New analysis reveals that the proportion of Australian GP clinics offering bulk billing has significantly increased, nearly doubling since the introduction of new federal incentives in November 2025. According to the online health directory Cleanbill, the percentage of clinics providing fully bulk-billed services rose to 40.2% by the end of 2025, up from 20.7% the previous year.
The Albanese government implemented an additional 12.5% payment on Medicare benefits for practices that bulk bill all eligible patients for all eligible services. Previously, incentives primarily targeted children under 16 and Commonwealth concession card holders. Between 1 November and mid-December 2025, Cleanbill contacted 6,877 clinics, discovering that 1,007 had transitioned from private or mixed billing to full bulk billing since the beginning of the year.
Despite the overall increase, disparities exist across different regions. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 96% of GP clinics reported accepting new patients, a requirement for participation in the survey. Yet, only 12 out of 101 responding clinics indicated they were fully bulk billing. In Western Australia, 95% of clinics were open to new patients, but only 130 of the 657 clinics contacted, or 19.8%, reported full bulk billing.
In New South Wales, 51.9% of the 2,342 clinics reached were fully bulk billing, while 43.6% of the 1,793 clinics in Victoria did the same. The Cleanbill report also highlighted a 13.5% increase in out-of-pocket costs for patients who do not qualify for bulk billing. The average cost of a standard GP consultation now exceeds $100 in the ACT and Tasmania, with patients facing average out-of-pocket expenses of $58 and $61, respectively.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler expressed skepticism about the Cleanbill analysis, stating that “specific data contained in the Cleanbill analysis cannot be relied upon and should not be reported as accurate.” He noted that the government’s own data indicates that since November, over 3,200 practices have adopted full bulk billing, including nearly 1,200 that were previously mixed billing.
Butler emphasized additional measures aimed at expanding access to care, including the establishment of 1800Medicare, a free, nationwide 24/7 health advice line, and the implementation of more Medicare urgent care clinics.
Peter Breadon, health program director at the Grattan Institute, commented that the rise in bulk billing rates is not surprising given the introduction of new incentives. However, he pointed out that the changes do not address deeper structural issues within general practice. Access to care continues to vary by location, and vulnerable patients often remain underserved.
“This doesn’t really deal with the supply and distribution of care,” Breadon said. He called for a different funding approach for general practice that specifically targets GP deserts and better supports clinics serving disadvantaged and low-income patients.
Previously, bulk billing incentives prioritized disadvantaged populations, including concession card holders and children. Breadon noted that with the recent changes, this focus has diminished. “We’ve taken that away, while countries like New Zealand are moving in the opposite direction, tying funding to disadvantage, complexity, and rurality.”
While greater bulk billing incentives exist for rural areas in Australia, Breadon believes the new funding model moves away from aligning financial support with patient need. He underscored that comprehensive Medicare data from the health department will eventually provide a clearer picture of the situation.
Independent reviews have consistently recommended a fundamental shift in GP funding, advocating for flexible patient budgets that increase for clinics treating sicker and poorer patients. “Funding should follow need,” Breadon stated. “If anything, the recent changes move us away from that.”
