it will increase access to healthcare and ‘make a real difference for families’.
‘Canberra has had issues with GP availability for a long time – having three new GP clinics will help make medical care cheaper and more accessible for many Canberrans,’ Minister Butler said.
‘Most importantly, Tuggeranong Family Medical Centre will continue to bulk bill for its services, so they will be accessible to patients who need affordable care.’
But RACGP President Dr Michael Wright has been left frustrated by the Government’s move, saying there are dangers of distorting the market and destabilising the health system.
‘We have been concerned about what this threatened intervention by the Health Minister might look like for some months,’ he told newsGP.
‘This is not the kind of health policy we need – if the Minister wants to intervene, the real intervention is properly funding Medicare rebates.
‘Cherry-picking a few practices or professions to support just distorts the market and risks destabilising healthcare and our health system in the community.’
Meanwhile, RACGP Vice President and West Australian practice owner, Dr Ramya Raman, warns ‘we are now firmly entering a two-tier system’.
‘The rest of general practice is expected to survive on incentive-driven medicine that doesn’t cover the cost of care,’ she told newsGP.
‘When the Government has to pay millions of dollars to create bulk-billing clinics, it’s an admission that Medicare reforms are not fit for purpose.
‘That is not reform. Bulk billing should not be something “won” through a tender process. This is undermining existing practices.’
Dr Wright added that the initiative is a ‘poorly thought-out policy’.
‘It is destabilising a market by pump-priming a small number of practices rather than supporting Medicare rebates for all practices,’ he said.
‘This type of market distortion is not in the best interest of the local community nor the many practices who won’t be supported by these measures. They are really getting a slap in the face for providing high-quality care for their community, while facing the reality of increasing costs for providing this care.
‘The Government really needs to reconsider these types of policies. They certainly don’t do anything to grow the trust of the local GPs who have the best interests of the patients and the community at heart.
‘GPs and practices have been providing care in this community for a long time, they know how to make this sustainable, and a simplistic policy that disrupts or distorts the market is the last thing this community deserves.’
Currently, 19 general practices in the ACT are registered with the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program.
The latest Cleanbill Blue Report reveals that 11.5% of the territory’s GP clinics are now universally bulk billing, an increase from 3.3% in 2025. The average standard consultation fee is the highest in Australia at $100, and the ACT’s bulk-billing rate stands at around 51% compared with 78% nationally.
Under the Government-funded Bulk Billing GP Attraction Initiative, the three new bulk-billing clinics opening across the ACT by 30 June:
- Macquarie General Practice in Gungahlin
- Next Practice Deakin in South Tuggeranong
- Ochre Health in Molonglo
Instead of ‘short-sighted policies’, Dr Wright says the Government needs to set policies based on the long-term needs of patients and communities.
‘For a long time, the Canberra GP market has struggled with getting an adequate workforce, and that’s the major factor behind this – supporting more GPs to work in Canberra is the solution,’ he said.
‘This policy also risks developing a two-tier health system, and I’m really concerned this kind of health policy wedges some practices against one another.
‘That’s not in the best interest of any part of the community or our profession.’
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