Push to free up GPs with more pharmacist prescriptions Letting pharmacists write medication scripts could save $1 billion in health costs and free up 10 million GP visits a year, a report has found. AAP · Jun 8
Melbourne psychiatrist refuses new patients who don’t consent to AI note-taking Registration form informs patients that if they do not wish AI to be used, they will need their referring doctor to refer them to a different service provider The Guardian - AU · May 18
Two in five Australian GPs use AI scribes to record patient notes – but do they trade care for convenience? Some doctors argue it allows them to better connect with patients, but advocates warn the AI technology risks the opposite The Guardian - AU · Mar 28
Australia now has 137 urgent care clinics. Are they working? Since 2023, 137 Urgent Care Clinics have opened across Australia, in all states and territories. They’re usually located within or partnered with a general practice, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation or a community health centre. The Conversation · Mar 4
Australian doctors subjected to vexatious complaints over social media posts on Gaza, GP peak body says Royal Australian College of General Practitioners letter to health regulator cites ‘growing number’ of complaints The Guardian - AU · Aug 22, 2025
Pharmacists could one day work in GP clinics. Here’s what’s in it for you You’re discharged from hospital with some painkillers but aren’t sure if they’re safe to take with the heart medication you’ve been prescribed for years or the vitamins you take now and again. So you ask your GP. They recommend you see the pharmacist in the next consulting room for advice… The Conversation · Aug 10, 2025
Suzanne drives eight hours to get ADHD medicine from a specialist. Australian GPs say they need more prescribing powers Exclusive: Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners urges Albanese government to increase range of medicines they can prescribe The Guardian - AU · Mar 19, 2025
Ozempic can cost almost $2,000 a year. An Australian peak medical body says it should be on the PBS for weight loss Research shows weight loss-inducing semaglutide medicines can help lower the risk of cardiovascular conditions and sleep apnea The Guardian - AU · Mar 15, 2025
GPs warn not all practices will take up Labor’s promised Medicare bulk-billing changes if rebates still too low Health minister says modelling ‘very clearly’ shows majority of practices will benefit The Guardian - AU · Feb 24, 2025
Bulk Billing’s Set To Get Cheaper From November — What This Means For You No matter who wins the election, both Labor and the Coalition have committed some significant cashola to Medicare, starting later this year. Pedestrian.tv · Feb 24, 2025
Pill Testing To Be Rolled Out At 4 More Victorian Music Festivals: ‘Highly Successful’ "The results from Beyond the Valley speak for themselves." Pedestrian.tv · Jan 31, 2025
Dutton’s position on international student caps ‘utterly reckless’, Giles says – as it happened This blog is now closed The Guardian - AU · Nov 19, 2024
'Wonderful move': foreign GPs fast-tracked to plug gap Qualified doctors from Ireland, New Zealand and the UK will be able to see Australian patients sooner after the regulator eased registration hurdles. AAP · Oct 15, 2024
Pharmacists say they were not consulted on ‘rushed’ Labor-Greens vape deal Federal health minister counters that Pharmacy Guild did not make submission to regulation inquiry and selling vapes still a decision for individual stores The Guardian - AU · Jun 25, 2024
The Guardian - AU · Jan 31, 2024 New Zealand to be briefed on Aukus – as it happened This blog is now closed.
The Guardian - AU · Jan 8, 2024 Rate of GPs bulk billing all patients in Australia drops to below one in four, data reveals Cleanbill report reveals national rate of bulk billing dropped 11% last year to 23.6%, with 514 clinics removing the service
The Guardian - AU · Oct 26, 2023 Poorer Australian regions lose out in ‘flawed’ allocation of doctors, GP body says System of identifying shortages leads to skewing of resources towards wealthier areas, according to Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
The Guardian - AU · Jul 31, 2023 Overseas-trained doctors could be fast-tracked to work as Australia’s staff shortage projected to swell Peak body for GPs will consider simplifying assessments that compare skills of foreign doctors to local ones
The Guardian - AU · Jul 6, 2023 Philip Morris making deals with Australian pharmacies to supply below-cost vaping products VEEV nicotine pods and devices offered at an 80% margin on the condition pharmacies sign supply deal with the tobacco giant
The New Daily · Jun 5, 2023 Doctors wasting too much time on bureaucratic red rape Doctors waste too much time with non-standardised templates, naming specialists in referrals, and outdated data-sharing, according to the RACGP.
ABC News · May 26, 2023 UTI trial the latest front in 'turf war' between Pharmacy Guild and peak GP group A Queensland pilot allowing pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics for UTIs was popular with patients, but the peak body for GPs has serious concerns with the program and it's opened up a new front in their turf war with pharmacists.
ABC News · May 2, 2023 Not a single vaping product containing nicotine has TGA approval Currently, there is not a single vaping product containing nicotine approved by Australia's drug regulator, meaning that these medicines have not been tested for quality and safety.
ABC News · Apr 30, 2023 New South Wales pharmacies sign up to prescribe UTI medications and resupply the pill From next month, New South Wales pharmacists taking part in a trial will be able to prescribe medication for urinary tract infections (UTI) to women under the age of 65 as well as resupply younger women with the contraceptive pill.
The New Daily · Mar 27, 2023 Extended prescriptions reforms a ‘no brainer’, but not a silver bullet Doctors pushing for reforms could mean patients get extended prescription, to aid the cost of living crisis and healthcare crisis.
AAP · Mar 24, 2023 GP advice can help you quit, not vapes: doctors Doctors have joined the call for stricter e-cigarette regulations amid concerns Australia's successful smoking cessation efforts are being thwarted.