The 2025 federal Budget was delivered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on 25 March. While many of the big-ticket health and aged care items had already been announced, the ANMF nevertheless welcomes prioritised funding including:
- $7.9 billion to strengthen Medicare by encouraging more bulk billing
- $2.5 billion to fund the stage 3 aged care work value case wage rises for aged care nurses from 1 March 2025
- $1.8 billion for the nation’s public hospitals
- $784.6 million to reduce the cost of PBS medicines to $25 (from $31.60) for patients without a concession, and maintain the $7.70 price for concession card holders
- $644 million to establish a further 50 Urgent Care Clinics across the country
- $291.6 million to continue the delivery of aged care reforms and the implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety
- $10.5 million to fund an extra 400 Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery scholarships
- a landmark $792.9 million women’s health package that includes:
- funding for 150% larger Medicare rebates and more bulk billing for the insertion and removal of long‑acting reversible contraceptives, including by nurse practitioners
- listing several oral contraceptive pills and menopausal hormone therapies on the PBS, the first in decades
- support for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause, including a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments, development of clinical guidelines and funding to train health professionals
- funding for 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, and listing a new endometriosis treatment on the PBS.
The ANMF also applauds the Albanese Government for tackling cost-of-living pressures by:
- offering $17 billion in tax cuts for workers
- extending access to subsidised childcare
- slashing student HECS-HELP debts by 20 per cent
- providing 100,000 fee-free TAFE places
- Providing $150 in energy rebates each quarter.
ANMF welcomes the Government’s ‘continued support of the aged care workforce by continuing to implement its 2022 commitment funding a wage increase for registered nurses and enrolled nurses, in-line with the Fair Work Commission’s final determination in the historic work value case,’ said ANMF Federal Secretary, Annie Butler.
She added: ‘It is also heartening that the Government has again committed to investing in Medicare reforms, expanding bulk-billing incentives, establishing 50 new Urgent Care Clinics and cutting the price of a script to $25 under the PBS. A list of new medicines – including oral contraceptives, reproductive treatments and menopausal hormone therapies – have also been listed on the PBS, making it cheaper and more accessible for women of all ages to meet their health needs.
‘As the country heads to the election on 3 May,’ Ms Butler added, ‘the ANMF looks forward to working with the Government to deliver on these Budget investments and to build a stronger and sustainable health and aged care workforce that can improve care, reduce waiting times and provide better health outcomes for the community.’
