Labor’s commitment to a $204.5 million expansion of telehealth services is drawing significant attention in the lead-up to the Australian federal election.
The policy promises free, after-hours GP consultations through a 24/7 hotline called ‘1800MEDICARE‘, designed to ease pressure on hospitals and provide essential healthcare services across the country.
The Coalition has since announced that it will match this plan if it wins the election, but it has raised concerns about the scope of Labor’s proposal, calling it little more than a rebranding of existing services.
Labor’s Telehealth Expansion
The Australian government under Labor is pushing to revolutionise after-hours healthcare through a $204.5 million initiative aimed at extending telehealth services to cover periods between 6 PM and 8 AM on weekdays, as well as weekends.
The new service, called ‘1800MEDICARE’, would allow patients to access bulk-billed telehealth consultations with GPs during these times. The program is expected to ease the burden on emergency departments, especially in states like Queensland and Tasmania, where healthcare resources are stretched.
Health Minister Mark Butler outlined that approximately 250,000 Australians would benefit from avoiding unnecessary hospital visits, thanks to the availability of remote consultations with GPs.
In addition, registered nurses would be available 24/7 to guide patients through the system, offering immediate advice and referring them to the appropriate healthcare provider, whether that be a local GP or a hospital.
Coalition’s Critique and Counteroffer
While the Coalition has expressed support for the concept of expanding telehealth services, it has sharply criticised Labor’s proposal. According to Opposition health spokesperson Anne Ruston, the Prime Minister’s claim that this is a new service is misleading.
The Coalition argues that the ‘1800MEDICARE’ system is essentially a repackaged version of the already-existing Healthdirect service, which provides telephone health advice across the country.
The Coalition has also defended its own record on telehealth reforms, pointing to the 2021 decision to make telehealth a permanent option for all Australians.
Ruston emphasised that the reforms made by the Coalition were a “single biggest reform to Medicare in recent history”, implying that the current government’s approach is more substantial than the Labor proposal.
Despite the political differences, both major parties recognise the growing role of telehealth in Australia’s healthcare system.
With telehealth consultations becoming more popular since the pandemic, the question remains whether the proposed changes will provide a sustainable solution to the pressures facing the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
