Date: 21 February 2023
The RACGP has provided a submission to the Senate inquiry on the extent and nature of poverty in Australia. The inquiry is looking at many aspects of poverty in Australia, including the impact of poverty on individuals in relation to health outcomes.
Our submission called on the government to ensure primary care was affordable, accessible, and multi-disciplinary. We asked the government to help GPs get on with the job of caring for people experiencing poverty by:
- increasing patient rebates for longer consultations by 20%
- introducing targeted funding for patients with complex needs, including funding service incentive payments for older people, people with mental health concerns and people with disability
- investing in sustained long-term therapeutic relationships between patients and their GP, for example by implementing a model of voluntary patient enrolment which is fit-for-purpose, with additional investment on top of fee-for-service funding
These measures are concrete steps government can take to help patients experiencing poverty get the right kind of care when they need it.
Read the submission
RACGP submission to the inquiry on the extent and nature of poverty in Australia_February 2023 (PDF)