New government incentives have sharply increased GP bulk-billing rates in Australia. According to the Cleanbill analysis published Monday, the number of fully bulk-billing clinics nearly doubled to 40.2% by the end of 2025, up from 20.7% a year earlier. The Albanese government added a 12.5% payment boost on Medicare for clinics that bulk bill all eligible patients and services. Earlier, only children under 16 and concession card holders qualified for most incentives. Cleanbill contacted 6,877 clinics between November and mid-December 2025. Of these, 1,007 clinics switched from private or mixed billing to full bulk billing since early 2025. Bulk-billing rates varied by state. In the ACT, around 12 of 101 clinics fully bulk billed despite 96% accepting new patients. In Western Australia, 19.8% of 657 clinics were fully bulk billing. NSW had the highest rate at 51.9% of 2,342 clinics, followed by Victoria at 43.6% of 1,793 clinics. However, out-of-pocket costs increased 13.5% for patients without bulk billing. The average GP consultation now costs over $100 in the ACT and Tasmania, leaving patients to pay $58 and $61 on average respectively. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said, "specific data contained in the Cleanbill analysis cannot be relied upon and should not be reported as accurate." He noted Cleanbill excluded clinics that did not respond but said government data shows more than 3,200 practices fully bulk bill since November, including nearly 1,200 that shifted from mixed billing. Butler also highlighted expanded Medicare urgent care clinics and the 1800Medicare 24/7 health advice line as part of broader access efforts. Peter Breadon, health program director at the Grattan Institute, welcomed the bulk-billing rise but criticized the lack of focus on deeper funding issues. "This doesn’t really deal with the supply and distribution of care," he said. Breadon argued the new incentives apply to all patients equally and no longer prioritize vulnerable groups, reversing previous policies tied to disadvantage. "Funding should follow need," he added. Breadon called for flexible patient budgets to better support clinics serving sicker and poorer patients. While the incentives are higher in rural areas, he said recent changes move away from targeting funding based on need, unlike trends in countries like New Zealand. Cleanbill’s snapshot data provides a quick check on billing trends, but Breadon expects comprehensive Medicare data will paint a fuller picture in time.