Australian PM Eyes A$8.5 Billion Boost to Medicare If Re-Elected

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that if re-elected his government would invest A$8.5 billion ($5.4 billion) in Australia’s universal health care system.

Albanese’s center-left Labor administration, which is seeking a second term in elections due within the next three months, has trailed the center-right Liberal-National Coalition in recent opinion polls.

He said the funds would expand access to free consultations with general practitioners and increase training programs for doctors and nursing scholarships. Some 90% of visits to GPs by 2030 would be covered by the bulk billing system, under which there is no cost to patients, Albanese said in ...