About the consultation
The Australian Government is committed to making sure Australians have transparency, choice and affordable access to private specialist medical care.
Out of pocket costs have been growing for specialist care and some specialists are charging significantly in excess of their peers. Patients are worried about the cost of specialist care and a lack of clear and timely disclosure of the costs they may face.
The government’s recent investments are already making primary health care more accessible and affordable. The government is commencing these consultations to develop reform options to support access to affordable private specialist care.
We will work with patients, specialist doctors, and the private health sector to develop practical reform options that will improve how Australians access, navigate and afford private specialist health care services.
Specialist affordability
In October 2025, the Minister held a Specialist Affordability Roundtable with health care providers, patients with lived experience and health insurer representatives to advance a shared understanding of key concerns.
Consultations will build on the concerns raised in that forum and focus on exploring the following priority reform options:
- modernising the Medicare referral processes for specialists to improve patient choice and simplify referral pathways
- standardising and regulating disclosure of fees and informed financial consent
- addressing concerns over the very high fees charged by some specialists compared to their peers, including the potential for more direct regulation of those fees.
Public consultation papers
A series of consultation papers will be released seeking feedback on options for reform in these areas.
Our first public consultation on Modernising Referral Pathways has already taken place and closed on 6 March 2026.
Further consultation papers on specialist affordability will be published on this page when available.
Parliamentary inquiry into access and affordability of medical specialists in Australia
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability is undertaking an inquiry into access and affordability of medical specialists.
The inquiry will examine the availability, cost and equity of access to medical specialist services across metropolitan and rural Australia, including the impacts of these costs on patients and the broader health system.
The Committee is accepting submissions until 16 October 2026. You can make a submission to the Inquiry into access to and affordability of medical specialists in Australia on the Parliament of Australia web page.
Contact
For more information on the progress of consultations, email:
