Labor said the Strengthening Medicare Fund would be spent on the recommendations of a taskforce chaired by the new health minister and made up of peak medical bodies including the AMA and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, which lobbied for the funding.
Improving GP access and affordability, including after hours, would be priorities, with patient enrollment to enable “better management of complex and chronic conditions”, decrease pressure on hospitals and deliver care from a “multidisciplinary team” including nursing and allied health.
Morrison will on Saturday announce a $20 million plan to expand a sport program to high school students in year 9 and year 10, through 35 national sporting organizations, including Netball Australia, AFL, Cricket Australia, Hockey Australia and Surfing Australia.
“Getting more young people involved in sport helps keep our kids active, builds confidence and it provides a way for families to connect back to community sporting clubs as we bounce back from the pandemic,” the Prime Minister said.
“It also creates opportunities and connections to support those students who want to make their sporting dreams a reality.”
Sporting Schools, which provides free sport-based activities to students of all abilities and also helps identify promising young athletes, is currently only available up to year 8.
Expanding the program aims to address the decline in sporting participation, physical activity and social connectivity in older secondary students, especially girls.
Morrison will also announce $4.8 million worth of grants up to $5000 to help surf lifesaving clubs buy life-saving equipment such as defibrillators and rescue boards.
