A rolling wrap of reaction to the Federal Budget, and key health issues

Marie McInerney reports that, in his 2024-25 Budget speech, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the “number one priority of this Government and this Budget is helping Australians with the cost of living”.

The Budget includes the Federal Government’s rejigged stage 3 tax cuts to deliver benefits to more and less wealthy households and a $300 annual rebate for every household (not just those on income support or low incomes) on their energy costs.

It freezes the cost of medicines for everyone for two years and for five years for pensioners and concession card holders, and allocates $227 million for a further 29 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

It also will index student loans, provides more rental support, boost aged care workers wages (with a provision for child care workers), and makes commitments to remote housing and jobs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

However, there is a big issue of inequity in the Budget, with the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) saying it “cruelly denies the increase in income support that over one million people struggling to survive on JobSeeker and Youth Allowance desperately need”.

The Budget also fails to commit funding to the Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC), which the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) has strongly criticised, saying it suggests “pandemic amnesia four years after the lives of everyone in Australia was upended”.

• Budget papers
• Department of Health and Aged Care budget links
• Statement by Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney
• Women’s Budget statement

This post is being updated with responses to the Budget, and includes statements from: Public Health Association of Australia, Planetary Health Equity Hothouse at ANU, Australian Health Promotion Association, Australian College of Nursing, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, Consumers Health Forum of Australia, cohealth, FARE, Australian College of Midwives, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), Australian Medical Association, headspace, Professor Ian Hickie, Australians for Mental Health, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Suicide Prevention Australia, Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, People with Disability Australia, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, Palliative Care Australia, Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australian Physiotherapy Association, Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health, Allied Health Professions Australia, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, National Rural Health Alliance, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Oxfam Australia, ActionAid, AMES Australia, Health Equity Matters, ASHM, Royal Australian College of GPs, Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Australasian College of Paramedicine, Catholic Health Australia, Dementia Australia, MS Australia, Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Medicines Australia, Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes, Lung Foundation Australia, Medical Technology Association of Australia, Australian Association of Psychologists.

Big picture missing and pandemic amnesia

Public Health Association of Australia

“The Albanese Government’s third budget since its 2022 election promise of an improved pandemic preparedness and response by establishing an Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) has once again failed to fully fund this vital health institution.

“An Interim ACDC was set up with $90m over two years in the 2023 budget, but thus far has been basically invisible to the public. The future of the agency remains unclear. “

“The absence of any budget line item for the ACDC suggests pandemic amnesia four years after the lives of everyone in Australia was upended,” Public Health Association of Australia CEO, Adjunct Professor Prof Terry Slevin said.

“An ACDC must serve many functions, including leading the national effort to properly prepare for future pandemics, which infectious disease experts have repeatedly warned are likely to happen.

“We had hoped that this budget would contain clear resource allocation and timelines explaining how and when the Albanese Government would fulfil its election promise to establish and fund the ACDC. That hope has been dashed.”

ACDC requires preparation

COVID-19 changed the world, and upended life in Australia for more than two years, and has had lasting effects. Responsible governments invest to prepare their countries for future likely events that may mimic or exceed COVID-19 as a threat to the health of people in Australia.

The Australian Government heavily invests in defence to manage and reduce risks and responds significantly to major fires with greater investment in firefighting capacity and infrastructure.

Its response to the public health crisis must be significant and take a long-term view to minimising future health risks not just from infectious diseases, but also preventable chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases which cost billions to treat.

“This budget failed to give certainty to the future of disease control in Australia, which should be our chance to reduce the burden of health threats both known and unknown. As we learned in 2020/21, unless we have a healthy population, we cannot have a healthy economy,” Prof Slevin said.

“This budget kicks the election commitment to establish a real ACDC down the road again. It builds enormous expectations for the pre-election MYEFO – assuming there is one. If not, we fear this vitally important 2022 election commitment to the health of future generations of people in Australia may fail to materialise.”

Other Public Health measures

“That aside, we welcome $43.9m to tackle HIV/AIDS, and $126m for expanded testing, treatment and prevention, including extending access to point-of-care testing for First Nations people and rural and remote communities.

“The $71m for cancer prevention, screening and treatment programs will save lives and improve people’s heath. We continue to support the government’s strong leadership on tobacco and vaping.

“Of the nearly $500m allocated for sport, only $130m goes to community sport. But creating a physically active nation must go far beyond what happens on the sporting field. $300m is for the Australian Institute for Sport and elite drug testing. People may love the AIS and support clean Olympians – but that is not about preventive health.

“One vital social determinant of health is housing, and we are pleased to see significant money toward housing.” 

Big picture missing

“Looking at the big picture, Australia still spends less than 2% of health spending on public and preventive health measures. Of this $1.3b package, $600m is for ongoing COVID-19 vaccinations which are vital to retain and support.

“Investing a mere 5% of health spending in prevention would make a real difference to the health of people in Australia both now and over the long term,” Prof Slevin said.

Harmful systems maintained

Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, ANU

Despite the Albanese Government’s stated commitments, this year’s Commonwealth Budget fails to meaningfully address the drivers of intergenerational inequity.

Director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, Professor Sharon Friel, says:

“While the Albanese Government has offered a lot of impressive rhetoric on some big issues the Budget doesn’t do nearly enough to actually address them.

“There are silences in how the Albanese Government is going to fund science-based climate action; equity-based health policy; or progressive governance models that can ensure the transformative change we need.

“Treasurer Chalmers didn’t speak to phasing out of fossil fuels and focused more on service delivery than the prevention of premature death and mortality.

“Whilst many of the social policies are commendable, including funding for gender-based violence, an equity lens was missing.

Political Economist at Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, Dr Nick Frank, says:

“Despite best evidence, this Budget reflects the ongoing commitment to the existing growth model at the detriment of planetary health equity outcomes.

“The fiscal outlook itself speaks to Australia’s vulnerability to international economic forces and overreliance on credit to drive asset price inflation, for example in housing, to stimulate economic growth.

“The budget avoids crucial areas of policy change including an effective drawdown of fossil fuel subsidies, acceleration of green energy generation and the implementation of a true windfall tax on fossil fuel exports, while allocating ~$10billion of taxpayers money to the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme in this year’s budget”

At the Hothouse, our research is focused on the biggest challenges of the 21st century – climate change, poor health and inequities. According to the government’s own Intergenerational report, ‘the decisions that we make in this defining decade will go a long way to ensuring our country has its best years ahead of it’. We need to see this translated into a shift in how the economy is used that we simply aren’t seeing in this budget.

This Budget is the clearest indication yet that while intentions are good, the focus on growth for growth sake, and not what growth can do for people and planet, maintains the consumptogenic system.

Lacking support for key measures

Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA)

AHPA commends the Government on many of the initiatives funded in the federal budget which will positively affect health and wellbeing in Australia. However, along with other health organisations, AHPA expresses disappointment at the absence of health promotion, illness prevention, and equity commitments.

Investing in health promotion is a smart strategy. It keeps people out of hospital, reduces the burden on overstretched health services and allows people to live healthier, more productive lives. Health promotion and illness prevention save lives and money and deliver the best public return on investment in health. Every dollar invested in health promotion and prevention goes on to save $14[1].

AHPA calls on the Australian Government to get serious about promoting health and to clearly commit at least 5% of the health budget to Health Promotion and Illness Prevention, in line with the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2023.

As outlined in AHPA’s Pre-Budget Submission, our key recommendations relate to resourcing to support the:

• Implementation, monitoring and evaluation of, the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030
• Progress of an Australian Centre for Disease Control with a strong focus on health promotion
• Enhancing the Australian Health Promotion and Prevention Workforce
• Action on the forces that shape health.

The budget lacked clear support for these measures.

AHPA calls for a greater focus on the government’s stated aspirations for a wellbeing economy by considering a wellbeing lens on future budget allocations. A wellbeing economy is prosperous, creates health and well-being and protects the planet’s resources for future generations.

AHPA supports relevant public health and social policy recommendations of key organisations of which the Association is a member, such as the Climate and Health Alliance and the Australian Council of Social Services. This includes sufficient and long-term funding for effective implementation and evaluation of Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy, housing security, a fairer tax system and social safety net improvements.

Considering the recent and disappointing Referendum outcome, it is critical that the Government ensures sustainable funding to support the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including direct funding of the community-controlled sector to allow for initiatives to meet the community’s needs.

As the peak body for health promotion in Australia, we continue to strive for a healthier, equitable Australia.

Further recognition of vital role of nurses and nursing

Australian College of Nursing

The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) welcomes the cumulative impact of funding and measures in tonight’s Federal Budget as recognition by the Government of the vital and significant role of nurses and nursing in providing quality health care for all Australians.

Interim ACN CEO, Emeritus Professor Leanne Boyd, said that direct and indirect measures in the health Budget, and more broadly across portfolios, will help keep nurses in nursing, attract more people to nursing and others to return to nursing, and lead to more accessible and affordable quality health care for the Australian population.

“This Budget contains measures that respect nursing and recognise the unique and valued role that nurses play across the health system in so many settings,” Professor Boyd said.

“We see this Budget as a significant building block as the Government’s health reform agenda – led by the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce-Scope of Practice Review – builds momentum, with multiple reviews to be finalised in the second half of this year.

“Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Midwives stand ready to work to their full scope of practice to complement a stressed and strained medical workforce.

“An unleashed nursing workforce will provide quality care where it is most needed, particularly in rural, remote, and regional communities where other health professionals are leaving, retiring, or are in short supply.

“The Government’s decisions to introduce Commonwealth Prac Payments for compulsory training work placements for nurses and provide HECS/HELP relief to ease student debt will help bolster the nursing workforce.

“The Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program will support and encourage nurses and midwives to get higher qualifications to enable them to prescribe, order pathology, and provide patient referrals, Professor Boyd said.

“The funding of an additional 29 Urgent Care Clinics provides nurses with more opportunities to lead care and pursue different career pathway options.

“The nurse-led walk-in clinics in the ACT – delivered under the Urgent Care Clinic banner – are proof that this model of care keeps pressure off emergency departments and general practices, values nursing skills and experience, and provides patients and communities with quality and affordable health care.

“Significant funding has been provided to assist women with endometriosis and other complex gynaecological conditions.

“This complements the recent scholarship program partnership between ACN and Endometriosis Australia to train Endometriosis Specialty Nurses for remote communities.

“There are important measures to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vaccination rates and provide cheaper PBS medications for eligible First Nations patients.

“The aged care system, workforce, residents, and older Australians will benefit from additional home care packages, significant IT upgrades, measures to support enrolled nurses in aged care, and funding for better career pathways for all nurses in aged care.

“We also welcome new funding for mental health nurses, new MBS items for midwives and nurse practitioners, and measures to improve indemnity insurance cover for midwives.

“As a highly feminised workforce, nursing and nurses will benefit – professionally and personally – from the Government’s funding for housing; tackling family, domestic and sexual violence; tax cuts; higher wages in aged care and childcare; and the payment of superannuation on the publicly funded Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme.”

ACN will examine the Budget papers more closely and make additional comment in coming days.

Welcome investment in women’s health

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

The Federal Budget includes commitments dedicated exclusively to women. The women’s budget details how the government intends to improve the lives of women who make up 51% of the current population yet face gender-based systemic disadvantages in a myriad of areas.

Here’s an overview of what the federal health budget has allocated which will impact women’s healthcare.

Funding for Chronic Pelvic Pain Conditions

$49.1 million has been pledged to help women access longer appointments of 45 minutes for complex gynaecological conditions such as persistent pelvic pain, and endometriosis. Two new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items have been added providing a higher fee for initial and subsequent consultations, as well as an extended 60-minute MBS item for GPs.

While this is a step in the right direction, investment in education and training for health care providers working in clinical centres for pain management will be required to support effective assessment of care solutions.

MBS Review & Addition of Medicines to the PBS  

There will be a review of MBS items to address gender-bias within the healthcare system. This will include items for long-acting contraception, and diagnostic imaging. Rebates for many common pathology tests, including for infertility/pregnancy and tissue pathology, will rise each year for the first time in 25 years ($174.1 million)

New medicines used in the treatment of endometrial cancer have been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Dostarlimab (Jemperli®) will be listed for the first time, in combination with chemotherapy. Without subsidy, patients might pay more than $139,000 for one course of treatment.

RANZCOG highlighted the gender-based inequities within PBS at its recentRoundtable on Improving Access to Medications & Devices in Pregnancy and Women’s Health. The College would also welcome the addition of Ryeqo – a drug recently approved in Australia for use in treating endometriosis – to the PBS to improve equity of access to treatment options.

Resources to Address Gaps in Women’s Healthcare

A $5.2 million investment in training for rural and remote healthcare professionals on the insertion and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) has been pledged to ensure women can access LARCs if that is their preferred option, regardless of where they live.

$12.5 million will be provided to address period poverty in First Nations communities by delivering free period products.

The extension of sexual and reproductive telehealth items will mean that women receive support accessing affordable abortion services, with a particular focus on those in rural and remote areas.

$50 million has been allocated to establish a new scholarship fund to support the qualification of more nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives who will be able to prescribe medications, provide referrals, and perform device insertions. The initiative aims to enhance workforce capacity for these healthcare providers contributing to multidisciplinary maternity care teams. RANZCOG emphasises the importance of all relevant healthcare practitioners working collaboratively for the benefit of women, babies and their families.

The introduction of Commonwealth Prac Payments in teaching, nursing, midwifery, and social work will assist students undertaking mandatory placements to manage associated costs.

Investment in Health & Medical Research

A package of $1.89 billion will be invested in health and medical research overall, with women’s health identified as one of three key priority areas eligible to receive more funding for new research.

An immediate investment of $53.6 million over 4 years will target research into women’s health including menopause, pregnancy loss, infertility, and sexual reproductive health.

Underrepresentation of women and pregnant people in medical research was a crucial issue identified at the 2024 Women’s Health Summit, and more significant funding will be required to rectify this.

Improving Education, Support and Awareness for Miscarriage

$7 million has been promised to aid awareness, education, and support for miscarriage for women, their families, and healthcare professionals.

The budget commits a further $6.5 million for a scoping study of miscarriages and sexual reproductive health by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Support for Preventing Violence Against Women & Children

Additional funding has been promised to support women facing gender-based violence. As a critical issue impacting women’s health, this allocation underscores the urgent need to address violence against women and children. See more on the ways in which RANZCOG is addressing gender-based violence.

RANZCOG is encouraged by the budget initiatives announced today, but warns against underinvestment in regional, rural, and remote maternity care. The College continues to advocate for funding for multidisciplinary training in maternity care and procedural training for GP obstetricians and looks forward to continuing dialogue with the government in addressing these critical areas of need.

Dr Gillian Gibson, RANZCOG President said: “While it’s promising to see women’s health as a focus within the Australian federal budget, it’s undeniable that further investment will be needed to make tangible progress. The government should be commended for continuing to focus on women’s health needs, but at the same time we should all recognise that the systemic gender-bias embedded in institutions like the MBS cannot be unwound in one budget or with one announcement. Sustained focus is required.”

Tinkering around the edges

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association

“Despite establishing Australia’s first national wellbeing framework and increasing expenditure on health and aged care, the Government’s spending reflects little investment in a sustainable health system for the future.

This year’s federal budget increases spending on health and aged care by $9.7 billion compared with the May 2023-24 budget. It indicates that total health and aged care spending over the next four years will be $628 billion, an increase of $37 billion from the May 2023-24 budget allocation of $590 billion.

‘This is the eyewatering cost of tinkering around the edges of our current system. Expenditure will continue to escalate when there is an absence of spending for the long-term reform the health system needs’, says AHHA Chief Executive Kylie Woolcock.

‘The biggest reforms appear in mental health and suicide prevention. The mental health package described in the Budget reflects a value-based approach committed to the Medicare principle of universality. People will have a model of care available to them that is appropriate for their level of need. The models will utilise a diverse mental health workforce with each working to the top of their scope. Equitable access and affordability have been identified as key to their success.’

‘The same cannot be said for primary care and preventive health.

‘In contrast with last year’s Budget, where a raft of Medicare reforms in general practice and primary care were announced as measures to relieve the pressure on hospitals, this Budget directs funding to the states and territories to support earlier discharge from hospital.

‘And for rural communities, the investments in health infrastructure are welcome, but will not address the critical support needed for innovative models of care and a workforce that supports place-based wellbeing and prevention.

‘Investments in health and climate change, as well as announcements on the long-awaited Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC), are also notably absent.’

Women the winners

Australian College of Midwives

ACM welcomes the Albanese Government’s investment in the midwifery workforce and prioritisation of women’s health and choice of care.

Women’s health is a clear priority in the 2024/2025 Federal Budget with funding allocated to invest in the future midwifery workforce as well as to improve maternity care for women.

ACM congratulates the Albanese Government on funding the outstanding five recommendations for MBS items for Endorsed Midwives, from the 2020 MBS Taskforce , allowing women greater flexibility and access to best practice primary midwifery care. $56.5 million has been assigned to fund these items which include increasing the duration for initial antenatal appointment to 90 minutes, introducing a new item for antenatal attendance, and for complex antenatal care leading to hospital admission as well as a new 90 minute postnatal item which will allow women access to birth debriefing, mental health and domestic violence screening.

ACM Chief Midwife Alison Weatherstone said, “midwives and maternity consumers have long advocated for these barriers to care be removed through the funding of recommended MBS items. It is so positive to see recognition of the evidence: that midwifery continuity of care improves outcomes, and that the Government has recognised the need for these priorities to be funded.”

The Government has prioritised access to long sought after homebirth options for women, covering 100% of claim costs for privately practising midwives providing low-risk homebirth and intrapartum care outside of the hospital, ending the longstanding professional indemnity insurance exemption with a permanent solution. This is a significant step forward for women’s choice of care.

Access to Birthing on Country (BoC) models of care for First Nations people is also significantly enhanced by the insurance measures, including for midwives providing intrapartum care outside the hospital in BoC models.
$5.2 million has been allocated to training health professionals, including midwives, in the insertion, management and removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC). This is clear recognition of midwives’ key role as primary sexual and reproductive health care providers and firmly places contraceptive care within a midwife’s scope of practice.

ACM also welcomes the provision of clinical placement payments for midwifery students undertaking mandatory university workplace placements. This funding will ensure students are not forced out of study due to financial hardship, particularly amidst the current cost of living crisis. In the face of rising demand, this will go a long way to ensuring a stable workforce into the future.

This budget demonstrates that the Government is actioning their commitment to women with significant investment. The Government has also recognised the complex issues of pain, recognition of gynaecological issues and the management of menopause.

“To have women’s health recognised through an almost $50 million investment in endometriosis and complex gynaecological care is also incredibly significant.”

“As we work towards equity of access to continuity of midwifery care for all women in Australia and career pathways for midwives that are sustainable and professionally satisfying, this is a fundamental step forward for maternity care for women and families in Australia.”

Welcome funding for health and aged care

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF)

The largest union in the country, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) welcomes the Albanese Government’s $8.5 billion in the Budget for health, including $2.8 billion to strengthen Medicare and $2.2 billion for aged care to continue implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

The ANMF applauds new Medicare rebates for midwives to provide longer consultations before and after child birth; additional bulk-billed, urgent care clinics; higher Medicare rebates for women to see a gynaecologist for endometriosis and access to longer consultations; expanded, free mental health services; new PBS listings for invasive breast cancer and heart disease and bowel cancer screening and increased Commonwealth contributions to the cost of care under the National Health Reform Agreement.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said tax cuts; $1.1 billion in superannuation contributions for paid parental leave (PPL); funding for further wage rises for aged care workers; paid clinical placements for nursing and midwifery students and reductions in HECS debts, would also help ease the ever-increasing cost-of-living pressures for frontline nurses, midwives and care workers.

“This Budget is good news for our ANMF members,” Ms Butler said.

“The Government’s continuing commitment to investment in health and aged care addresses a number of issues that have been impacting the ability of our nurses, midwives and care workers to deliver quality care and creates a pathway for further, and much needed, policy reforms leading to a modern Medicare and improved access to timely health care.

“While full details will follow, the Government’s commitment to funding further wage increases in aged care will certainly be welcomed by under-paid and undervalued, predominantly female, workers. We commend the Government for recognising the true value of the work performed in traditionally female dominated industries.

“But we are calling on the Government to commit to bold reforms, which empower nurses and midwives to work to their full scope of practice – and the additional MBS items in tonight’s Budget for midwives, is a promising first-step for our members.

“The Government must remove historic barriers which continue to prevent Australians from accessing quality care when and where they need it, without the need to see a doctor.

“Placing nurses and midwives at the forefront of patient-centred care is the answer to fixing and future-proofing health and aged care.”

Progress in some areas of health but missed opportunities in others

Consumers Health Forum of Australia

The Federal Budget serves as a placeholder in what could have been a landmark year for health reforms.

The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) recognises some strides made in health care sectors, yet crucial opportunities to deliver comprehensive, affordable, and accessible healthcare were overlooked.

CHF is very happy to see the PBS indexation frozen. The freeze is for five years for pensioners and health care card holders, while everyone else will receive a further 12-month freeze.

“We know that consumers want more affordable access to their medications, and it is pleasing to see that tonight’s Budget delivers on this, it is a win for consumers,” said CHF CEO Dr Elizabeth Deveny.

CHF also acknowledges that the government plans to deliver some extra financial help with rebates for power bills and a slight increase in rental assistance for some people, but notes that the rates of most other welfare payments, including NewStart, have not been increased.

“We strongly believe that the rate of NewStart and other welfare payments must be increased, so people relying on these payments can keep up with the cost of living and simply afford to live – which includes their healthcare costs,” said Dr Deveny.

Ricki, a consumer living with complex health conditions said “While tonight’s budget provides some rental support, it still forces me to make a tough decision between paying my rent and adequately managing my healthcare needs. I live with complex health needs and every dollar counts for me. It’s great that some of my payments are going up, but I’m not left with much money left over at the end of the week.

The government has announced that a further 29 extra Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are set to open. Consumers are generally supportive of the idea of the clinics, but CHF is mindful that they are not the entire solution to consumers having better access to primary care.

“We fully acknowledge that Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have a role to play and it is great to see another 29 opening. They will make a difference to their local communities.

“What we have heard anecdotally is that some consumers are having trouble accessing the care they need at these clinics and some clinics are reverting to a bookings system, which does away with the walk-in nature,” said Dr Deveny.

CHF is disappointed that the Budget has not funded ways that people can upskill their own health literacy. It hasn’t improved consumers access or affordability to dental care. While there are some initiatives to make mental health care access better, more still needs to be done to make it cheaper for people to see a psychologist.

“Having better access to dental care is really important to me.  I’m currently missing out on dental care simply because of the cost and I’m disappointed to see that there haven’t been any measures included in tonight’s Budget,” said Ricki.

The Budget’s focus on helping women and making elements of their healthcare more affordable and accessible are welcome.

Ella, a mother of three children, who also cares for other family members said, “I’m really happy to see the government have a dedication to women’s health in this Budget. I think many of the measures are important and a step in the right direction. Overall, I feel that the budget just doesn’t do enough to make a real, tangible difference for women. I’m a mum of three kids, often struggling to get by, and I don’t quite see the benefits to me in this Budget.”

CHF is very appreciative for the $500,000 viability funding the Federal Government has provided in tonight’s Budget. The funding will help CHF continue to advocate for the needs of Australian healthcare consumers.

A patchwork of good initiatives for health, but a missed opportunity to address poverty

cohealth

Not-for-profit community health service, cohealth, has welcomed the investments in health, mental health and cost of living relief measures contained in the Federal Budget, but says it is disappointed that there has been no increase to paltry JobSeeker and Youth Allowance payments to lift people out of poverty.

cohealth Chief Executive, Nicole Bartholomeusz, said that the investment in mental health services was particularly encouraging.

“The government has recognised the need for a range of responses that meet people wherever they are on the continuum of their mental health journey, from early intervention right through to wraparound care for people with severe and complex needs. The new free mental health telehealth service is also a welcome initiative,” said Ms Bartholomeusz.

cohealth applauded the women’s health initiatives and 29 additional Urgent Care Clinics. However, it says that the government had again missed the opportunity to lift people on the lowest income rungs out of poverty by raising Jobseeker and Youth Allowance.

“Addressing cost of living through energy bill relief, freezing the PBS co-payment rate and increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance are good steps, but do not go far enough to target Australians living in abject poverty, in particular those surviving on JobSeeker and Youth Allowance.”

“Increasing government support payments can directly improve people’s health by reducing stress, and enabling them to afford better nutrition, healthcare, and housing, all of which are the building blocks of good health,” said Ms Bartholomeusz.

cohealth also revived its calls to increase Medicare rebates to services like theirs to enable them to provide intensive, multi-disciplinary care to people with complex health and social needs.

“The cost of providing services to very vulnerable people in the community is significantly higher, and Medicare rebates need to reflect that,” said Ms Bartholomeusz.

Welcome investment in groundbreaking Every Moment Matters campaign

FARE

FARE welcomes the Australian Government’s continued investment in the Every Moment Matters campaign to support alcohol-free pregnancies and safe breastfeeding practices across Australia.

As part of the 2024-25 Federal Budget, the Government announced funding of $5 million to continue the campaign.

Developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and funded by the Australian Government, the campaign’s evaluation demonstrates it’s making an impact.

Among women who had seen the campaign, there was a significant increase in the number of women intending not to drink when trying to conceive, from 34.2 per cent to 54 per cent, and in the number of women who didn’t drink when trying to conceive, from 30.7 per cent to 58.3 per cent.

Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) CEO Caterina Giorgi welcomes the funding from the Australian Government and said the results show the campaign has effectively increased awareness, changed intentions and influenced behaviours when it comes to alcohol, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

“We welcome the commitment by the Australian Government of funding for the Every Moment Matters campaign and thank the Government for their ongoing support of this campaign.

“By creating supportive environments for alcohol-free pregnancies, together we can improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for our children, families and communities for future generations.”

Sophie Harrington, Chief Operating Officer of the National Organisation for FASD Australia a partner in the development and delivery of the program, said the campaign was an important way of creating greater understanding about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and how to prevent it.

“When FASD goes un-recognised, children and young people can be left without the right support, misunderstood, or even blamed for behaviours caused by their disability.

“The campaign resources we’ve developed are designed to support women who are at higher risk of having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy, and to ensure the services they engage with are FASD-informed.”

Since launching in November 2021, the campaign has reached millions of Australians:

• 82 million+ completed views of the hero video online
• 14 million+ completed listens of the hero audio ad online
• 878,000+ views of pages on the campaign website
• 670,000+ individual visitors to the campaign website.

Lived Experience Advocate, Jessica Birch said sharing her story as part of the strengths-based campaign was an important way of creating understanding of FASD.

“As someone who lives with FASD, I’ve realised the significance of education and sharing lived experience in addressing the challenges of dismantling stigma and discrimination.

“This campaign makes Australia a world leader in health education and awareness about alcohol, pregnancy and FASD.

A missed opportunity to tackle health system issues

Australian Medical Association

After laying a strong groundwork in last year’s budget and reaching an important agreement at the December 2023 National Cabinet meeting, this budget is a lost opportunity to make further progress in addressing key health system challenges, including greater funding and support for patients to access care in general practice.

Australian Medical Association President Professor Steve Robson said there was little that was new in this year’s budget, and this represented a real loss of momentum towards a more efficient and sustainable health system.

“MyMedicare provides the government with a real platform to reform general practice and improve access and affordability for patients, but the extra funding needed to build on this initiative was missing in tonight’s budget,” Professor Robson said.

“More urgent care clinics are not a long-term strategic solution, and the government keeps looking to fund more of them without proper evaluation of their impact. What we need is reform that enables general practice to deliver the primary care that our patients need, not piecemeal announcements and changes that further fragment the system.”

Professor Robson said every general practice has the capacity to provide urgent care and the AMA would have liked to see the government improve funding arrangements for general practice so patients can see their usualGP when they need to, including out of normal business hours, along with changes to encourage more doctors to take up general practice.

“Australia has a GP shortage that will only get worse. We need to encourage more doctors to take up general practice by ensuring GP trainees are offered equitable employment conditions in comparison to their hospital counterparts. And we need an independent planning agency to ensure that the future health workforce meets community need.”

Professor Robson said the AMA was disappointed the federal government, together with the states and territories, had not detailed how they would tackle the blowout in planned surgery waitlists in public hospitals.

“Just weeks ago, we released a report showing planned surgery wait times in our public hospitals are now the longest on record, and emergency departments remain strangled by access block,” he said.

“The additional investment through the next hospital agreement is very welcome but we have hundreds and thousands of Australians waiting in pain for planned surgery. Unless the Commonwealth and the state andterritories come up with a funded plan to address this, patients will continue to suffer, with their conditions getting worse, their quality of life significantly impacted and the long-term cost to the health system being higher.”

Modest relief for patients through the freezing of the PBS copayment is very welcome although the decision to phase out the optional $1 discount on patient copayments will further entrench the anticompetitive arrangements in the pharmacy sector that review after review has called out.

The budget sends some welcome signals on women’s health with the announcement of new Medicare items for longer consultations for complex conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic pain and a commitment to review the adequacy of Medicare funding for long-acting reversible contraceptives and diagnostic imaging procedures.

An additional 24,100 home care packages for 2024/25 is also a welcome measure to help support older Australians remain in their homes for longer.

The budget details some additional funding for mental health services but we are concerned to see that the critical role of general practice in caring for patients with complex physical and mental health needs will be undermined by the removal of specific Medicare items for the review of a mental health care plan, which is often undertaken as part of a broad assessment of a patient’s physical and mental health needs.

The decision to introduce indexation of Medicare funding for some pathology services is a step in the rightdirection and we are pleased to see additional funding for nuclear medicine.

Meanwhile, Professor Robson said preventive health was again the loser in this year’s budget, with the government missing an opportunity to raise billions of dollars for preventive health by introducing a sugar tax on sugary drinks.

“This is a win-win policy, with an approximate 20 per cent health levy on sugary drinks raising around $1 billion each year ― money that could be invested into measures that reduce pressure on our stretched health system.

“Research shows there could be 4,400 fewer cases of heart disease, 16,000 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, and 1,100 fewer strokes over 25 years if the government takes this step but we’ve not seen a government brave enough to tackle the industry groups opposed to this measure.”

Reform was also needed in the private health insurance sector, with the increased cost-of-living and perceived lack of value in insurance, potentially leading to people dropping insurance and putting further strain on the public hospital system.

“Patients are being hit with rising private health insurance bills as their providers funnel significantly more money into management expenses, dwarfing any increase in rebates and benefits,” Professor Robson said.

“We need a “value mandate” for private health insurers to return a minimum 90 per cent, on average, of premium dollars paid each year back to the consumer in the form of rebates and benefits. And we need an independent Private Health Insurance Authority to ensure the system is fair and balances everyone’s interests.”

Prevention matters

Mental health

Professor Ian Hickie is Co-Director, Health and Policy, Professor of Psychiatry and NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow at The University of Sydney

The Albanese Government has recognised the need to invest more in mental health services, and has committed to important new services initiatives – most obviously new ‘low intensity’ and ‘early intervention’ services that will be made directly available to those in need.

Further, it has committed to making more specialised care available to those who cannot afford the very considerable out-of-pocket expenses that are being charged by private psychology and psychiatry. The total amount of money ($888m over eight years) is not large, but $588m is targeted at the new low-intensity services.

Additional monies are devoted to expanding multidisciplinary care in association with general practice and for primary health networks to purchase more complex services where they are not readily available to a local community. These developments are all welcome additions, but they need to be well-designed before implementation and closely monitored after they are deployed to ensure they reach the intended members of the community.

 Australians for Mental Health  

Australians for Mental Health are welcoming measures a $361 million package for mental health outlined in today’s Federal Budget aimed at increasing the level and types of support available to people suffering from mental health conditions but have urged that more is needed to meet the level of crisis in the country.

The Federal Budget today outlined a range of measures to combat the mental health crisis currently facing the country.

These included:

• A plan to create a new national online mental health service in 2026 which will give people access to up to 10 free sessions each year free of charge and without a referral.
• A $30m funding increase to the Head to Health mental health networks for people with moderate to severe needs.
• An increase to free services accessible through existing Medicare mental health walk-in centres.
• A $27.1 million commitment to place more allied health graduates and student clinicians into Headspace centres around Australia.

“The budget is a modest but welcome response to Australia’s mental health crisis,” Australians for Mental Health CEO, Chris Gambian, said.

“Ensuring that every Australian can access the quality mental healthcare they need, where and when they need it, at a price they can afford, must be an urgent national priority.  This budget helps get us a step closer to that goal.”

The Budget was also an opportunity to address the structural drivers of mental ill-health, such as poverty, employment, housing and cost-of-living.

“It is important to recognise that measures to reduce living pressures such as rent assistance and energy rebates are valuable mental health measures, because they will also help to reduce pressure which we know can trigger, or exacerbate, people’s level of mental distress.”

Crucial investment in mental health workforce missing

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

Despite hopes for significant funding to bolster Australia’s mental health workforce, psychiatrists say today’s budget falls short of making sustainable and tangible investments in that direction.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, President Dr Elizabeth Moore said the pressing need for growing our mental health workforce to care for Australians living with acute mental illness and psychological distress cannot be overlooked.

“Over the past few months, we have reached a national consensus on the workforce crisis within our mental health system.

“Without enough specialists to treat complex, chronic and severe mental illnesses, hospitals are merely buildings, and clinics are just rooms.

“We are disappointed by the absence of any substantial commitment to grow the number of psychiatrists and mental health workers, which are fundamental to mental health reform.

Dr Moore said too many people are waiting too long or missing out on care entirely because there are not enough people to provide that care.

“The demand for mental health support continues to outstrip the capacity of our system to provide adequate care to people in need.

“According to the National Mental Health Workforce Strategy released last year, the current psychiatry workforce only meets 56% of the national demand for psychiatrists in mental health services.

“This critical and chronic workforce shortage disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and those living in rural, regional, and remote areas.

“It limits our ability to intervene early in people’s conditions and prevent them from escalating to crisis levels.

“And we know that leads to our most vulnerable people turning up in our already strained emergency departments or slipping through the cracks entirely.”

The RANZCP has welcomed some commitments announced to improve access for priority populations to mental health services today.

We’re delighted to see $29.7 million in new funding for child and youth mental health services.

“Early psychiatric support is vital for vulnerable infants and children. We urge the Government to also ensure psychiatry is included in the codesign of new models of care.

“It is also encouraging to see the Albanese Government give military and veteran mental health the importance it warrants by extending our Military and Veteran Psychiatry Training Program for another year.

“But the viability of any program relies on sustained and ongoing funding.

“We need at least another three years of renewed funding so that our military and veteran population get the mental health care they so desperately need.

“We cautiously welcome the Medicare Mental Health Centres. Access and affordability are critical issues, but we view these as a start, not a silver bullet. To work, we need an available workforce to staff them, and ensure they properly align with other services to guarantee continuity of care.

“Just as importantly, we need to make sure psychiatrists are consulted on service design and delivery.

Dr Moore said the stopgap commitments announced in today’s budget to tackle mental health access issues are welcome, but without any meaningful investment in workforce they will fail to make a real and lasting impact on Australia’s mental health crisis.

“We can’t wait any longer – we urgently need targeted investment in the workforce, funneled towards areas of greatest need and backed by data that psychiatrists have been calling on the government to collect.

“Without this investment, Australians will continue to miss out on life saving and essential mental health care and treatment.

“We want to work with the Government to ensure that every Australian can receive accessible, affordable and appropriate mental health care,” Dr Moore said.

Stunned and concerned

Suicide Prevention Australia

The Federal Budget has left the suicide prevention sector stunned and concerned with the revelation that the newly formed National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) is set to be absorbed into the machinery of government.

This signals a step backward for suicide prevention efforts in Australia at a time when we know Australians are doing it tough amidst a cost-of-living crisis.

The latest Suicide Prevention Australia Community Tracker revealed a record half of all Australians nationally are now reporting elevated cost-of-living and personal debt distress (50%). Cost-of-living and personal debt was also the main cause of elevated distress amongst Australians reporting suicidal behaviours (58%), as well as from those seeking help from frontline suicide prevention services (54%), particularly clinical services (64%).

As the peak body for suicide prevention, we are pleased to see a suite of cost-of-living relief measures announced in the budget including energy bill relief, an increase in commonwealth rental assistance for those on low incomes, a medicines cost freeze and changes to the indexation on student loans.

Suicide Prevention Australia CEO, Nieves Murray said, “A clear omission in the budget is direct investment into crisis support services to manage the distress already being felt in our local communities.

“We also cautiously welcome the establishment of a national low intensity digital mental health service that is free of charge and free of need for referral.

“The digital service will be designed so people can get support before their health needs escalate to requiring higher-intensity services such as a mental health treatment plan, acute in-patient service or a crisis line.

“Building a stronger suicide prevention workforce has been bolstered with money allocated to primary health networks to fund the appointment of mental health nurses and other allied health supports to provide free care and coordination in-between GP and specialist appointments.

“More still needs to be done to sufficiently grow and strengthen the suicide prevention peer workforce.

“Groups that are disproportionally impacted by suicide received some measures but LGBTIQA+ communities were not adequately addressed in this year’s budget.

“We are buoyed by the reference in the budget papers to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy public consultation. We are looking forward to this important step towards the release of a 10-year roadmap for suicide prevention,” said Ms Murray.

Suicide prevention and mental health highlights include:

$888.1 million over 8 years for mental health and suicide prevention, including responding to the Better Access evaluation, this includes:​

• $588.5 million over eight years (and $113.4 million per year ongoing) to establish a national low intensity digital mental health service that is free of charge and free of need for referral
• $35.9 million over four years to extend terminating mental health measures (including the previously announced extension of the TRISP program), to enhance the delivery of mental health and suicide prevention services and to provide greater funding certainty for service providers
• $7.1 million over four years to build and support the lived experience peer mental health workforce, through the establishment of a national professional association for peer workers, delivery of a workforce census and the exploration of further training pathways
• $29.9 million over four years from 2024–25 to uplift Head to Health services

Continued investment in digital health is welcome

Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre

The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) welcomes the continued focus on and investment in digital health, with the Government further committing investment across aged care, virtual health, medical research and artificial intelligence.

Several flagship initiatives were unveiled in the Federal Budget, including:

• An additional $1.4 billion over 13 years from 2024–25 through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to continue to invest in medical research in Australia.
• $1.4 billion to upgrade the technology systems and digital infrastructure across the aged care sector. This includes funding to sustain current systems and to support the implementation of the new Aged Care Act.
• $47.5 million over four years from 2024–25 (and $14.1 million per year ongoing) to expand Healthdirect Australia to provide national and state‐based virtual health services to assist consumers access the most appropriate care.
• $39.9 million over five years from 2023–24 for the development of policies and capability to support the adoption and use of artificial intelligence technology in a safe and responsible manner.

DHCRC CEO Annette Schmiede welcomed the continued priority given to healthcare and research in helping to make the healthcare system both more effective and efficient for clinicians and consumers alike.

“It is overwhelmingly pleasing to see such a focus on healthcare, and specifically the role of digital technology in helping to improve overall health outcomes,” Ms Schmiede said.

“Australia’s health system is only going to come under more stress and strain in the decades to come so it is critical that we embed solutions today that protect the health system for future generations.”

The Federal Government has shown a strong commitment to investing in the future of healthcare. The recently released Medical Science Co-Investment Plan, committed up to $1.5 billion to medical manufacturing in Australia. Late last year it also released a 10-year roadmap for the sector with the Digital Health Blueprint and Action Plan presenting a roadmap for the coming decade.

Aged care a priority

The Budget delivers strong support for the aged care sector including $1.4 billion to sustain and enhance critical aged care systems and $531.4 million for additional Home Care Packages to reduce package wait times. There is also $88.4 million to attract and retain the aged care workforce and provide better staffing solutions.

DHCRC has long been advocating for further investment in integrating existing digital systems in aged care into the broader health sector. Its flagship Aged Care Data Compare Plus project, led by The University of Queensland, alongside large scale provider Regis Aged Care and software supplier AutumnCare, is looking to use the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (HL7 FHIR) data exchange specification as the basis for creating a secure data and analytics platform that delivers a quality benchmarking and reporting solution for the residential aged care sector.

“A more integrated, connected and uniform aged care system would help to significantly improve the delivery of care for older Australians,” Ms Schmiede said. “ACDC Plus is a flagship project that is looking to bring best practice to a sector that for too long has been too separated from primary and acute care.”

The aged care sector will further be boosted as part of the $1.2 billion Strengthening Medicare package, with states and territories to be funded ($882.2 million) to upskill the residential aged care workforce as well as deliver hospital outreach services in the community, provide virtual care services, and deliver complex care for older people outside of the hospital.

“When over 70% of all healthcare services are funded by governments, it is vital that the health system works as efficiently as possible. With predictions that the fastest growing components of future Government expenditure are health, aged care, and disability services, supporting increased efficiency and effectiveness across these services is a critical goal,” Ms Schmiede said.

Safe and responsible use of AI

The budget also supported the further use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare sector, providing $39.9 million over five years for the development of policies and capability to support the adoption and use of AI technology in a safe and responsible manner. This includes $21.6 million over four years to establish a reshaped National AI Centre (NAIC) and an AI advisory body within the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and $15.7 million over two years to support industry analytical capability and coordination of AI policy development and regulation.

“We are increasingly seeing AI used to complement the delivery of healthcare,” Ms Schmiede said. “Many of our healthtech partners are developing ground-breaking innovations using AI in ways that will transform the delivery of healthcare in the future. It is critical we continue to invest in these innovative technologies and ensure we manage the risk and governance around these new advances in an effective way.”

For a copy of the DHCRC Federal Budget Wrap; https://digitalhealthcrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/May-2024-Budget-Wrap_FINAL.pdf

Some immediate relief but little for our future

People with Disability Australia

The Federal Budget has delivered some cost of living relief but has missed the mark on the systemic reform we need to support people with disability fully participating in the community.

People with Disability Australia (PWDA) President Marayke Jonkers has called the increases to income support payments a step in the right direction but said more was needed.

“PWDA welcomes the 10 per cent increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance and the higher rate of JobSeeker.  This demonstrates some recognition of the disproportionate cost of living pressures for people with disability. More people with disability will now be able to afford essentials like food, electricity and health care. Essentials we rely on to stay alive.”

“However, minimal growth for Disability Support Pension recipients is disappointing. PWDA will continue calling for a supplement to ease cost of living pressures for recipients.”

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is here to stay but what its future will look like for participants remains unclear. PWDA is calling for detailed commitments to co-design its future with participants.

“The forecast to moderate the Scheme’s growth by $14.4 billion would seem to come at the expense of support and service delivery for people with disability who need it most.

“The funding dedicated to consultation, price setting and governance needs to ensure genuine co-design with people with disability and NDIS participants. We don’t want to see this only directed to government agencies. Disability representative organisations and people with disability need to not just be in the room, they need to be leading reform, this needs to be funded.”

“We tentatively welcome the establishment of an NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee to provide advice to government about what works for participants. This committee will only be successful if it’s led by people with disability who are NDIS participants.”

“$20 million has been pledged to commence designing the new navigator role. We’ll be watching closely to see that the design process is done right.”

“We welcome the $2.6 million in additional support for the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service. Individual advocacy services must also be fully and securely funded for the service to make a real difference,” Ms Jonkers said.

PWDA is disappointed the government has failed to prioritise people with disability in the housing measures announced tonight.

“The commitment to deliver 1.2 million new homes by the end of 2029 is welcome. But the government has failed to acknowledge the challenge of delivering housing options for people with disability. We must be a priority cohort; we must be at the table. We won’t have choice and control over where we live and who we live with unless we’re prioritised and involved in the rollout. And there’s no indication that this will occur,” PWDA Treasurer Presley Chihuri said.

“If you build for the disability community, you build for everybody. We’re frustrated this is another missed opportunity to increase housing options for people with disability and support the transition from group homes,” said Mr Chihuri.

PWDA is concerned measures to address the disparity in employment outcomes for people with disability do not go far enough.

“There’s tinkering at the edges on employment for people with disability but we’ve been calling for a radical shift. We didn’t see that tonight. It’s not clear how the government will support the transition to open employment for all people with disability. We remain concerned measures announced tonight may continue to entrench segregated employment and deny people with disability access to mainstream opportunities.”

Women with disability experiencing violence were completely invisible in the budget.

“There’s nothing that recognises the unique forms of violence experienced by women with disability or prioritises accessible and targeted responses to end the violence we endure at higher rates. The gaps in the Leaving Violence Program for women with disability is emblematic of this,” Ms Jonkers said.

Overall PWDA is concerned this budget was a missed opportunity to deliver the reform the Disability Royal Commission recommended.

“People with disability are tired of incremental change. We need a total overhaul of housing, education, health and the systems we rely on for support and to fully participate in the community. The Disability Royal Commission has shown that this the only way we will end the violence our community has endured.  It is the only way we will have the same rights as everybody else. And we haven’t seen enough commitment towards this tonight,” Ms Jonkers.

Alarm bells for LGBTIQ+ sector

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA) expresses deep concern about the lack of funding and slow action on initiatives to address long-standing disparities in health outcomes for LGBTIQ+ people.

“Over the past year, this Government consulted on the health and wellbeing needs of LGBTIQ+ populations—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and other sexual orientation, gender, and bodily diverse people. So where is the funding for action?” asked LHA CEO Nicky Bath (she/her).

“Despite the pressing health disparities, including higher rates of mental health issues, sexual, family and domestic violence, substance use, suicide, and experiences of discrimination in healthcare settings, the government’s budget fails to prioritise LGBTIQ+ people’s specific health and wellbeing needs. The budget also fails to tackle the barriers to accessing gender affirming care and supporting people with innate variations of sex characteristics.

“We welcome the Government’s work on the ten-year National Action Plan for the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people, but tangible support is needed now. Current investment does not match the need.”

LGBTIQ+ people have poorer health outcomes, directly linked to stigma and discrimination. The Australian Government committed to the ten-year National Action Plan for the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people in March 2023. A completion date is yet to be announced. Despite this the Government has chosen to continue funding generalist organisations and approaches that will not deliver a good return on that investment, leaving LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations struggling to meet demand.

“This budget lacks targeted and explicit funding in 2024-2025 to kick-start immediate action. It lacks funding in forward estimates to implement the Plan over ten years. Funding is needed for urgent action, as well as new structures to implement and monitor the National Action Plan,” Ms Bath said.

“There are clear priorities where effective action is known and needed. Existing LGBTIQ+ health and wellbeing services delivered by community-controlled organisations can be funded to the scale needed for results, along-side providing training and capacity building for culturally competent mainstream services.

“LHA is seeking immediate sustainable funding for LGBTIQ+ research projects, Writing Themselves In and Private Lives, as the only available mechanism to measure progress on the National Action Plan.

“LHA itself faces a funding cliff next year, affecting capacity to plan long-term. Delivering sustainability and stability for Australia’s LGBTIQ+ national peak organisation, as done for other peak bodies in this budget, would be a signal of Government commitment to delivering the National Action Plan collaboratively.

“LHA and Australia’s LGBTIQ+ community-controlled health and wellbeing service providers are on what appears to be a challenging journey with the Government to complete the National Action Plan, we need a faster trip and practical signs that we’re not just being taken for a ride,” said Ms Bath.

Kicking the can

Palliative Care Australia

The 2024 Federal Budget represents the continuation of some critical programs within the palliative care sector, however the opportunity for bolder, deeper change has been kicked further down the road.

“The two-year funding extension for the Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care (CPiAC) measure is a $25 million investment that has been welcomed by the sector,” says Camilla Rowland, Chief Executive Officer, Palliative Care Australia (PCA).

“CPiAC was one of three key priorities PCA and our members highlighted in our 2024 Federal Budget Submission and it is great to see this important program continue.

“It’s an initiative that builds on the recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission and was due to finish at the end of this financial year – in just a matter of weeks.”

CPiAC has achieved some early success when it comes to embedding palliative care within the aged care environment – developing models, links and pathways to specialist palliative care services for people and staff in residential aged care and helping to avoid unnecessary hospital transfers and admissions.

“This is especially significant because CPiAC is a strong example of State/Territory Governments, the Australian Government, and providers working together to meet a need and align services. It’s a great example that should inspire action in other parts of the health and care budget,” Ms Rowland says.

PCA and our members also welcome $10.8 million over two years to extend the Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP) and the Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) program.  PACOP and PEPA do integral and outstanding work in upskilling the aged care and primary care workforce to further embed palliative care capacity across care settings.

The Budget also invests $900,000 in the continuation of paediatric palliative care services in Queensland through the children’s hospice Hummingbird House, Brisbane.

“One of our other Budget priorities was addressing the gaps that exist in after-hours palliative care,” Ms Rowland says.

“PCA and our members we will be pressing the Government to do better as part of its current review of after hours primary care.”

The third priority in PCA’s Budget Submission related to care at home for people under 65 years.

“Our role is to point out where as a country we need to do better for some of our most vulnerable people and families,” Mr Rowland says.

“It’s heartbreaking to realise that this week’s Budget does little to support the urgent needs of people under 65 with a life limiting illness, who need basic care and support at home during their last months and weeks.

“These are people with a range of terminal illnesses and disabilities who end up in hospital or in emergency departments simply because the day to day living supports they need to stay at home are beyond reach.

“Considering that 70% of Australians say they would prefer to die at home, this is far from the patient-centred approach we all aspire to.

“Federal, state and territory governments have acknowledged the gap that exists and have agreed something needs to be done. While aged care reforms are vital and necessary for people over 65 years, we are yet to see meaningful reform for people under 65 who can’t access the NDIS, but who still need support at home – it’s become a birthday lottery.

“These people simply can’t wait for governments to work out who should pay for basic care at home. We estimate there will be at least 3,000 people in this position this year – people who don’t have much time left.

“The longer it takes to get a solution, the more people will die without getting the support they need – unless they pay for it out of their own pocket.

“We have presented solutions and will keep working with the Government and pushing for better care for these people and their loved ones,” Ms Rowland says.

Welcome investments

Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative

The Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative recognises the Australian Government’s initiatives in the 2024-25 Federal Budget aimed at enhancing healthcare services and ensuring equitable access for all Australians, particularly those from multicultural backgrounds.

Strengthening Medicare

The Collaborative welcomes the Australian Government’s investment of $116.2 million over five years from 2023–24 to strengthen and support the health workforce. This includes $90.0 million over three years from 2023–24 to implement health-related recommendations from the Independent Review of Australia’s Regulatory Settings relating to Overseas Health Practitioners (the Kruk Review) to grow and support the health workforce. This funding is part of the $1.2 billion Strengthening Medicare package agreed at the National Cabinet in December 2023 and developed in consultation with the states and territories. Additionally, $17.4 million in 2024–25 will extend the General Practice Incentive Fund until 30 June 2025 to improve access to primary care in thin markets.

The Collaborative supports the government’s efforts to ensure diversity within health service delivery points, enhance the cultural competence of health providers, and ensure culturally safe services for all Australians. The Collaborative emphasises the need for a sustainable, diverse health workforce to ensure efficient and effective health services that improve health outcomes for all Australians.

Cheaper Medicine

The Collaborative notes the government’s investment in making medicines more affordable amid rising living costs. The Government has committed up to an additional $3 billion to strengthen community pharmacies and keep medicines cheaper. The Collaborative is working with the Consumer Health Forum to disseminate information about the new 60-day prescription in multiple languages targeting multicultural Australians. According to Ron Deng, a consumer member of the Collaborative, this effort aims to ensure all communities have access to sustainable medication options amidst competing priorities and increasing living costs, especially for people on aged pensions.

The Collaborative celebrates the $18.8 million investment to make Australia a destination for clinical trials. As a member of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance Consumer Engagement, Equity, and Diversity Working Group, the Collaborative looks forward to a national one-stop shop for clinical trials, which will be inclusive of strengthening participation and involvement of multicultural communities in clinical trials.

Cancer Outcomes

The Collaborative welcomes the Government’s commitment to provide $71.0 million over four years from 2024–25 to continue support services, programs, and research to improve cancer outcomes for Australians, in line with the Australian Cancer Plan. This includes $38.8 million to continue funding for free bowel cancer screening. The Collaborative is currently co-leading a national campaign to improve the cervical screening rate of multicultural women and multicultural consumer engagement in bowel, breast, and cervical cancer screening.

Medical Research

With a large membership of researchers and as a supporter of MRFF research projects, the Collaborative welcomes the Government’s commitment of an additional $1.4 billion over 13 years from 2024–25 through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to continue to invest in life-saving medical research in Australia, for a total commitment through the MRFF of $6.4 billion over 13 years in research funding. In particular, an additional $411.6 million (for a total contribution of $1.6 billion over 13 years from 2024–25) to continue existing research missions and introduce two new 10-year research missions from 2027–28 for low-survival cancers and reducing health inequities is particularly welcome. The Collaborative is currently supporting the Patient Navigation to Improve Outcomes in People Affected by Cancer from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds project. Additionally, the $329.6 million (for a total contribution of $1.4 billion over 10 years from 2024–25) for patient-centred research, including emerging priorities in areas such as women’s health, and supporting innovative treatments, clinical trials, and more advanced healthcare is supported by the Collaborative. The Collaborative looks forward to continued investment in the participation and involvement of multicultural communities in research.

Women’s Health

The Collaborative supports the Government’s provision of $56.1 million over four years from 2024–25 (and $400,000 per year ongoing) to improve access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for women in Australia across the life course, including support for women’s health services on miscarriages, pre-term or early-term births, stillbirths, early pregnancy, and menopause. The Collaborative is currently co-leading a national campaign focused on improving cervical screening rates of women of multicultural backgrounds.

Mental Health

The Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative welcomes the $361.0 million investment over four years to expand free mental health services, ensuring Australians receive appropriate care. The importance of mental health in multicultural communities was highlighted during the National Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Conference hosted by the Collaborative under the theme “Your Mental Health, Your Wellbeing.” The conference emphasised the need for more specific and accurate measures of multiculturalism in Australia, such as an indicator for ethnicity in national surveys, to inform decision-making. It highlighted the importance of community engagement, cultural safety, and integrated services in creating meaningful change within the mental health space.

There is a call for greater commitment from policymakers and increased funding for culturally responsive models of mental health care. The conference advocated for higher-level commitment from policymakers to address the social determinants of suicide, considering cultural backgrounds and norms. It promoted a multisectoral, collaborative effort in suicide prevention, involving multicultural communities in designing suicide prevention strategies and promoting flexible service models to better meet the needs of multicultural communities.

About the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative

• The Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative is a FECCA initiative and is the national health peak providing a national voice, leadership and advice on policy, research, data and practice to improve access and equity, address systemic racism, and achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes for Australians from multicultural backgrounds. The Collaborative has a formal membership structure, which includes consumers, health and wellbeing/social care services, practitioners, and researchers. FECCA is the national peak body representing people from multicultural communities and their organisations across Australia. Through the membership of state, territory, and regional councils, we represent over 1,500 community organisations and their members.

Critical workforce concerns yet to be addressed

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine

ACEM President Dr Stephen Gourley said The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) is disappointed that federal funding was not allocated towards ensuring better healthcare for people living outside the cities, including ACEM’s Emergency Medicine Education and Training (EMET) program.

ACEM had requested $13 million per annum in the 2024-2025 federal budget to continue to empower local healthcare workers with the emergency care skills needed to care for their communities in regional, rural, and remote areas.

ACEM would also like to have seen greater investment in supporting Australia’s burnt-out healthcare workforce, and funding to make emergency departments safer for all people.

There are some investments in the 2024-2025 federal budget that could see modest improvements in acute care.

If appropriately located, staffed and integrated with existing healthcare facilities, the $227 million into Medicare Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) could provide a boost to primary care, and help some people get the low-acuity urgent healthcare they need, faster.

ACEM’s position on UCCs is that while UCCs may help reduce presentations to EDs, UCCs will not significantly reduce pressures on emergency departments because UCCs are unable to provide high-level emergency or inpatient care.

Australia is experiencing a healthcare workforce shortage, especially on the frontlines, and there are not enough skilled healthcare workers to staff existing healthcare facilities appropriately and sustainably in Australia. ACEM awaits further information on how new facilities will be safely and equitably staffed.

The investment in aged care could help improve emergency care for more Australians by supporting some older people to receive unplanned healthcare, where they live. This could free up medical staff and beds in hospitals to provide faster care to other patients.

On Urgent Care Clinics, what about physicians?

Royal Australasian College of Physicians

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has said the Federal Government missed the opportunity to use this year’s budget to ease the growing strain on Australia’s hospital system by ensuring specialist physician care was made available through Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs).

RACP President-elect Professor Jennifer Martin said that while UCCs are not the complete answer to Australia’s growing hospital admissions, there is an opportunity to use them to better meet our healthcare needs and keep a broader range of patients out of hospitals if they do not need to be there.

“This Federal Budget includes a range of positive healthcare measures including making more medicines affordable and accessible via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and increasing the total number of Urgent Care Clinics.

“It however fails to address other key issues facing our nation’s health system.

“This budget doesn’t commit to ensuring specialist physician care is made available to patients through UCCs and team-based care models and does not do enough to tackle the increasing pressures faced by hospitals across the country.

“Urgent care is often more than just getting stitches or replacing your plaster. Complications from chronic and underlying health conditions are amongst the biggest drivers of presentations to emergency departments. If UCCs had access to specialist physicians when needed, the number of hospitalisations could in turn reduce and help address the strain many hospitals are facing.

“Urgent Care Clinics were set up to act as a bridge between GPs and hospitals for all patients, however, that is currently not the case for many patients.

“This year’s budget could have been an opportunity to address this challenge and reduce the strain on Australia’s hospital system by ensuring UCCs can facilitate specialist physician care to those who need it,” Professor Martin said.

RACP also expressed disappointment at the Federal Budget’s lack of initiatives to address significant health workforce pressures and burnout, to expand telehealth services for people living in regional and remote Australia and to adequately fund the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

“We need to do more to create a safe and well-resourced specialist physician workforce to ensure a functioning, effective and sustainable health system.”

“It was also discouraging to see that the Federal Government did not commit to expanding telehealth services for people living in regional and rural parts of the country.​

“Patients from rural and remote parts of Australia often find it difficult to access specialist care due to a lack of specialist physicians nearby.

“As a result, they either end up having to travel long distances or delay accessing the care they require.

“When the full suite of specialist physician care was made available to patients living in rural and regional Australia via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was received extremely positively and helped many access vital medical care.

“Yet this year’s budget did not include any measures to make specialist physician care more accessible via telehealth for patients living in rural and remote areas.

“There were also no funding commitments made by the Government to provide support to the CDC.

“Without ongoing funding, the CDC will not be able to do the vital work of ensuring diseases do not overwhelm our country’s health system.

“The RACP strongly encourages the Federal Government to introduce measures to make specialist care available through UCCs, look at how best to support a health workforce under pressure, expand telehealth services in the regions and adequately fund the CDC in the months to come,” Professor Martin said.

Lacking vision and substantial action

Australian Physiotherapy Association

The Australian Physiotherapy Association’s (APA) pre-Budget submission urged the government to fund what truly matters to strengthen Medicare. This includes the development of new care pathways to reduce avoidable hospitalisations and assist individuals in better managing their chronic and complex health conditions.

The APA commends the government’s ongoing commitment to rolling out Urgent Care Clinics, but evidence clearly shows that when physiotherapists are included in the model, alongside nurses and doctors, patients can access the right treatment faster and at a reduced cost to the health system.

The cost efficiencies achieved through investment in physiotherapy-led primary care intervention have been overlooked. These interventions not only keep people healthy and out of hospital, but also optimise patient outcomes during care transitions.

Access to critical care for people living with chronic conditions and those based in rural and regional locations remains a concern.

The APA welcomes the $22.1million investment into research to prevent the onset of chronic disease and the provision of frontline non-surgical services that prevent unnecessary hospitalisation. However, there is a missed opportunity in funding critical preventive services including in falls prevention, non-operative injury and prehabilitation pathways to reduce surgical intervention rates, early intervention for patients at risk of persistent pain and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Commitment to preventing functional decline and hospital readmission for older Australians must incorporate physiotherapy.

The significant investment of $190 million over three years in extending the Transition Care Programme to assist older people in their recovery from a hospital stay and connect them to the rehabilitation services they need in the home or in residential care is positive. The APA will work to ensure critical access to rehabilitative physiotherapy is included in this commitment.

The government has delivered on key commitments in the Strengthening Medicare reform package and beyond in supporting patient care out of hospital, such as timely care at home. This includes $610.4 million over four years for states and territories to invest in initiatives that address long stay older patient challenges, unique to each jurisdiction.

The APA acknowledges the important investment of $48.4 million to support the viability of Veterans’ Home Care and Community Nursing Programs. However, we remain deeply concerned about the lack of action in addressing access to physiotherapy for veterans.

Physiotherapists continue to report that veterans’ care under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is not viable and that barriers to care provision, worsened by fee discrepancies within the scheme, have a significant impact on veterans’ access to healthcare.

The APA urges the government to commit to the veterans’ community and provide access to strong, sustainable health care. The APA will continue to advocate for veterans to remove the current substantial barriers to high quality, effective care. Whilst consultation is welcome, it is imperative the government re-evaluates its stance and takes immediate steps to ensure that our veterans receive the respect, support, and care they deserve.

Together with many in the health sector the APA is disappointed by the limited priority, funding and reforms announced in tonight’s ostensibly future focused budget. However, the changes that will be brought about by the Minister’s Scope of Practice Review are expected to fully utilise the capabilities of our workforce and make integrated care a reform reality. The APA looks forward to further engaging in this important policy and reform process and is hopeful it will yield the informed and considered.

First impressions:

• Capping the HELP indexation rate will be a welcome relief for many physiotherapists. The APA is calling for further HELP debt relief to support the physiotherapy workforce in areas of need, such as those who work in rural and remote areas.
• Commonwealth Prac Payment Incentive as a means of developing a sustainable pipeline in critical workforce areas. As physiotherapy is one of the top 20 professions in demand, we hope that physiotherapy is prioritised as this measure expands in future years.
• Physiotherapy is a feminised profession, and the APA commends the government’s extension of superannuation to paid parental leave.  
• $57.4 million over one year to continue initiatives under the Health Delivery Modernisation Program and to update My Health Record. The limited investment in supporting allied health, including physiotherapy, has prevented a connected healthcare system. The APA supports this measure provided it includes significant investment in integrating physiotherapy, and allied health more broadly.
• $1.2 million over two years from 2024–25 to support training for health practitioners to better treat, care and manage women’s health during menopause. We welcome all support for training of health practitioners to improve care for women during menopause and await further detail on this funding, how we can contribute to the training program to ensure understanding of the value of the multidisciplinary team and which professions will be eligible to undertake it.
• $361 million for mental health in a stronger Medicare package will put mental health at the heart of a stronger Medicare, by launching new free mental health services to support Australians to get the right level of care for their level of need.

Devastating setback for rural and remote communities

Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH)

Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), a leader in rural health workforce development and support, expresses its profound disappointment following the Commonwealth Government’s decision to discontinue funding The Allied Health Rural Generalist Education and Training Pathway (including allied health professionals and allied health assistants), a cornerstone initiative aimed at improving service capacity of allied health practices in rural and remote Australia.

While the news is disheartening, SARRAH remains resolute in its commitment to progress allied health rural generalism to support better health and quality of life for rural Australians.

SARRAH President Lisa Baker said “This decision is difficult to comprehend at a time when health workforce shortages are critical, especially in rural and remote communities. Despite demonstrated impact, the denial of funding for this training pathway underscores the challenges organisations like ours face in securing vital resources to drive positive change. The program’s potential to increase the supply of allied health professionals and assistants makes this setback particularly devastating for rural and remote communities.”

As part of a multidisciplinary team, allied health professionals such as pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and speech pathologists provide a broad range of services across aged care, mental health, disability, early childhood development and chronic disease management to improve health and quality of life.

The rural generalist training pathway provides vital support to employers to build the capacity needed to deliver allied health services to people living in rural and remote communities, who carry a higher burden of disease compared to metropolitan counterparts.

SARRAH acknowledges the dedication and hard work of all involved in the training pathways, including our program participants and stakeholders.  Their unwavering commitment and passion have been instrumental in the impact this program has seen to date.

“Moving forward, SARRAH is steadfast in its determination to explore alternative avenues and opportunities to advance the Allied Health Rural Generalist Pathway” said Ms Baker.  “The setback will only serve to strengthen our resolve and determination to make a meaningful difference in rural health.”

SARRAH remains committed to its purpose of improving access to allied health services for people living in rural and remote Australia and is grateful for the continued support of its stakeholders and partners.

Australia’s second largest health workforce left out

Allied Health Professions Australia

Following a suite of measures in last year’s Federal budget to reform our ailing primary care system this budget risks losing any momentum gained in the past 12 months.

AHPA Chief Executive Officer Bronwyn Morris-Donovan is disappointed this budget does not deliver for Australians with chronic and complex conditions.

“Consumers are stuck with the outdated model of 5 allied health sessions per calendar year. With a declining GP workforce and record low bulk billing rates consumers with chronic disease are finding it harder than ever to get into their GP. The primary care system is buckling under pressure yet this budget does not even touch the sides,” she said.

“AHPA is extremely disappointed that the $16.0 million over four years from 2024–25 (and $0.2 million per year ongoing) to implement the Frequent Hospital Users Program will take the form of incentive payments to general practitioners. Consumers with the most complex health needs benefit from wraparound multidisciplinary team care. There is nothing more disenabling to multidisciplinary care than incentivising GPs to provide single discipline care.

“While we welcome the 29 new Urgent Care Clinics, AHPA is concerned to see expansion of a model that has not yet been properly evaluated. Utilisation of allied health in Urgent Care Clinics is low. Existing clinics are not maximising the scope of practice of professions such as physiotherapy. Without systematic evaluation we don’t anticipate this next 29 will be any different. This is a missed opportunity to utilise the allied health workforce improve access to urgent care, especially for rural and remote Australians.”

AHPA welcomes the $361 million package for mental health. We recognise this as a ‘starter package’ that offers Australians access to mental health services, when they need it and at the intensity that is needed.

Building on the established Head to Health network, AHPA is also pleased to see investment in Primary Health Networks to deliver increased wraparound care for people with complex support needs.

This budget also announced the Government’s intention to explore the introduction of a psychology assistant role. We are seeing a concerning trend toward utilisation of the assistant workforce without sufficient focus on quality and safety. With 10 allied health professions listed on the Skills Priority List, AHPA calls for investment to boost the supply of qualified allied health providers.

“Given this disheartening budget for allied health AHPA calls on the Government to disrupt the status quo. True primary care reform and innovation are stymied by powerful lobby groups in Australia. Now is the time to stop talking about multidisciplinary team care and actually fund for it. Australians deserve access to quality health care where and when they need it. This is not going to happen without significant disruption to the prevailing culture of primary care.

“A healthy primary care system is underpinned by a diverse health workforce that is accessible and equitable for all Australians,” Morris Donovan said.

Oral health – big gaps

What was recommended…

…and what transpired

A non-event

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

After a review of the 2024-25 Federal Budget, the College views the outcomes as a non-event in terms of investments to advance healthcare for rural, remote and First Nations communities.

The College believes it lacks any commitment to address healthcare inequity and additional support for those at the coalface who provide a wide range of care to the communities in which we live and work.

While there are some relatively minor new investments, we are still waiting for a longer-term strategy which addresses the underlying systemic issues which are resulting in the ongoing workforce maldistribution and economic and other pressures on rural and remote general practice.

The College’s pre-budget submission put forward some practical and strong recommendations to support the profession and ultimately improve health outcomes and we will continue to work with the Federal Government to advocate for these and other supports for rural, remote and First Nations healthcare.

Budget Highlights

ACRRM acknowledges the announced initiatives which include women’s health funding;  additional support for mental health services; for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and also for Primary Health Networks and Rural Health Workforce Agencies to support communities where healthcare services are at risk of closure.

However, these are band-aid measures and they do not address the underlying issues or contribute to the longer-term sustainability of rural, remote and First Nations healthcare services.

We applaud the pre-budget announcement of a new trial allocating an additional 60 Rural Generalist and General Practitioner places on the new Single Employer Model (SEM) in South Australia.

We also welcome the pre-budget announcement of funding to establish the Northern Territory’s first stand-alone medical school in Darwin. This will contribute to a strong end-to-end medical training pathway which generates interest in a career in rural and remote medical practice.

Unfortunately, this news was not accompanied by an announcement that placement payments would be made available for medical students, following the recent announcement of these supports for nursing and teaching students to be implemented in July next year.

In spite of these lost opportunities, we remain committed to advancing the healthcare needs of rural, remote and First Nations communities and to advocating strongly for members and for the communities they serve.

Falls short

National Rural Health Alliance

The Federal Budget fails to address the ongoing health care inequity between rural and urban Australia according to the National Rural Health Alliance.

“The Budget falls short of our expectations. It is disheartening to observe the government’s lack of responsiveness to rural voices and its failure to commit to comprehensive reforms that would offer sustainable and long-term benefits for rural communities,” said Nicole O’Reilly, Chairperson of the National Rural Health Alliance.

The further an Australian lives from an urban centre, the lower their life expectancy. They are also twice as likely to die from preventable illness. Rural men are 2.5 times and women 2.8 times more likely to die from potentially avoidable causes than those in urban areas. Many rural people have no access to primary healthcare services within an hour’s drive from their home. They use Medicare up to 50 per cent less than those in cities, showing that people rather not make the long journey or wait long hours to access health care somewhere else. As a result, the burden of disease in remote areas is 1.4 times than that of major cities.

“Evidence is clear that per-person spending on healthcare is not equitable. We know from the Evidence base for additional investment in rural health in Australia, that each person in rural and remote Australia is missing out on nearly $850 per year of healthcare access equating to a total annual rural health underspend of $6.5 billion.

“Funding could have enabled rural Australians to access health and medical services in their local communities. We call on the government to make a better commitment at the next opportunity to ensure that our rural communities are looked after,” said Ms O’Reilly.

“The National Rural Health Alliance welcomes the commitment to support rural training opportunities. The establishment of the Charles Darwin University Menzies Medical Program which aims to educate home grown doctors is vital for growing the next generation of rural doctors. We acknowledge the new Commonwealth Prac Payment and the opportunity it will provide to support students to experience rural based clinical placements.

“We are also pleased to see the Royal Flying Doctors Service supported with top up finding to deal with the increasing costs of service delivery of vital services they provide to rural communities. But their model is only one that addresses the vast variety of health care needs across rural and remote Australia. There are many struggling rural and remote primary health care services that are on the brink of closure and need support and significant reform.

“There is much more to be done to address the inequity in health care outcomes for rural and remote Australians,” said Ms O’Reilly.

• The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) comprises 51 national organisations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the over 7 million people in rural and remote Australia. Our diverse membership includes representation from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, health professional organisations, health service providers, health educators and students.

Neglect of asylum seekers continues

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

“Labor has once again abandoned people seeking asylum in the Federal Budget, continuing the legacy of neglect and inequality that has forced thousands into poverty and destitution.

The 2024-2025 Budget maintains the exclusion of thousands of people seeking asylum from work rights and mainstream social support, sending a clear message that an unjust system will remain for those left years in limbo while their protection claims are processed.

Labor has also continued the Morrison Government’s legacy of devastating cuts to social support for people seeking asylum, with the budget decreased for 2024-2025 by $20 million after a massive $21 million underspend in the past financial year. This is despite charities such as ASRC facing unprecedented demand for its frontline support services such as food, crisis housing and medical care.

Other blatant omissions in this year’s Budget include no increases to humanitarian intake and no pathway to permanency for the 7,500 people failed by the flawed Fast Track system and overlooked by Labor since they were elected to Government in 2022.

This Budget reveals Labor has however continued its mammoth spending propping up the offshore detention regime, with $563,742 spent last financial year on offshore management and over $600,000 earmarked for holding 100 people on Nauru in 24-25.

The ASRC does welcome funding in this year’s Budget which provides some support to arrivals from Palestine and Israel, including  $0.9 million over two years to extend Medicare eligibility for Bridging Visa E holders and $2 million to Red Cross for emergency financial assistance for recent arrivals.

It is also positive to see $854.3 million funding earmarked for the (expected) soon to be established Administrative Review Tribunal.

Key points

• No increase to humanitarian intake
• Budget decrease of $20 million for ‘’asylum seeker’’ support, which funds Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS)
• No pathway to permanency for the 7500 people failed by Fast Track
• Minimal increased access to Medicare for people seeking asylum
• No increased provision of work rights, study rights and access to mainstream social support for people seeking asylum
• No support for refugees abandoned in PNG without food and financial aid
• $854.3 million on rolling out the new Administrative Review Tribunal
• Spending over half a billion dollars in 2024-2025 to hold less than 100 people on Nauru
• $71.2 million increased funding for Australian Border Force

Jana Favero, ASRC’s Head of Systemic Change

“Tonight, Labor has chosen to spend half a billion dollars on offshore cruelty and breadcrumbs on compassion for the thousands of people seeking asylum who are struggling to put food on the table.

“What use is a university place, when you’re denied the right to study? What good is a stronger Medicare system, when you’re completely cut off from healthcare? $300 off your energy bill means nothing, when you don’t even have a secure place to call home.

“At the last election, people voted for Labor because they were tired of the inhumane treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum. This budget sends a clear message to families seeking safety from danger that they’re not a priority. That they are being left behind simply because of how they fled to Australia and their immigration status.”

Abishek Selvakumar, arrived in Australia aged 7 from Sri Lanka

“It is really disappointing that giving people work and study rights has not been part of the Albanese Government’s commitments in this Federal Budget.

“Despite completing high school last year, I now find myself unable to enrol in further education or secure employment due to my immigration status. Without the ability to officially work or study, my options are severely limited, and it feels like I’m constantly hitting roadblocks in my efforts to build a better future for myself.

“Having work rights would open up a world of opportunities for me and other refugees in similar situations. Not only would it allow us to pursue our career goals and contribute to the workforce, but it would also provide financial stability and independence. With the ability to work legally, I could earn a living wage, support myself and my family, and plan for my future with confidence. Moreover, work rights would enable me to fully integrate into Australian society, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment.”

Aid budget static

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)

“ACFID, the peak body for international development and humanitarian action, acknowledges the importance of new funding for climate initiatives in the Pacific and for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in this budget. However, the lack of new funds to respond to soaring global humanitarian crises is disappointing.

The aid budget goes up $193 million to $4.961 billion but remains static at 0.18% of Gross National Income (GNI). There are investments commencing in the new financial year of $65 million for the Green Climate Fund and the Pacific Resilience Facility, which are mechanisms of choice for partners, and further contributions to the Partnerships for Infrastructure, focused on South-East Asia. All these commitments were announced in the past year at multilateral forums.

ACFID welcomes the $1.1 million increase to the Central Disability Allocation, bringing it to a total of $14.0 million in 2024-25. The sector welcomes an announcement of a new five-year $20 million South-East Asia Gender-based Violence Prevention platform; however, we acknowledge that this funding is not new and additional.

Chief Executive Marc Purcell said: “We support investment in responding to climate change, particularly through the Pacific Resilience Facility. We expect the Government to do much more to reflect the urgency of the situation and as we seek to host a UN Climate COP with the Pacific in 2026.

“This budget provided the Government with an opportunity to show real humanitarian leadership in responding to human suffering across the world. Australians see what is happening on their screens in all corners of the globe and expect their government to do more. This budget barely touches the surface.  The failure to lift the Humanitarian Emergency Fund is disappointing.”

“Australia’s aid budget is static in real terms while the Asia-Pacific region is way off track to achieve the SDGs. We are going backwards on eradicating extreme poverty. The Government needs to invest more in the basics of development. There must be a plan and pathway to scale up aid to its target of 0.5% of GNI.

“Australia stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the UK, Canada and New Zealand on the world stage, and is the world’s 13th largest economy, yet is number 26 of 31 in the OECD donor rankings. The Government needs to do better on development and humanitarian assistance as a percentage of gross national income”.

“We need to shore up our multilateral credentials with greater humanitarian and global contributions to climate finance to help uphold the rules-based order. The latter will build our credentials for the Government’s mooted bid for the UN Security Council.”

Falls flat on tackling inequality

Oxfam Australia

“In a time of unprecedented global crises, conflict, and rising inequality, the Australian Government’s federal budget lacks ambition to truly tackle inequality at home and abroad.

“The decision to keep aid and humanitarian funding at historically low levels this budget is a missed opportunity. International aid saves lives and is critical to the peace, stability and prosperity of our region.

“Despite modest funding increases in this budget, Australia’s Official Development Assistance remains at the record low of 19 cents in every $100 in income. This is well below the 70 cents per $100 international target agreed by wealthy countries, including Australia, and the Labor Party Platform goal of 50 cents per $100 of income.

“The number of people on the brink of famine has almost doubled since last year, many of whom are in Gaza, where children are already dying of malnutrition and disease. The climate crisis rages on as Australian fossil fuel corporations continue to pollute and profit without end, leaving millions in Australia and low-income countries facing worsening climate disasters, with less support to prepare and recover. We need a budget that can help address these key global challenges.

“Earlier this year, we welcomed the Australian government’s changes to the stage 3 tax cuts to enhance their fairness and channel more of the cuts towards those on middle and lower incomes. These measures go some way to address the relentless surge in the cost of living, with families contending with skyrocketing food, fuel and energy prices and being forced to go without.

“While this budget has provided some further relief for those in the community doing it tough, it does not go far enough to address growing inequality both at home and abroad. Companies owned by Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest billionaire, received over $1 billion in finance for mining projects this budget, while desperately needed increases to international aid and JobSeeker to raise 3 million people out of poverty in Australia are ignored.

“We need a bigger revenue base to reduce poverty and invest in public services, like healthcare and education, as well as helping to build a safe and prosperous region. If the Australian Government is serious about addressing inequality long-term, it must implement a systemic and wide-ranging increase in taxation of the super-rich, in line with increasing momentum on this at the UN and G20 this year.”

International aid continues to be one of the biggest losers

ActionAid

Global women’s rights organisation ActionAid Australia welcomes a small aid budget increase, but says Australia is failing to respond to growing crisis and instability in the world.

Despite the nominal aid increases announced in the 2024-25 budget, Australian aid has stagnated at 0.19 percent of Gross National Income (GNI). Aid funding remains significantly below the Government’s commitment of reaching 0.5 percent of GNI and our international obligation of 0.7% of GNI.

“Australia continues to be one of the least generous aid donors and on the critical issues facing women globally – climate change, conflict and gender inequality – Australia’s aid budget has once again fallen short,” said Michelle Higelin, Executive Director of ActionAid Australia.

“From Gaza, to Sudan, to Afghanistan, communities on the frontline of conflict, particularly women and girls, are facing untold human suffering. Increased humanitarian assistance well beyond the small increases in the budget are urgently needed to avert famine and to deliver lifesaving food, water and other relief.

“The Government’s imminent release a new International Gender Equality Strategy should have been matched with scaled up, targeted funding to address the growing threats to women’s rights globally and the disproportionate impact that global crises are having on women and girls worldwide.

“UN Women has found that without further investment, realising gender equality will take over 300 years at current rates of progress. Australia must ensure a significant increase in targeted gender equality funding to support the implementation of this strategy over the coming years, otherwise it will fail,” said Michelle Higelin.

ActionAid Executive Director Michelle Higelin also noted that Australia’s climate finance commitment of AUD 3 billion over the 2020-2025 period is well below Australia’s climate finance fair share.

“Australia provided $619 million in climate finance in 2022-231, only around 15 percent of our $4 billion fair share of the current annual USD 100 billion climate finance goal. The failure to significantly increase Australia’s climate finance contributions in the 2024-25 budget is a missed opportunity for Australia to demonstrate its commitment to progressive climate action.”

As Governments work to adopt a new post-2025 climate finance goal (the NCQG) at COP29 in November this year, low-income countries are calling for an urgent increase in climate funding in line with the trillions needed to respond to escalating climate disasters and to transition their economies.

“If Australia is serious about supporting women and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, as the new International Development Policy suggests, it must put real money on the table for global climate solutions,” said Michelle Higelin.

Budget measures to support refugees, women and vulnerable communities welcomed

AMES Australia

Migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia has welcomed measures announced by the federal government in its 2024 budget to enhance Australia’s commitment to resettling refugees.

CEO of migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia also welcomed budget measures that support women at risk from family violence as well as cost of living relief for vulnerable families and communities.

“We welcome the commitment to 20,000 humanitarian places for the next two years and an increase in funding in recognition of the importance of providing specialist settlement services to ensure people can settle well in their new home,” Ms Scarth said.

“The commitment cements Australia’s place as a global leader in refugee resettlement.”

The federal budget earmarks an extra $120.9 million for refugee resettlement over four years.

The budget also provides almost a billion dollars in new money to tackle gender-based violence.

“We welcome the focus on gender-based violence, but it is important that women from diverse communities are not left behind when it comes to prevention programs and support for survivors,” Ms Scarth said.

Ms Scarth also welcomed cost of living relief contained in the budget, which includes a $300 energy bill subsidy for every household, a 10 per cent increase in rental relief as well as tax cuts.

“We know that people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are among the most vulnerable in our society and these measures will help them make ends meet,” Ms Scarth said.

The 2024 federal budget facilitates an annual intake of 185,000 permanent migrants, with 70 per cent of visas going to the skilled migration program.

“This means we will continue to have a strong migration program which is vital for Australia’s future economic security. With an ageing population putting structural stress on future budgets, migration will be a critical part of Australia’s economic success into the future,” Ms Scarth said.

“We also welcome the budget’s strategic investments in building a skilled workforce, including towards enhancing the green economy and the care economy, where we know many migrant and care workers are employed.”

Budget lights a path to virtual elimination of HIV transmission

Health Equity Matters

The Albanese Government has made a strong stride towards the virtual elimination of HIV transmission with tonight’s $43.9 million Budget commitment to expand access to PrEP,  roll out HIV self-testing, deepen the connection with culturally diverse communities and provide additional resources for the HIV workforce, according to Health Equity Matters, Australia’s HIV and LGBTIQA+ health federation.

The funding will support the national roll-out of self testing vending machines, which have already proved successful in reaching communities that need to test more frequently. A pilot health education program, seeking to better inform people from culturally diverse communities about how to prevent HIV transmission will also be established. And the successful HIV Online Learning Australia program which provides important resources to the HIV workforce will be continued.

Funding for Australia’s peak HIV organisations, Health Equity Matters and NAPWHA, will also be restored.

The funding will be allocated in the 2024-25 Budget and is a first step to providing the resources needed to achieve virtual elimination of HIV transmission. The Budget allocation reflects the findings of the HIV Taskforce, which was led by Health Minister, the Hon Mark Butler and the Assistant Health Minister, the Hon Ged Kearney.

“Australia now has the potential to become the first country to achieve virtual elimination of HIV,” said Mark Orr AM, President of Health Equity Matters.

“This Budget commitment lights a bright path, focusing on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), testing, treatment, and awareness. It leverages the robust and impactful collaboration between community, healthcare professionals, researchers, and government that has been instrumental in Australia’s success since the beginning of the HIV epidemic.

“With a clear direction in place, we eagerly anticipate collaborating with the Government to achieve the previously unthinkable reward of ending an epidemic.”

The most recent Kirby Institute HIV surveillance report revealed diagnoses in Australia have decreased by half over the past decade and remained consistent over the last year, with 555 diagnoses in 2022. However, it highlighted minor increases among heterosexual individuals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and in certain states and territories.

“When attempting to overcome an epidemic, the final stretch will be the most challenging,” Health Equity Matters chief executive, Dash Heath-Paynter said. “This is why the Government’s commitment to ending HIV transmission is so crucial. We must maintain our momentum.”

Welcome news on prevention

ASHM

ASHM welcomes news from the federal budget of a $126.5 million investment over two years to support the prevention, testing and treatment of blood-borne viruses (BBVs) and STIs, alongside a $43.9 million investment to implement the recommendations of the HIV Taskforce.

This announcement represents a significant investment by the federal government in the national response to BBVs and STIs, with a focus on developing the health workforce. The funding includes:

•     $26 million over two years for subsidised pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention for people without access to Medicare
•     $1.6 million over two years to develop a workforce education and training pilot on HIV prevention
•     $28.6 million over two years to support and expand syphilis and STI testing in First Nations communities
•     $7.9 million over two years to continue funding peak bodies to implement the national BBV/STI strategies
•     $7.8 million over two years to develop and pilot hepatitis B projects to reduce transmission of hepatitis B in Australia
•     $6.0 million over two years to continue support for hepatitis C projects to reduce transmission of hepatitis C in Australia.

ASHM President Dr James McMahon said this funding will bolster Australia’s efforts in the fight against HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs.

“We applaud the government for its ongoing commitment to genuine action on blood-borne viruses and STIs” said McMahon.

“In particular, we recognise the incredible leadership shown by Minister Mark Butler and Assistant Minister Ged Kearney for chairing and co-chairing the National HIV Taskforce respectively, creating a clear path to reaching our goals of virtual elimination of HIV in Australia,” he said.

ASHM CEO Alexis Apostolellis said the funding will empower the health workforce to implement the recommendations from the HIV Taskforce report, as well as the national hepatitis B, C and STI strategies.

“Investment in the health workforce to address these challenges is especially welcomed, and will make an enormous impact,” said Apostolellis.

ASHM looks forward to continuing to work closely alongside our partners in the community and government.

GPs are not happy

Royal Australian College of GPs

The Federal Budget provides little to no relief for Australians struggling to afford essential healthcare and won’t help the cost-of-living crisis, says the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the government has dropped the ball in its commitment to strengthen Medicare and reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients.

“This budget has dropped the ball for Australians struggling to afford essential healthcare, and it’s a huge disappointment for GPs, practice teams, and our patients. The government took the first step to repair decades of devastating underfunding of Medicare and general practice care last year – now this work will stall.

“Australians are already putting off essential care due to rising costs. This Budget won’t help, so out-of-pocket fees will increase. It will mean a sicker nation and more pressure on hospitals, which will cost the government much more.

“There is no more support for rural and regional patients, or people with chronic conditions, which is where the need is greatest. It shows the government has the wrong priorities for fixing the health system.

“Australians will be disappointed that Treasurer Jim Chalmers hasn’t seen the value in increasing Medicare rebates as a cost-of-living relief measure. The Medicare rebate belongs to patients – it’s the amount the government pays to subsidise their healthcare. This Budget says the government isn’t interested in ensuring the subsidies for healthcare for Australians are anywhere close to the real-life costs of providing that care.

“There is no substitute for the quality care provided by a GP who knows you and your history. General practice helps people live healthier lives and stay out of hospital. The smartest and most cost-effective health investment government can make is increasing patients’ Medicare rebates, so they can access affordable care.

“The lack of support to get more GPs in training is also disappointing and short-sighted. Australia has an ageing population and epidemic of chronic disease and mental illness, which means increasing demand for GP care. But only 10.5% of medical students are choosing to specialise as GPs. This Budget does nothing to reverse this trend, exacerbating a critical workforce shortage.

“The RACGP trains 90% of Australia’s GPs, including more than 300 rural generalists and 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees. In the past 12-months, the College has filled 114 training places in areas of long term need that haven’t had a GP registrar for many years. We need government funding support to grow these numbers and get more GPs training in communities.

“Urgent care clinics are not value for money. They are an inefficient use of limited health resources that will take years to roll out. They will disrupt the care people receive from their usual GP and redirect the limited GP workforce from regular practices where they are needed – worsening the workforce shortage.

“This Budget also includes funding to extend existing Single Employer Model pilots until 2028. The RACGP acknowledges SEMs have a role to play in specific communities to address areas of workforce need. But a thorough independent evaluation is needed prior to any further rollout to properly test what works and what doesn’t.

“The College acknowledges the $90 million funding to implement the recommendations in the independent Kruk review of Australia’s regulatory settings relating to overseas health practitioners. Negotiations on how this will be done are still underway. International medical graduates play a valuable role in Australia’s health system, but we need more funding to support Australian GPs in training.”

 Will Breadcrumb Budget lead to something bigger next year?

Rural Doctors Association of Australia

The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) says tonight’s Federal Budget is a ‘missed opportunity’ for long-term, big picture measures that would deliver a sustainable medical workforce to the bush and a viable rural health system into the future.

“This is a Breadcrumb Budget, largely full of piecemeal funding gestures, and we are keen to understand where it leads” RDAA President, Dr RT Lewandowski, said.

“We need to understand what reforms the Government has in mind for delivering long-term improvements to the health sector – because we aren’t seeing them at the moment.

“With the large number of reviews undertaken in the past 12 months or about to be completed, we had anticipated a clearer indication from the Government that they would be getting things in order for some big ticket future reforms – but there is little, if any, evidence of this in tonight’s Budget.

“There are a myriad of small funding packages here and there that will be welcomed by rural doctors and rural patients, but there is nothing in this Budget that will underpin a holistic, full-scale approach to improving access to healthcare in the bush, or to growing the rural health workforce.

“We had put forward numerous, considered, big picture measures to greatly improve access to health professionals and health services in the bush, but sadly these seem to have been ignored.

“The medium to long-term viability of rural general practice is at serious risk, particularly in rural and remote communities, and a new funding structure is urgently required so they can stay afloat and continue to provide care for their patients into the future. This is not about what GPs are getting paid, but the whole funding model for rural and remote general practice.

“Yet the Government has opted to return to the old way of general practice funding, item by item. There was nothing new in the Budget regarding MyMedicare. The frequent hospital users funding has been previously announced and yet there is still little detail on how it will actually work.

“We are hopeful that this year’s Budget is a one-off, and that the breadcrumbs we have seen this year will lead to bigger things in next year’s Budget.”

Dr Lewandowski said RDAA is also very disappointed with the Government’s decision to preclude medical students from its initiative to provide cost of living support for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students during their mandatory practical and clinical placements.

“We have raised our concerns with the Government about this, as medical students should rightly receive the same support for their mandatory placements, and we join other medical peaks in asking the Government to address this issue” he said.

“Like other university students, medical students have a very low income and struggle to make ends meet. Given the significant time that they need to put into their studies, many find it very difficult to hold down a part-time job – so they absolutely deserve the same support in undertaking mandatory placements as students in other sectors.”

Dr Lewandowski said RDAA welcomes the Government’s announcement of a new medical school for Charles Darwin University and additional Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for medical students, but said investment in tertiary training alone is not enough to ensure a strong uptake of general practice places in the future, least of all in rural and remote locations.

“Without significant follow-on investment through initiatives like the John Flynn Prevocational Program – to open up more training and experiential opportunities for junior doctors in rural general practice – and without better support for the experienced doctors who will be needed to supervise and train the next generation of doctors (and the practices that host them), our communities in rural and remote Australia will continue to struggle to find medical care close to home” he said.

RDAA has welcomed various other initiatives announced in this Budget including:

• Extending Single Employer Model (SEM) pilots to 31 December 2028, to make it easier for junior doctors to transition from the hospital system into general practice training. While this commitment costs the Federal Government nothing, it is a key initiative and the time extension will give the states confidence to further develop and enhance their models. Victoria and WA are due to come online with their SEM models in 2025, so junior doctors applying for places under these models will be assured that their arrangements will be in place for the duration of their training program.
• Scholarships for registered nurses and midwives to become nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives in primary and aged care settings.
• Funding for 29 additional Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) and additional funding for Medicare UCCs located in regional, rural and remote Australia – however, Dr Lewandowski said: “There must be a commitment from the Government to ensure UCCs will not impact after-hours services that are already being provided in rural communities. UCCs in rural communities need to be integrated with current services, not set up in competition, particularly with regard to the recruitment of local health professionals. Rural and remote settings require integrated primary and hospital after-hours care to make it sustainable.
• The Government’s investment of $17.4 million to support health services at risk of closing in ‘thin market’ areas, to be administered by Primary Health Networks and the Rural Workforce Agencies. Dr Lewandowski said: “The investment is appreciated, but we need both investment and system reform so we can prevent ‘thin market’ crises – not move from one community in crisis with their health services to the next.”
• Funding for PBS prescriptions for the elderly, longer consultations for endometriosis and other gynaecological presentations, free sanitary products for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and increased mental health support measures.

“We await large system reform in the primary health sector as a result of the reviews that the Government has been undertaking, as they have access to a huge number of innovative solutions and system reform ideas from a whole range of individuals and organisations” Dr Lewandowski said.

“We have seen a trail of breadcrumbs this Budget – the question is, will it lead to something bigger soon?

“We really hope so.”

Federal budget a bitter pill to swallow for paramedics

Australasian College of Paramedicine

In the past two years, Australia’s Federal Government has explicitly lent its support for multidisciplinary team-based healthcare inclusive of the paramedic workforce, cognisant that such models represent the future of Australia’s health landscape in addressing the challenges facing health systems nationally and in delivering more holistic and responsive person-centred care and improving overall public health outcomes.

Yet despite paramedics being specifically mentioned in the previous budget, in the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report, and in the national Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce Scope of Practice Review, the 2024 budget reverts to yet another iteration of traditional models of care focused on GPs and nurses, overlooking the vital role paramedics play in propping up the nation’s ailing health system.

Access to primary healthcare relies on the availability of healthcare workers. Data available in the Australian Institute of Healthcare Workforce shows a declining growth in nurses and GPs, particularly in rural and regional areas despite costly incentive programs and targeted international recruitment for more than 10 years (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2023).

The government has already identified paramedics as a key health workforce as part of its previously proposed reforms, equipped with the skills and capabilities needed to add a new dimension of patient care that in turn eases pressure on overburdened GPs and nurses across a range of different practice settings.

Aged care, mental health, urgent care, primary health networks, rural and remote clinics are all mentioned in the budget. Paramedics are not, despite providing care across all these areas; they are the link between the government’s much touted “wrap-around care”. This should translate into support for a profession that is the link between primary, urgent and emergency healthcare.

Placement poverty is also very real for paramedic students as it is for other health professions, particularly in rural and remote areas. The budget implies that the government has also turned its back on the next generation of paramedics.

Given the much-publicised health workforce shortages across the sector and the commensurate negative impacts on ambulance services struggling with long wait times and ramping, there is a pressing need for genuine reform that is focused on easing the burdens on our frontline health workers, attracting and retaining more clinicians from different health disciplines, and ensuring all Australians have access to high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services and personnel.

This is particularly critical for communities in rural, regional and remote areas of the country that have long been deprived of the level of care and services available to their urban counterparts. Paramedics are the unrecognised health workforce meeting the health needs of communities where traditional models of care are failing them.

Instead of adequately funding “home-grown” paramedics and allied health professions to deliver innovative models of team-based healthcare, this budget has allocated $90 million to address the health workforce shortages by making it simpler and quicker for international health practitioners to work in Australia – an initiative that to date has proved unsuccessful.

It’s abundantly clear by now that this approach isn’t working. The government has talked the talk, but as this budget demonstrates, it’s not walking the walk. Nothing will be solved by perpetuating the status quo. The way forward is multidisciplinary, team-based healthcare, including paramedics. The government must look ahead, not behind to a system that has already failed so many Australians.

Fails to implement critical aged care reforms

Catholic Health Australia

The federal government’s decision to delay its essential aged care reforms in this budget threatens access to quality and dignified care for older Australians today and for the future, said Catholic Health Australia.

The peak body, representing 350 Catholic not-for-profit aged care facilities, said the government is failing to implement the recommendations of the Aged Care Taskforce.

“It’s been six months since the Aged Care Taskforce delivered its recommendations and the government has not even responded to them,” said CHA Director of Aged Care Policy, Laura Haylen.

“The decision to neglect the Aged Care Taskforce recommendations in this budget is incredibly disappointing and frustrating.

“With most facilities operating at a loss and many at risk of closure, we are running out of time to secure quality and sustainable aged care for our loved ones.

“Every day adds more to the cost of fixing the system, and leaves more older Australians languishing in our hospitals for lack of quality care options in their community. There is no excuse for delay.”

The Aged Care Taskforce, made up of consumers, providers and independent experts, recommended greater personal contributions to create better and more sustainable aged care, while retaining a safety net to ensure no-one misses out.

“Communities, particularly those in regional and rural Australia, urgently need additional funding to upgrade existing facilities and invest in improved care models to look after Australia’s growing ageing population,” said Haylen.

“Asking residents who can afford it to contribute more towards their living expenses – costs they have paid their whole adult lives – is the fairest way to deliver this extra funding.”

CHA supports the government’s commitment to fund wage rises of between 6.8 per cent  and 28.5 per cent which were ordered by the Fair Work Commission in March.

“These wage rises are urgently needed so aged care providers can attract and retain hardworking and dedicated staff,” said Haylen.

CHA also supports the government’s decision to defer the commencement of the new Aged Care Act to 1 July 2025 to provide much needed time to get the Act right.

“The short term injection of funding to address waitlists for home care packages is welcome but much more is needed to ensure older people can continue to live at home.”

Welcome investment to support dementia

Dementia Australia

Dementia Australia welcomes the $2.2 billion investment in ongoing aged care reform announced tonight in the Federal Budget, including a range of dementia specific initiatives.

Dementia Australia Executive Director Services, Advocacy and Research Dr Kaele Stokes said tonight’s Federal Budget was an important step forward to improving the quality of care for people living with dementia, their families and carers.

“We welcome the continuing progress made by the Albanese Government in keeping dementia at the forefront by addressing key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety,” Dr Stokes said.

The budget includes a raft of health and aged care measures that continue to build the capacity of acute and aged care services to deliver quality and appropriate care across community and residential settings as well as improving the coordination of care for people living with dementia who have more complex care needs.

“We also acknowledge the Government’s recognition of the need for a health system that can accommodate developments in biomarkers and disease-modifying therapies for dementia,” Dr Stokes said.

Dementia specific measures in the 2024-25 Federal Budget include:

• $56.8 million for the expansion of the Commonwealth’s Acute to Residential Care Transition Service dementia program.
• $30.4 million to states and territories to continue to deliver the Specialist Dementia Care Program.
• $1.7 million for the Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) for system readiness.
• Investment in understanding and supporting people impacted by less common forms of dementia.

“Given there are more than 421,000 people living with all forms of dementia in Australia we are committed to continuing to work with the Government to ensure the experiences of people impacted by dementia remain central to the design and roll out of these and future aged care reforms,” Dr Stokes said.

Welcome investments

MS Australia

The 2024-25 Federal Budget, delivered on 14 May 2024, addresses several critical needs for the MS community, focusing on better treatments, prevention, and support.

See our Budget overview below. For our full analysis please download this document.

Aged Care

MS Australia welcomes the $2.2 billion investment in aged care reforms, aligned with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendations. Key allocations include:

• $531.4 million for 24,100 additional Home Care Packages.
• $110.9 million over four years to enhance the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s regulatory capabilities.
• $1.2 billion for digital systems supporting the new Aged Care Act.
• $37 million for the My Aged Care Contact Centre to reduce wait times.
• $32.1 million for a Specialist Dementia Care Program.
• Commitment to increased wages for aged care workers and $87.2 million for workforce initiatives.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

MS Australia supports the $468.7 million allocation to improve the NDIS and acknowledges that further investment will be needed in coming years to fund the NDIS reform. Key funding includes:

• $214 million over two years to fight fraud and co-design reforms.
• $160.7 million for IT upgrades to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
• $45.5 million to establish a NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee.
• $20 million for consultation and design on service navigation reforms.

Research

MS Australia welcomes the $411.6 million commitment through the Medical Research Future Fund, aimed at continuing existing research missions and introducing new ones. Additionally, $18.8 million is allocated for a National One Stop Shop to streamline health and medical research administration.

MRI Access

MRI scans are crucial for MS diagnosis and monitoring. The budget allocates $69.8 million to increase the number of Medicare-eligible MRI machines, ensuring broader access to these essential services.

PBS Medicines

MS Australia supports the $3 billion agreement with community pharmacies, which includes a freeze on PBS patient co-payments and reduced costs for pensioners and concession cardholders.

Disability Employment

MS Australia welcomes $227.6 million for a new disability employment program and $54 million for paid work placement programs. Additionally, $23.3 million over four years is allocated to establish a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.

Carer Payment

To better support carers, the budget provides $18.6 million over five years, increasing flexibility for Carer Payment recipients and raising the participation limit to 100 hours per week.

Mental Health

The budget’s $888.1 million package includes funding for digital mental health services, upgraded Medicare Mental Health Centres, and support for complex needs through Primary Health Networks.

Energy Concessions

Recognising the high energy needs of people with MS, the budget includes a $3.5 billion energy relief bill, offering a $300 rebate per household starting 1 July 2024.

Income Support

Improvements in income support include $1.9 billion over five years to increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance and extending eligibility for higher JobSeeker Payment rates. However, MS Australia notes these measures do not fully meet the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee’s recommendations.

Nurses

To attract more nursing students, $427.4 million over four years is allocated for the Commonwealth Prac Payment. Additionally, $227.0 million over three years will expand Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, easing pressure on emergency departments.

Wins for First Nations people and older Australians

Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia

The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) is tonight celebrating a Budget measure that will improve access to medicines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leaving hospital, among many patient-focused measures in the Federal Budget that boost medicines affordability and expand access to health care for all Australians.

SHPA President Tom Simpson welcomed an historic increase in Federal hospital expenditure, and an $8.5 billion health care package with $1.2 billion to strengthen Medicare, saying PBS co-payment relief is timely as cost-of-living pressures continue.

‘On behalf of our members we welcome the $137.3 million announced tonight to improve medicines access and aged care services for First Nations people, including $11.1 million to expand the Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment Program.

‘SHPA has long campaigned for improving care for First Nations people by extending the Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment Program to public hospital pharmacies. We are pleased to see that the Federal Government has listened to SHPA and is delivering equity between the primary care and acute care sectors, supporting our patients as they move through the health system.

‘The co-payment indexation that freezes costs for general patients for one year, and concessional patients for five years is also a welcome measure that will improve medicines access and compliance for all Australians.

‘We also welcome $190 million in funding to strengthen Medicare to improve long-term hospital care, support for earlier hospital discharge and to help older Australians recover from a hospital stay with short-term care through the extended Transition Care Program. Pharmacists with advanced specialty skills must be included in the program.’

The Budget confirmed a significant increase to hospital funding agreed at National Cabinet, which will see the Australian Government contribute at least an additional $13 billion to state public hospitals over the next 10 years, increasing the Commonwealth contribution to the cost of care to 45 per cent.

Mr Simpson says SHPA members are counting on a new landmark hospital agreement with negotiations expected to conclude next month including the establishment of a Pharmaceutical Reform Agreement (PRA) with NSW and ACT.

‘Increased hospital funding is always welcome, but we must also address the glaring issue that people leaving hospital in NSW and ACT are the only patients not receiving PBS subsidised medicines to take home.

‘SHPA has been tireless in advocating for patient equity across the nation for access to medicines on discharge from hospital. Australia cannot afford to have a two-tier health system and this longstanding inequity needs to be urgently addressed.

‘Finalising this agreement will bring NSW and ACT in line with the rest of the country, providing patients with access to a PBS quantity of their medicines on discharge from hospital. This is critical for ensuring safer discharges and transitions of care, which will ease reliance on our primary healthcare systems.

‘Medicines are our most common healthcare intervention, but it is through ensuring equitable access and guidance, and expert care from pharmacists, we can keep more Australians healthier and out of hospital.’

Making medicines more accessible

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes the Albanese Government’s 2024-25 federal budget, making healthcare more accessible to Australians through cost-of-living relief and expanded pharmacy programs.

Australians will have access to cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with a freeze on indexation for at least one year ensuring that the cost of medicines does not rise with the cost of living. On top of this, all PBS medicines dispensed by a community pharmacy, hospital, or approved prescriber will now be covered by the Closing the Gap PBS co-payment, making essential medicines free or cheaper for First Nations people.

The government are also set to invest $151.1 million to improve access to dose administration aids (DAAs), lifting the service cap from 60 to 90 services per pharmacy per week.

The Budget has also reaffirmed Commonwealth support for the Aged Care On-site Pharmacists (ACOP) program, investing $333.7 million to embed credentialed pharmacists in aged care facilities from 1 July 2024. Critically, the Budget also confirmed funding for pharmacists to deliver vaccination services in aged care and disability homes, actioning one of PSA’s key recommendations in its 2024-25 Federal Budget Submission.

PSA National President Associate Professor Fei Sim welcomed the Budget, saying that measures to tackle the cost of healthcare are critical to improving accessibility of care.

“Slowing down the rising cost of medicines is essential to ensuring that basic healthcare remains accessible despite the rising cost of living,” Associate Professor Sim said.

“Measures like lifting the cap on dose administration aids and investing in PBS medicines access for First Nations people are a step in the right direction, ensuring that support is rightly focused on priority populations.

“Closing the Gap must continue to be a priority for the entire health sector. PSAcontinues to promote measures that support greater health outcomes for First Nations people, including improving access to essential medicines.

“As negotiations on the 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement and other agreements continue, PSA is highlighting the importance of funding for the delivery and quality improvement of pharmacist programs to further support patient safety.

“We continue to highlight that pharmacists are key to improving Australians ’access to care and quality use of medicines and medicine safety.”

Associate Professor Sim also acknowledged the $160 million investment in women’s health initiatives included in this year’s budget.

“I sincerely thank Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney MP for her continued advocacy for women’s health. It is positive to see investment into women’s health in this year’s budget.

“This is only the start of the journey, and I look forward to working collaboratively with the government, the Department and other stakeholders on this important work. ’

“On behalf of PSA and Australia’s 37,000 pharmacists, I commend Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler, Treasurer Jim Chalmers MP on delivering today’s Budget.”

Need to view PBS as investment, not cost

Medicines Australia

Medicines Australia says the Budget’s healthcare measures “show a move towards preventive care and wellbeing to ease pressure on Australia’s health system”, hailing commitments to Medicare, screening programs, research, mental health, clinical trials, new PBS listings and programs to keep ageing Australians out of hospital.

“As Australia faces the pressure of an ageing population, reduced productivity and growing Medicare costs, we must change our thinking about medicines and view the PBS as an investment in wellbeing, rather than a cost.”

“Access to medicines has a direct link to the economy and to productivity, as evidenced in the recent Productivity Commission report that found advances in cancer treatments have been one of the major drivers of productivity growth.”

“Bold PBS reform to accelerate patient access to the best medicine available will deliver step change in preventive care. The faster that patients can access new medicines through the PBS, the faster they will recover. This means fewer visits to the doctor, fewer hospitalisations and immediate, tangible impacts on the whole community.”

Clinical trials

Medicines Australia welcomed the previously announced commitment of $62 million to support clinical trials and a further $18.8 million to progress the National One Stop Shop as a significant step towards improving access to medicines for all Australians.

“Australia plays a vital role in the research and development of new medicines through clinical trials. The investment by Government into creating a single system for accessing clinical trials and harmonised processes will benefit patients and ensure Australia remains globally competitive as a research and development destination,” it said.

“As the Government focuses on a future made in Australia, it’s important that we do not inadvertently create an unfavourable environment for the launch of new medicines and medical technologies that Australians have contributed to developing.”

Health Technology Assessment reforms

Medicines Australia said it was not concerned by the absence of any announcements about the Health Technology Assessment review, given the report only went to the Minister last week.

But it said: “Funding should not prevent or delay stakeholders coming together to commence codesigning reforms, and Medicines Australia calls on the Minister to release the HTA report and commit to the next steps towards reform implementation.”

“We know that a stronger PBS will deliver savings in other areas of the health system and increase productivity. Australia needs a system that delivers equitable access to the latest medical technologies within 60 days of TGA registration.”

Continued funding for medical research

Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes

The Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) has welcomed a continuation of investment in medical research in the 2024-25 budget, handed down by the Federal Government this evening.

AAMRI is pleased to see an ongoing commitment by the Government for medical research funding. The budget papers outline a slightly increased investment in the NHMRC for 2024-25 and the ongoing $650 million in Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) funding including two new missions: Reducing Health Inequities and Low Survival Cancers.

“The Government has demonstrated continued support for medical research in what is a ‘business-as-usual’ budget. This propels us to further advocate for, and work towards, achieving key priorities for our sector, including positive reform of Australia’s medical research funding system and better setting up our early- and mid-career researchers for success,” said AAMRI CEO, Dr Saraid Billiards.

AAMRI notes that the budget did not include the release of further funds from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), which AAMRI asked to be strategically allocated for a MRFF scheme to fund the full costs of research.

“We look forward to continue working with the Government on our plan to sustainably fund the full costs of carrying out medical research – an issue that must be addressed if we are to retain Australia’s brightest scientists, secure the future for our medical research institutes and, in turn, continue delivering leading research, treatments and health solutions for the Australian public.”

Recent announcements from The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, relating to the budget, including confirmation of the planned National Health and Medical Research Strategy and the national One-Stop-Shop for clinical trials, were the highlights from an otherwise stationary budget for the sector.

“The National Health and Medical Research Strategy will give us the opportunity to ensure the money allocated for medical research is used strategically and sustainably. Our two largest medical research funds are remaining steady in this budget, so now we turn our attention to working with the Government to ensure we have strategic investment that funds the full cost of research, provides career certainty for our future leaders, and allows our researchers to do what they do best,” said Dr Billiards.

A full summary of the 2024-25 Federal Budget announcements for the medical research sector is available on AAMRI’s website.

Focus on research a win

Lung Foundation Australia

The nation’s peak lung health body has commended the focus on health research in this year’s Federal Budget as excellent news for the future of lung health in Australia.

Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said $1.4 billion over 13 years in new health and medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), including an additional $411.6 million for low survival cancers and reducing health inequities would save lives.

“Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in Australia, with a five-year survivorship of just 22 per cent – the Government’s commitment to the new 10-Year Low Survival Cancers Mission and the 10-Year Reducing Health Inequities Mission is a real opportunity to increase this rate substantially, one of our organisation’s long-standing goals,” Mr Brooke said.

“Lung Foundation Australia has advocated tirelessly when it comes to equitable outcomes for cancer diagnoses and treatments in our country, and we know the more investment in vital research, the greater the benefits and savings on the health care system in the long run.

“We commend Minister Butler in particular, and it’s wonderful to see the focus on the new 10-Year Low Survival Cancers Mission, the 10-Year Reducing Health Inequities Mission and continuing existing streams of lifechanging MRFF funding.

“We know that if Australians with lung cancer are diagnosed at Stage I, their five-year survival rate nears 70 per cent.”

Mr Brooke said the funding package came at a pivotal time for lung cancer investment and research in Australia, with the recently released Australian Cancer Plan and the imminent start of a National Lung Cancer Screening program both monumental steps towards more equitable outcomes for cancer diagnoses and treatments across the country.

“These outcomes are a culmination of years of listening, consultation and taking on feedback from thousands of knowledgeable Australians; from the general public to the health sector, and government agencies,” he said.

“We look forward to continuing to work alongside the Albanese Government as they develop a National Health and Medical Research Strategy and extend our congratulations to the lung disease and lung cancer researchers whose vital work will be able to continue and be expanded through this commitment.”

Mr Brooke said key details of the budgetary announcement included a commitment for MRFF Research Missions to bring together key researchers, health professionals, stakeholders, industry partners and patients to tackle big health challenges, while the Low Survival Cancers Mission would investigate ways to improve outcomes for Australians with cancers where less than 50 per cent of people survive more than 5 years after diagnosis.

Welcome support the Medical Science Co-Investment Plan

Medical Technology Association of Australia

On 15 April 2024 the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science and the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care released the Medical Science Co-investment Plan (Co-Investment Plan) as part of a commitment to delivering a future made in Australia and creating more secure, well-paid jobs.

The Co-Investment Plan includes medical science as a priority area and identifies medical devices, complex therapeutics, digital health and sustainability as the four primary medical science investment opportunity areas.

The Co-Investment Plan aims to support the development of manufacturing in Australia in the medical science sector, including medical technology, by supporting commercialisation of high-end products, and improving our international competitiveness.

The 2024-25 Federal Budget handed down today includes measures that support the Medical Science Co-Investment Plan, including through $18.8 million to support the National One Stop Shop for clinical trials and $1.4 billion for the Medical Research Future Fund.

Collectively, these initiatives support emerging medical device concepts designed to improve standard of patient care progress through the pipeline of clinical trials through to local manufacturing.

In support of the budget initiatives and Co-investment Plan, Medical Technology Association of Australia’s Ian Burgess said “the release of the 2024-24 Budget and Co-Investment Plan are important steps in growing Australia’s medical device manufacturing capability.”

“The 2024-25 Budget clinical trial and medical research initiatives funding are important investments that will make it easier for industry, sponsors and researchers to find, invest and conduct research in Australia.”

“These Budget initiatives provide necessary support to the success of the Co-Investment Plan and other industry development initiatives, including the Industry Growth Program and National Reconstruction Fund.”

“The Co-Investment Plan recognises the unique operating environment for medical device companies and sets out how government and industry can together leverage Australia’s strong medical device and related health science sectors.”

“The Co-Investment Plan also recognises the importance of collaboration between industry, and government.”

“The Medical Technology Association of Australia is excited to see how the Co-Investment Plan and National Reconstruction Fund can assist to grow investment in medical device commercialisation and growth businesses by angel and venture capital investors.”

“The Medical Technology Association of Australia looks forward to continuing to collaborate with government to implement the Co-Investment Plan.”

Government needs to “grow a heart” on mental health

Australian Association of Psychologists

“The government tells us that their $361 million early intervention package over four years puts mental health “at the heart of a stronger Medicare”. Yet their total new investments in health are listed as $8.5 billion.This government needs to grow a heart and start taking mental health seriously.

“The proposed 61 Medicare Mental Health Centres will only offer finite services to 61 communities. What about the remaining communities and individuals needing help today?

“The promise of new mental health centres up to two years from now is a hollow one that provides little hope for those who need mental health care right now.

“In one breath, the government is pitching these as “free walk-in” clinics while saying they will provide clinical services for moderate-to-severe mental health needs in the next, yet at the same time, criticising Better Access for trying to be all things to all people.

“A wiser investment would be to appropriately fund Better Access and provide realistic Medicare rebates so that people everywhere can access their local psychologist tomorrow.

“Due to chronic underfunding of Medicare and Better Access, out-of-pocket expenses are at an all-time high. Financial barriers to accessing mental healthcare were the number one barrier identified in the Better Access evaluation, and this Budget does nothing to address this.

“The Federal Government needs to learn from Victoria’s lessons. Only a week ago, the Victorian Government had to shelve 35 similar services due to workforce shortages. Why is the Federal Government gambling on Australians’ mental health and hoping for a different outcome?”

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