Within hours of Labor’s election win, four of Australia’s largest health organisations have presented a unified message to the Albanese Government: move quickly from reviews to action or risk squandering a rare window for systemic reform.
“The next 100 days are a real opportunity,” Consumers Health Forum (CHF) Chief Executive Officer Dr Elizabeth Deveny said. “That means working together, across government, clinical and industry groups, departments, communities and trusted peaks like CHF, to reshape a system that better reflects what matters most to the people it’s meant to serve.”
Affordability and consumer voice
CHF wants bulk-billing rates lifted to 90 per cent by 2030, a $25 cap on PBS co-payments promoted to the public, an independent review of urgent-care clinics, fresh investment in prevention and the first steps toward a universal dental scheme.
“People want care they can both afford and access,” Dr Deveny said. “Access is just as important as cost, and for those in rural and regional areas, it can be the bigger challenge.”
Rural gap cannot wait
The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) says 7.3 million Australians outside the cities need concrete timelines for the reforms already reviewed in Labor’s first term.
“Now it is time for the Albanese Government to implement these important reforms and measures and the NRHA stands ready to help in this implementation phase,” chief executive Susi Tegen said.
She singled out stronger primary care, better digital connectivity and full rollout of the Scope of Practice Review to let clinicians “work to their full capacity.”
Palliative care on the agenda
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) brought a petition with more than 40,000 signatures to Parliament House before polling day.
“Leading up to Election Day, Australians made it clear that ‘better access to palliative care’ needs to be a priority for the 48th Parliament,” Chief Executive Officer Camilla Rowland said, urging targeted measures in primary care, aged care and at-home support for people under 65 with a terminal illness.
She welcomed Labor’s campaign pledge to fund a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Palliative Care Plan but added: “More is needed.”
Nurses call for scope-of-practice overhaul
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) argued that multidisciplinary teams and new funding models are essential to keep Medicare sustainable.
“The time to restructure the health system for the future is now,” ACN chief executive Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz said. “Australia must move beyond doctor-only healthcare solutions.”
Zeitz backed blended payment systems, nurse-led clinics and swift action on workforce shortages: “Overcoming resistance to change and doing the technical reform work will deliver enormous benefits to the health budget – and most importantly to patients.”
Related: Workforce crunch, tight timelines top post-election agenda
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
