Topic: Corporate

Funding to secure the future of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, a boost in the number of aged care beds and investment in the primary care workforce with additional GP training places, are among key health commitments announced in the 2026-2027 Federal Budget.

In responding to last night’s budget, South Western Sydney PHN (SWSPHN) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Amy Prince, said it was pleasing to see the Federal Government’s ongoing investment in Strengthening Medicare, continued access to healthcare for older persons and the new Thriving Kids reform.

“While we of course welcome the government’s commitment to healthcare funding for our more vulnerable community members, a greater focus on primary healthcare, and in particular GP workforce and sustainability pressures, will be welcomed in the future,” she said.

“An important part of SWSPHN’s role is to help reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes for vulnerable groups, including First Nations communities, culturally and linguistically diverse populations and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage.

“Investment in general practice bulk billing incentives, culturally sensitive care for our First Nations communities, and more residential aged care beds and payments to aged care homes to support low means residents, supports our vital work.”

Ms Prince also noted the value of investing to make Urgent Care Clinics (UCC) a healthcare fixture in Australia.

“Our community has embraced the six Urgent Care Clinics commissioned by SWSPHN across the region, and we welcome these services becoming a longer-term alternative to hospital emergency departments for people with urgent but not life-threatening healthcare needs,” she said.

“SWSPHN has had a significant amount of positive feedback from patients and their families who praise UCCs for how easily and quickly they received the care they needed, demonstrating that these services are addressing a community need.”

Key budget features include:

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics

$1.8 billion to secure the future of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics as permanent features of Australia’s health system. This builds on previous investments to expand the total network to 137 clinics across Australia. The network has delivered almost three million free visits nationwide. By July 2026, four in five Australians will live within a 20‑minute drive of their local Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

Bulk billing

$11.4 billion to incentivise bulk billing, with a goal of ensuring nine out of 10 GP services are bulk billed by 2030. Since the bulk billing reforms commenced on 1 November 2025, 1,420 general practices across Australia which were previously mixed billing have become fully bulk billing. The national GP bulk billing rate has also risen to 81.4 per cent in the period between November 2025 and January 2026.

First Nations health

$144.1 million to expand on the more than 100 projects already delivered or underway to improve health infrastructure across Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. Better access to life-sustaining, culturally safe care within First Nations communities and on Country with $44.4 million for culturally‑safe maternal care for 1,100 mothers, and $18.9 million to expand access to culturally‑safe crisis care through 13YARN.

Older people

$3.7 billion to deliver more beds, more packages and better care for older Australians. This includes $1.7 billion to incentivise construction of up to 5,000 aged care beds a year and protect equity of access for those less well off. Investment includes $606.5 million to: introduce new capital subsidies for aged care providers who build or expand residential accommodation; deliver up to 20 extra Specialist Dementia Care units; and expand the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support program. There is also $1.1 billion for future spending to increase and restructure the Accommodation Supplement and introduce an extra payment for homes with more than 60 per cent low‑means residents.

Other recently announced investments in health include:

• an additional 100 Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) program places are being made available in 2027, on top of 200 additional places allocated in 2026
• delivery of the next stages of the ‘share by default’ reforms, which improve My Health Record to give patients and health professionals access to more reliable and timely health information
• the launch of the next phase of the Medicare Mental Health Check In, which provides free Low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LiCBT) guided by a trained practitioner via telehealth

Help shape healthcare for South Western Sydney

Applications are now open for clinicians based in South Western Sydney to join SWSPHN’s Clinical Council.

The Clinical Council is a key advisory committee which reports to the SWSPHN Board, providing expert clinical advice to help inform decisions which respond to the unique health needs of our diverse communities. The Council also works in close partnership with South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) and alongside the SWSPHN Community Advisory Committee, ensuring strong clinical and community perspectives are reflected in planning and system improvement.

Who we are looking for

We welcome applications with a strong understanding of clinical issues relating to the unique health needs of communities across South Western Sydney. In line with the expanding role of Primary Health Networks, we are seeking a broad mix of clinical expertise.

If you are a GP, allied health professional, or pharmacist who practises in the local government areas of Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Wollondilly, or Wingecarribee, you are eligible to apply. Health of our region

In this recruitment round, we are particularly interested in applications from:

• two allied health professionals
• one pharmacist
• one practice nurse
• three GPs

We particularly encourage applications from GPs with experience and insight into the unique challenges of providing care in Fairfield and Bankstown Local Government Areas.

We value diversity of professional background, regional distribution, cultural and gender perspectives which reflect the healthcare community of South Western Sydney.

Applications are being accepted now, and will close Friday, 6 March 2026 or when enough applications are received.

Enquiries

If you have any questions about the Clinical Council or the application process, please contact Melissa McIntyre, Executive Assistant, at melissa.mcintyre@swsphn.com.au.

South Western Sydney PHN (SWSPHN) has echoed the Primary Health Network (PHN) Cooperative’s favourable response to recommendations from an independent review of the PHN program business model and mental health flexible funding stream.

The review was conducted by Boston Consulting Group between November 2024 and June this year, to evaluate the PHN program to see what works, what doesn’t and how it can be improved.

The final report of the review, released on 18 December 2025, confirms the critical role PHNs play and includes recommendations to strengthen the PHN network and provide more consistent services across the country. Read the final report

Key recommendations include streamlined funding processes, minimum governance and engagement standards, and mental health flexible funding stream reforms.

In a statement, the PHN Cooperative said the recommended improvements to the program would enable PHNs to better align services with local needs, reduce fragmentation across the care continuum and strengthen collaboration with healthcare providers.

PHN Cooperative spokesperson Matt Jones described the review as a “pivotal moment”.

“By simplifying processes and reinforcing trust, we can unlock more time, resources and energy for what matters most – supporting healthier communities across Australia,” he said. Read the full statement

SWSPHN Acting Chief Executive Officer Amy Prince agreed, welcoming the review’s findings.

Ms Prince said the review reflected the positive impact of PHNs on the health of local communities, noting that “strong and widespread support for the PHN model” was cited in the review.

“For more than a decade, SWSPHN has been providing professional development opportunities for our primary care workforce, forging partnerships to ensure locally responsive care, and working with our community to understand their healthcare needs and tailor services to meet those needs,” she said.

“This review recognises the value of the work we’ve undertaken so far, and we’re optimistic the recommended improvements to the program will make PHNs even more effective at meeting the unique, and sometimes complex health needs of our individual regions.”

Perseverance.

“Take a moment to look back and realise the change you make in a year may not be obvious, but when you look back over the course of 10 years, it’s significant.”

As SWSPHN’s long-term Chair, Elderslie GP Dr Matthew Gray (pictured), steps down from the position he’s held since SWSPHN’s inception, he says ‘perseverance’ is the one big lesson he’s taken from the last 10 years which can help guide the next 10.

“Through perseverance, we’ve pivoted, we’ve navigated and we’ve negotiated challenges and change,” Dr Gray said. “I don’t think there’s any suggestion change will ever slow down, it’ll likely increase.”

Dr Gray has devoted 22 years to “making a lasting difference to the health of this wonderful and highly diverse community” in his roles – 18 years of which he served as Chair – at SWSPHN and its predecessors the Macarthur Division of General Practice, Sydney South West GP Link and South Western Sydney Medicare Local.

“I joined because it gave me the opportunity to shape primary care in our region, and because I could see the great potential of these organisations to improve health outcomes,” he said.

“One-on-one interaction with a GP is crucial for individual health, and communication and coordination within general practice and primary care is important. But communication and coordination between primary care and other parts of the system is also very important.

“Through being part of these organisations, I saw I could have a real role in improving the quality of healthcare for people in our community, particularly in terms of access to services and workforce development.”

Dr Gray said SWSPHN had a special role in the complex Australian health system, focussing on the three Cs – commissioning based on a sound understanding of, and planning based on community need; coordination and integration which bridges gaps and joins services “like glue that binds things together”; and building the capacity of the primary care workforce.

“Over the last 10 years we’ve grown and matured to become a safe and trusted pair of hands for implementing policy for the Commonwealth on the ground in our community,” he said. “The government has seen how we can assist greatly in translating national policies into a local and nuanced solution for our community.”

He said he was pleased SWSPHN had maintained its strong links with local GPs, while at the same time overseeing changes in primary care including the expanding role of practice nurses and strengthening and growing multidisciplinary team care.

Dr Gray made special note of the relationship between SWSPHN and South Western Sydney Local Health District and more generally, the interaction between hospitals and acute services and primary care in our region, which he said had “led the way for our state”.

He said SWSPHN had also developed strong community roots, one of the goals the Board had set at the beginning of his tenure.

“We wanted to develop relationships and partnerships with other organisations which would contribute to the quality of services, to help lift the health and wellbeing of our community.

“I’m thinking, for example, of the work we’ve done with Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities. By developing relationships with organisations such as Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council and Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, we’ve gained a better understanding and appreciation of the needs of First Nations people,” he said.

“This means the work we’ve done with the Integrated Team Care program can better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with access to the wrap-around services they need and the day-to-day one-on-one health consultations.”

Establishing a well-governed organisation was – and remained – a priority for SWSPHN’s first Board, Dr Gray said. “As a Board member, I think the governance of an organisation is paramount,” he said. “Ten years on, SWSPHN is rigorously governed and we deliver our operations with excellence.”

Two of the challenges SWSPHN has faced over the past decade – the COVID-19 pandemic and attracting the right workforce to our region – also became opportunities to positively impact the health of our region.

Dr Gray said he couldn’t have imagined the key role SWSPHN would play in the COVID-19 response 10 years ago.

He said SWSPHN staff did well to quickly provide support to general practices – through up-to-date communications, PPE delivery, testing, vaccination rollout and other health measures put in place during this period.

In terms of our region’s primary care workforce, Dr Gray said we needed to attract people to primary care roles and professions to be able follow the guiding principle of providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time by the right person.

“Evidence shows prevention and early intervention are important to the health and wellbeing of the community and takes pressure off acute and hospital services, which by definition should be there for more significant presentations.

“The first challenge is to get the distribution right between primary and acute hospital services, and workforce. Then, we as a region, have the challenge of attracting staff to both rural – which may have some incentives – and outer Sydney areas.

“SWSPHN has been working to identify the needs for our workforce and to put in place strategies to attract, retain and support our workforce.”

How has the role of primary care changed and evolved during the past 10 years?

Dr Gray said one of the changes to general practice during this period was the move from shorter and acute-based interactions with patients to more chronic illness and prevention.

“At the same time the population has expanded, so we’ve had to work to broaden the scope and the involvement of everyone in the primary care team, which again is an achievement,” he said.

“Our PHN has done really well when I think of programs like NewGen for nursing and the professional development we offer to primary care providers. And now, we have increasing involvement with allied health providers.

“Mental health has been an increasing area of concern for people in our community. I’ve seen a gradual development in the coordination role of GPs, and SWSPHN assists in setting up services and ensures coordination and communication of those services for our GPs and practices.

“We’ve also had a pandemic and natural disasters which we wouldn’t necessarily have played a key role in back in the Macarthur Division of General Practice days.

“It’s a testament to the work of PHNs and the role they’re able to play, that governments have recognised our importance in those areas.”

Dr Gray said his role as Board Chair had given him the opportunity to learn from many interesting, capable and committed people, who had helped him grow in confidence and identify new strengths.

“I’ve had the opportunity to talk to government ministers, local politicians, local health district board members and chiefs – lots of conversations, experiences and engagements. I’ve now got more clarity about what I’ve been trying to achieve and the importance of primary care.”

His final message:

“We are stronger if we work together to deliver a collective impact.

“Thank you to this organisation and my colleagues, and to the community for giving me the opportunity to do this work for such a substantial period of time.”