Media release – Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia; Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care,
Strengthening Medicare: 50 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will build on its historic investment in Medicare to expand the availability of free, urgent care, with a $644 million commitment to open another 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, with more clinics in every state and territory.
- New South Wales: 14 clinics
- Victoria: 12 clinics
- Queensland: 10 clinics
- Western Australia: 6 clinics
- South Australia: 3 clinics
- Tasmania: 3 clinics
- Northern Territory: 1 clinic
- Aust. Capital Territory: 1 clinic
The Albanese Labor Government went to the last election promising to open 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and we have delivered 87 clinics.
The new clinics will open during the 2025-26 financial year. A full list of the locations of the additional 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics is available below.
Once all of Labor’s clinics are open, 4 in 5 Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, according to analysis by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
All you will need is your Medicare card, not your credit card.
More than 1.2 million Australians have already been treated at one of Labor’s existing 87 Urgent Care Clinics, which provide bulk billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week, for extended hours, with no appointment needed.
Parents and families swear by them: one third of patients are under the age of 15.
The Liberals say the Albanese Labor Government’s Urgent Care Clinics are “wasteful spending”. Peter Dutton will close every Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, forcing over a million Australians a year back into the waiting rooms of busy hospital emergency departments.
Doctors have embraced the clinics, with a survey finding 7 in 10 GPs support Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and 8 in 10 GPs say they have a positive impact on hospital emergency departments.
Around 2 million Australians are expected to make use of an Urgent Care Clinic each year, getting the free urgent care they need, fully bulk billed, without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department.
This extends Labor’s election commitment to strengthening Medicare, with the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago:
- $644 million for 50 more Urgent Care Clinics, with more in every state and territory.
- $7.9 billion for more bulk billing, with 9 in 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030.
- $617 million for more doctors and nurses, with the largest GP training program ever.
- $573 million for more choice, lower costs, and better health care for women.
The $644 million investment for 50 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics was provisioned for in 2024-25 MYEFO.
Video – Patient case studies | Sarah Hunstead’s visit | Bhavana’s visit
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Animated explainer – When should you visit | What do Urgent Care Clinics offer
Advertisement – That’s a case for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
“This announcement of 50 additional Urgent Care Clinics if we are re-elected will provide the urgent care people need – and all you will need is your Medicare card, not your credit card.
“Labor is building Australia’s future with the largest investment in Medicare in over 40 years.
“Whether your family needs urgent or ongoing health care, under Labor, Medicare will be there for all Australians, in every community.
“Four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk billed Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, once all Labor’s clinics are open.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler
“Australia’s doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.
“The Liberals had nine years to open Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and they never opened a single one. Now they call Labor’s clinics ‘wasteful spending’ and want to close every single one of them.
“Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are an Albanese Government initiative because we believe in Medicare and in free urgent care, fully bulk billed.
“You can’t trust the Liberals with Medicare: you can’t trust them to open Urgent Care Clinics and you can’t trust them to keep them open.”
Locations of the additional 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
The locations of the additional 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have been determined according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) geographic areas. More information on the SA3 locations for the 50 additional Medicare Urgent Care Clinics is available at: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/locations-of-the-additional-50-medicare-urgent-care-clinics
- New South Wales (14 clinics)
- Bathurst
- Bega
- Burwood
- Chatswood
- Dee Why
- Green Valley and surrounds
- Maitland
- Marrickville
- Nowra
- Rouse Hill
- Shellharbour
- Terrigal
- Tweed Valley
- Windsor
- Victoria (12 clinics)
- Bayside
- Clifton Hill
- Coburg
- Diamond Creek and surrounds
- Lilydale
- Pakenham
- Somerville
- Stonnington
- Sunshine
- Torquay
- Warrnambool
- Warragul
- Queensland (10 clinics)
- Brisbane
- Buderim
- Burpengary
- Cairns
- Caloundra
- Capalaba
- Carindale
- Gladstone
- Greenslopes and surrounds
- Mackay
- Western Australia (6 clinics)
- Bateman
- Ellenbrook
- Geraldton
- Mirrabooka
- Mundaring
- Yanchep
- South Australia (3 clinics)
- East Adelaide
- Victor Harbor
- Whyalla
- Tasmania (3 clinics)
- Burnie
- Kingston
- Sorell
- Northern Territory (1 clinic)
- Darwin
- Australian Capital Territory (1 clinic)
- Woden Valley
The locations and providers of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics will be determined through independent commissioning processes conducted by Primary Health Networks or state and territory governments.
The commissioning process typically involves a competitive open tender or expression-of-interest, to determine the most appropriate private provider to operate the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in that location.
Media release – Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Health, 3 March 2025
Federal Labor must lock in urgent care clinics before election
The Tasmanian Liberal Government welcomes the announcement of three new urgent care clinics (UCC) in Tasmania, which will mean more people can access general practitioner (GP) services faster.
Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma, said we’ve been putting the case to Federal Labor for more than a year for additional UCC locations in Tasmania’s regions.
“We’ve been advocating for new UCCs, including one in Sorell and Burnie, and we’re pleased to see the Federal Government has finally come to the table,” Minister Petrusma said.
“This was the worst-kept secret in Tasmania following Labor candidates advertising their sham petitions calling on their own party to commit to more UCCs.
“These clinics are too important to be an election commitment – we want to sign an agreement before the Federal election, as soon as possible.
“Our Government stands ready to assist in operating the new clinics by completing the tendering and contracting, like we have for existing UCCs.
“Unaffordable GP appointments means more people turning up to our emergency departments with non-life threatening conditions, which increases wait times for all patients and increases demand on our amazing healthcare workers.
“We continue to call on the Federal Government to lock in more new UCC locations, including another one in Launceston and one for Rosny, to support Tasmania’s healthcare needs in growing regional areas across the state.”
