When the GP bill lands in your rates notice: Regional residents are paying twice to access healthcare

Do you know any other service where you have to pay twice just to access it? In towns across the Durack Federal electorate, that is exactly what is happening when it is time to see a GP. Councils are being forced to spend millions of ratepayer dollars just to get and keep a GP in their town — meaning locals are paying once through their rates, and again when they visit the doctor. Last week, I delivered a speech in Parliament on this issue and wrote directly to Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, urging him to act. These are two separate actions but both driven by one message: regional healthcare is in crisis and governments need to step up. In my speech to the House, I asked “how can Medicare work when there’s no one to hand your card to?”. That’s the reality for places like Northampton — a proud community that doesn’t even have a local GP. And even where GPs are available, bulk billing is all but gone. The latest Cleanbill data confirms what people in Durack already know. Costs are rising, access is declining and Labor’s promises are failing to deliver. As of July 2025, only 42 clinics in WA were bulk billing non-concession patients. Even after Labor’s much-hyped changes take effect in November, that number won’t even hit 90. Meanwhile, a WA Local Government Association survey shows 69 WA local governments are spending nearly $7 million a year to attract and retain GPs, with 92 per cent of that money coming from towns with fewer than 5000 people. These councils are not stepping in because it’s their job. They are stepping in because if they don’t, no one else will. That’s not health policy — that’s desperation. As I told Parliament, health care shouldn’t depend on your postcode. It’s time for governments to step up and stop relying on rural ratepayers to fill the gap. These words are not political slogans. They are a call for action based on what people in regional WA are living every single day. Regional Australians are not asking for special treatment. They’re asking for fair treatment and they are sick of being overlooked by Labor governments at both the State and Federal levels. If Labor is serious about Medicare, then it must deliver a strategy that works for all Australians, those in the bush and city alike. Until then, small town councils will keep funding doctors, and their communities will keep paying the price. It’s not right — and we cannot allow it to continue.