Further Steps Taken to Implement Medicare Locals
The Australian Government has taken the next step in reforming Australia’s health system and establishing a network of primary health care organisations – Medicare Locals – by releasing the latest draft of its planned geographic boundaries.
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30 November 2010
The Gillard Government is taking the next step in reforming Australia’s health system and establishing a network of primary health care organisations – Medicare Locals – by releasing the latest draft of their planned geographic boundaries.
Medicare Locals are a key component in the Gillard Government’s health reforms, which will provide better health services and a strong local focus for Australia’s health system.
Medicare Locals will support health professionals to provide more coordinated care, improve access to services, and drive integration across the primary health care, hospital and aged care sectors.
They will build on the work of Divisions of General Practice, enhancing their role in supporting local health professionals and service providers, and focusing on the health needs of local communities.
The planned boundaries are based on work commissioned by the Australian General Practice Network and released for consultation from 1 July 2010. This work provided a comprehensive analysis of local primary care services.
About 120 submissions were received in response to this work, and the Gillard Government’s planned boundaries reflect these consultations as well as extensive modelling on local populations and health services.
The Gillard Government is now consulting with state and territory governments on the planned boundaries, with the aim of reaching agreement on final boundaries for Medicare Locals and Local Hospital Networks by the end of 2010.
If other parties have outstanding comments on the planned boundaries, they should provide these by Monday 13 December 2010.
The first group of Medicare Locals – expected to be around 15 organisations – will commence operation in mid-2011, with the remainder commencing in mid-2012.
The planned geographic boundaries are available at www.yourhealth.gov.au
For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220
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