Bulk billing rates surged in the first three months of 2026 as the Albanese government continues to bet big on health with the launch of a nation-first campaign.
Data released by the Department of Health found the national GP bulk billing rate had risen 4.6 per cent to 81.9 per cent in January to March.
The biggest increase was in the Northern Territory with a 13.7 per cent surge, while NSW and Victoria both increased by 4-5.5 per cent to between 83.7-85.6 per cent.
The Australian Capital Territory, meanwhile, lagged behind with 1.4 per cent increase to just over 54 per cent.
Elsewhere, Queensland reported a 79.5 per cent bulk billing, up 4.0 percentage points; South Australia was 80.4 per cent, up 5.9 percentage points; Western Australia 74 per cent, up 4.6 percentage points; and, Tasmania 78 per cent, up 5.7 percentage points.
The rate in the Northern Territory was 89.8 per cent.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the results showed “unequivocally” that the government’s initiatives to strengthen Medicare were working.
They are “changing the face of frontline care delivery and helping keep costs down for Australians – good for their health and good for their hip pockets,” he said.
“We haven’t just stopped the Medicare free fall under the previous government, we have reversed it and strengthened it – dramatically.
“The government’s Medicare Urgent Care Clinics continue to be a game changer in delivering frontline care, with the three million visits milestone reached for urgent, but not
life threatening, cases.”
The number of non-concessional patients being bulk billed rose to 72.5 per cent in the first quarter, up 8.5 per cent from the same time last year.
Currently, there are more than 3800 bulk billing clinics, more than 1400 of which were previously mixed billing, the government said.
As a result, about 97 per cent of the population are within a 20 minute drive of a bulk billing clinic.
The findings come as the Mr Butler launches the first-ever national menopause and perimenopause campaign.
The campaign is aimed at helping women better understand symptoms, access trusted information, and seek support, and follows recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into Menopause and Perimenopause which found women were ill-informed and suffered stigma.
“Menopause should not come as a surprise, but for too long silence and stigma have left too many women in the dark,” Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said.
“Making sure women have credible, evidence-based information that is easily accessible is essential to supporting their health and wellbeing. And it’s important for women’s families and the broader community to have awareness too.”
“It is important that this campaign reflects the different experiences of perimenopause and menopause, because no two women experience it the same way, and every woman deserves to feel seen and supported.”
The campaign will run online, as well as on TV, in cinemas, and on social media until December 2026.
