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Fund public health: free GPs and psychology

The Greens will make big corporations pay their fair share so we can fund genuinely free healthcare for all Queenslanders, including free GP visits and 20 free sessions with a psychologist per year. 

200 free GP clinics and $8.7B for hospitals

It’s getting harder and harder to afford seeing a GP. Queenslanders are struggling like never before to find a bulk-billing GP – the number of bulk-billing GPs has dropped by 31% over the last six years.

And in a cost of living crisis, that means people are having to choose between things like paying for groceries or paying to see a GP. 

Despite a recent increase to the Medicare rebate, many GPs are struggling to bulk-bill because the rebate is still too low. Private GP clinics are forced to generate an income to pay wages and cover clinic costs. This means doctors are either forced to churn through patients or charge extra. 

People are putting off basic primary healthcare because they can’t afford it. That means people are more likely to get sicker and develop complications, which puts pressure on our public hospital system and emergency departments. 

The Greens will create 200 free public health clinics, where you can go to see a GP, nurse, psychologist or other allied health professional for free. 

The Greens will:

  • Establish 200 free public health clinics across Queensland with publicly funded and salaried GPs, nurses, and allied health professionals including physiotherapists and psychologists.
  • Open these free clinics seven days a week and out of hours to ensure people aren’t forced to attend an emergency department unnecessarily.
  • End the crisis in our public hospitals by investing an additional $8.7 billion in our hospitals over four years, meaning 2,000 more beds and two new major hospitals in Queensland.

200 new public health clinics

The Greens will invest $4.75 billion over four years in building and staffing 200 public health clinics across Queensland to ensure every Queenslander has access to a free GP and crucial preventative and primary health care without having to pay. 

All doctors, nurses and allied health professionals will be public employees and paid professional salaries. 

Each clinic would have 10 GPs, 4 nurses and 4 other allied health staff. Under the Greens plan for 20 free psychology sessions per year, we will also employ 5 psychologists per clinic.

The public health clinics will be built across Queensland with the services tailored to particular community’s needs. Clinics would be funded to be open seven days a week and out of hours to ensure people aren’t forced to attend an emergency department unnecessarily. 

The clinics will be built over four years with priority given to areas currently lacking access to bulk-billing GPs, psychologists and other primary health care services. Fifty new clinics will come online each year until all 200 are open by 2028-2029.

Public health clinic locations

Region

Public Health Clinics (indicative only)

Brisbane

52

Logan/Beaudesert

14

Gold Coast

26

Sunshine Coast

16

Rockhampton/Central Queensland

9

Toowoomba/Darling Downs-Maranoa 11
Ipswich 9
Mackay/Whitsunday 7
Moreton Bay 19
Bundaberg/Wide Bay 12
Redlands 6
Townsville 9
Cairns/Far North Queensland 7
Longreach/Mt Isa/Outback 3

Bulk billing is collapsing

The number of fully bulk billing GPs in Queensland has fallen by 31% over the last six years.

In the Brisbane North Primary Health Network (PHN) area, that number is even bigger – with the number of fully bulk billing GPs dropping 39%.1

Even after the Federal Government’s increase to bulk-billing rebate in November 2023, the overall bulk billing rate in Queensland has dropped 10% since 2019.2

Proportion of GPs who always bulk bill (via Federal Department of Health data)

PHN areas

2018-19

2023-24

% fall

% fall (proportion of 2018-19)

Qld

65%

45%

-20%

-31%

Brisbane North

58%

35%

-23%

-39%

Brisbane South

69%

47%

-22%

-31%

Gold Coast

73%

50%

-23%

-31%

Darling Downs & West Moreton

71%

53%

-18%

-26%

Western Queensland

64%

58%

-6%

-10%

Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast

63%

41%

-21%

-34%

Northern Queensland

61%

49%

-12%

-19%

Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast 63% 41% -21% -34%
Northern Queensland 61% 49% -12% -19%

Boosting Queensland’s hospitals

Queensland’s public hospitals are in crisis.

In Queensland’s emergency departments, almost 4 in 10 urgent (Category 3) patients weren’t seen within the recommended time of 30 minutes last year. 

Only 54% of patients at emergency departments were discharged within four hours –  down from over 75% a decade ago.

Queensland patients are waiting almost twice as long for planned surgery as they were two decades ago.3

The Greens will invest an additional $8.7 billion in our public hospitals over four years, meaning 2,000 more beds and two major new hospitals in Queensland.

Funding our plan

The total cost of building 200 public health clinics where the GPs, psychologists and other health professionals will be based will be $3.16 billion over four years.

Staffing costs for GPs, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals will be a further $1.6 billion over four years after Medicare rebates.

The staffing for costs for the psychologists based at these free health clinics is captured by our 20 Free Psychology Sessions plan.

The total cost of fully funding public hospitals would be $8.74 billion over four years. 

The remaining cost of the initiative will be funded by the Greens plan to raise royalties on mining corporations, which will raise $61 billion over four years.

($m)

2025- 26

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Total over 4 years

Build 200 public health clinics

$761

$780

$800

$820

$3,160

Staffing 200 public health clinics (GPs, allied health, nurses)

$211

$433

$666

$911

$2,222

Revenue from federal Medicare rebates (GPs)

-$62

-$123

-$185

-$247

-$617

Subtotal: 200 free public health clinics

$911

$1,090

$1,281

$1,483

$4,765

Fully Fund Public hospitals

$2,103

$2,156

$2,210

$2,265

$8,735

Total

$3,014

$3,246

$3,491

$3,749

$13,500

Sources:
1 See table, and Federal Department of Health data.
2  State Statistical Bulletin 2018-19 and media release from Minister for Health, June 2024.
3
 2024 Public Hospital Report Card, AMA.

Make mental health a priority and bring back 20 free psychologist sessions for Queenslanders.

Decades of underfunding by Labor and the LNP has left Queensland’s mental health system in crisis. And things have only got worse since the federal Labor government halved the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions from 20 to 10. 

Queenslanders are now having to choose between getting the mental health care they need or paying the rent. If you can manage to afford to pay for a psychologist, you’ll often have to wait up to three months for an appointment.

People are struggling to get the support they need in the community, often pushing them into crisis and into our underfunded public hospital system. Mental health presentations to emergency departments have increased by 20% since 20181 and there’s a massive shortage of mental health inpatient beds in our hospitals.

The Greens will bring back the “COVID 20” for Queenslanders, giving Queenslanders access to 20 free sessions with a psychologist each year.

The Greens will:

  • Employ 1,000 clinical and registered psychologists, at 200 new free public health clinics across the State
  • Provide 20 free psychology sessions each year for every Queenslander who accesses these psychologists

20 Free psychology sessions a year

Right now Queenslanders are struggling to pay for the psychology sessions they need.

1 in 5 people are delaying seeking mental health support because of costs.2 In fact, since Labor cut the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions in 2022, there’s been a 40% increase in low-income people delaying seeing a psychologist, or not seeing one at all, due to cost.3

The Greens will make mental health a priority, and invest $269 million over four years to bring back 20 free psychologist sessions for Queenslanders.

We will employ 1,000 clinical and registered psychologists, at 200 new free public health clinics across the state.

Any Queenslander with a Mental Health Care Plan under Medicare will be eligible to see these psychologists to receive 20 free psychology sessions each year.

The Queensland government would receive the Medicare rebate from the Federal government for up to 10 sessions per patient. These rebates would be worth $213 million over four years, with the remaining costs covered by the Queensland government.

($m)

2025-26

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Total over 4 years

Staffing costs: psychologists at public clinics

$46

$94

$145

$198

$482

Medicare rebates for 10 sessions per patient

-$21

-$43

-$64

-$85

-$213

Cost to State government: 20 free psychology sessions

$25

$51

$81

$113

$269

We’ll build 50 public health clinics per year and by 2028 60,000 patients each year will have regular access to 20 free sessions with public psychologists. 
 

20 free psychology sessions per year

 

2025-26

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Psychologists per clinic (FTE)

5

5

5

5

Number of clinics operating

50

100

150

200

Psychologists employed at public clinics across Queensland

250

500

750

1000

Total clients with access to 20 free sessions via public psychologists per year

15,000

30,000

45,000

60,000

Tackling workforce shortages

Almost 50% of psychologists across Australia are reducing their patient hours because they’re burning out. 

After the Labor federal government halved the number of Medicare funded psychology sessions, many psychologists reported that they were considering leaving the profession.4

By directly employing psychologists in the public health system and paying them a professional salary in a stable job, our plan would provide better conditions for psychologists. Public psychologists would have leave entitlements, minimal administrative responsibilities and professional development opportunities, reducing burn-out. 

The Greens also support the Australia Psychological Society and the AAPi’s calls for allowing the 8,000 provisionally registered psychologists to provide services through Medicare, to bring more psychologists online faster.

Costings

The total cost of providing the 20 free psychology sessions to Queenslanders will be $269 million over four years. 

The total cost of building 200 public health clinics where the psychologists will be based will be $3.16 billion over four years.

The cost of the initiative will be funded by the Greens plan to raise royalties on mining corporations, which will raise $61 billion over four years.

($m)

2025-26

2026-27

2027-28

2028-29

Total over 4 years

Build 200 public health clinics

$761

$780

$800

$820

$3,160

20 free psychology sessions 

$25

$51

$81

$113

$269

Total

$786

$831

$881

$933

$3,429

Sources:
1 AIHW, Mental health-related presentations to emergency departments, July 2024.
ABS Patient Experiences November 2023.
ABS Patient Experiences November 2023.
4 APS, 
National survey sounds alarm for patients and psychologists after mental health funding cuts, March 2023.