MARK BUTLER MP 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING 
MEMBER FOR HINDMARSH 

RICHARD MARLES MP 
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION, EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS AND SMALL BUSINESS 
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SCIENCE 
MEMBER FOR CORIO 

LIBBY COKER MP  
MEMBER FOR CORANGAMITE 

Under Labor, families in the Geelong region will get the bulk-billed, urgent medical care they need, without having to wait hours at over-burdened hospital emergency departments. 

An Albanese Labor Government will fund Medicare Urgent Care Clinics to be based at GP surgeries and Community Health Centres in at least 50 locations across Australia, including in Geelong. 

Only Richard Marles, Libby Coker and Labor have a plan to expand GP emergency care access in Geelong by delivering a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.  

Corio and Corangamite families are already struggling to access emergency care and are under pressure from rising out-of-pocket costs to see a GP, which only contributes to the strain on household budgets.  

Under the Liberals, out-of-pocket costs to see a GP in Corio have gone up by 43 per cent. Out-of-pocket costs to see a GP in Corangamite have gone up by 44 per cent. 

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will take the pressure off hospital emergency departments by providing an alternative option for families needing urgent care from a doctor or nurse.  

They will treat sprains and broken bones, cuts, wounds, insect bites, minor ear and eye problems and minor burns.  

Care will be bulk-billed, meaning families won’t be out-of-pocket for having a loved one attended to, just like if they’d gone to a public hospital.  

They’ll be open seven days a week from at least 8 am to 10 pm – the time when the majority of non-life-threatening injuries occur.  

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will relieve pressure on hospitals, and free up dedicated nurses and doctors at hospital emergency departments so they can focus on providing care for serious and life-threating presentations. 

Each clinic will differ in size and structure, and the Urgent Care Clinic in the Geelong region will be tailored to meet the needs of the local community. 

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will be located across Australia – in every State and Territory.  

Labor will invest over $135 million across four years to establish a trial of 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.  

Mark Butler, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing said: 

“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are a practical, tangible example of Labor’s commitment to strengthen Medicare and make it easier for families to access care. 

“Medicare is the bedrock of our health system and by using it to help take the pressure off hospital emergency departments we can make the whole system stronger.”  

Richard Marles, Member for Corio said:   

“Labor’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will mean more families will get top quality care from a nurse or a doctor without having to wait in a hospital emergency department.   

“These clinics are a key part of Labor’s plan to strengthen Medicare by making it easier to see a doctor.  

“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will take the pressure off emergency departments, so they can concentrate on saving lives.”  

Libby Coker, Member for Corangamite said:  

“An Urgent Care Clinic in the Geelong region will give people in the communities I represent a vital new option to receive urgent medical care without having to go to the emergency department. 

“This is a great new initiative from Labor. We created Medicare and an Albanese Labor Government will strengthen Medicare by providing people with the care they need, when they need it, at no cost.”