Canberra bulk billing Urgent Care Clinic not operational, despite comments

The clinic is one of 58 promised by the Albanese government, funded in both the October and May budgets.

Responding to questions from Liberal senator Anne Ruston in Senate estimates on Thursday, Department of Health officials revealed only eight of the clinics were operational.

Those eight clinics are all in Victoria, and were existing clinics established by the state government. From July 1 they will be funded as Urgent Care Clinics by the federal government.

All Urgent Care Clinics will be based in existing GP clinics and health centres, intended to provide walk-in, bulk-billed care for minor injuries and illnesses, outside of normal business hours.

Senator Gallagher told Senator Ruston this was a case of "the Commonwealth working in partnership with the states to actually get health services that meet the needs of their communities operational as fast as possible".

The ACT clinic has been allocated $7.1 million between 2022-23 to 2025-26.

"We're negotiating with the ACT government at the moment, haven't been finalised," Senator Gallagher said on Thursday, of the clinic's status.

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Senator Gallagher announced Canberra would receive funding for a clinic in the lead up to the election in May 2022, and said at the time: "If we were elected, the idea is that we would have them up and running within the first year or in the first year."

Senator Ruston asked Senator Gallagher on Thursday whether this quote could be attributed to her.

"I don't know, I haven't seen where it's from, that's what I asked for," the ACT Senator responded.

The quote has been published by The Canberra Times.

When Senator Ruston said that the quote was from "an ACT Labor event" and had been quoted in a number of media publications, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'm happy to have a look at them, honestly I don't trust you guys at all, so I would like to see the quote, that's essentially the issue I have.

"I want to see it, I think it's consistent, we do want them up and running. I spoke to you in October: commencement and implementation in the first year, that's what's happening."

Health deputy secretary Tania Rishniw told senators a further five clinics will be operational by July 1.

Two of those will be in Victoria, one in Western Australia and two in the Northern Territory.

When Senator Ruston resumed her questioning on the Urgent Care Clinics at Senate estimates on Thursday evening, Senator Gallagher had been replaced by Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy.

"Do you concede that you took a policy to the election that clearly is not possible to be delivered within the timeframes and within the constraints that you set yourself, and your prime minister has set?" Senator Ruston asked.

"That you pretty much sold Australians a pup that you want to deliver them these urgent care clinics that were going to take great relief off emergency departments, were going to provide additional services and additional hours and as we're sitting here today, we've got eight rebadged clinics in Victoria and not much else to show for it?"

Senator McCarthy responded, "No I don't agree with that."

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