April 19, 2025 — 5.54pm
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The Coalition has accused Labor of deceiving voters and seeking to revive its 2016 “Mediscare” campaign by falsely claiming that a Dutton government would cut funding for almost 90 existing urgent care clinics.
Labor advertisements that have circulated widely on social media during the election campaign explicitly state that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will shut down the popular clinics despite the Coalition repeatedly committing to retain all 87 existing clinics.
The Coalition has not committed to fund the further 50 urgent care clinics announced in the March budget, but has promised to open several new clinics of its own in addition to those already operating, which are intended to take pressure off the hospital system and provide bulk-billed services for urgent but not life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
A Labor-funded anti-Dutton website called “He cuts, you pay” states that Dutton will “close down urgent care clinics” and says: “Peter Dutton’s cuts will mean your local Urgent Care Clinic will be forced to close.”
Labor advertisements list existing urgent care clinics in locations such as Tamworth and Rooty Hill in NSW, Ipswich in Queensland, and Carlton in Melbourne – which all opened in 2023 – as slated for closure if the Coalition is...
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