The Hon Mark Butler MP

Minister for Health and Aging

Minister for Disability and the NDIS

The Hon Peter Khalil MP

Assistant Minister for Defence

Federal Member for Wills

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday, 25 August 2025

DELIVERING COBURG’S MEDICARE URGENT CARE CLINIC

The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Coburg with the tender process underway to identify an operator for the new clinic.

The Coburg Medicare Urgent Care Clinic will give residents in the northern suburbs of Melbourne access to high quality and free walk-in urgent health care.

The clinic will offer extended hours, seven days a week, with no appointments needed, and all patients will be fully bulk billed.

These clinics are intended to take pressure off local hospitals, including St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne, and Austin Hospital, and will fill an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend.

Tender processes led by the local Primary Health Network have commenced to identify providers to operate the new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Coburg and others across Australia.

The tender processes will be open to general practices, community health centres and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.

Alongside this announcement, tender processes have opened for other Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Victoria in Bayside, Pakenham, Stonnington, Lilydale, Diamond Creek, Clifton Hill and Torquay.

Ninety Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have opened across Australia since 2023, these clinics have seen more than 1.8 million presentations, including over 376,000 presentations to the 20 existing Victorian Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

Over thirty per cent of presentations to Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Victoria have been outside standard business hours, which means the clinics are filling an important gap in services across extended hours and over the weekend. 

Over one in four visits to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Victoria have taken place on the weekend, one in three have taken place at 5pm or later, and over one in four visits treating a young person under 15.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are giving Victorians timely health care and peace of mind when it’s needed most.

Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:

“The Government is getting on with the job of delivering more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics for Victorians.”

“These clinics will be open seven days a week, extended hours and most importantly they’ll be fully bulk billed - because affordable health shouldn’t require your credit card, just your Medicare card.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister Khalil:

“So many locals have told me they delay care because it’s hard to get an appointment. A Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Coburg will bridge that gap, and give locals access to doctors and nurses when they need it most.”

“We promised to build a healthcare system that works for everyone at the last election and clinics like this one will play a crucial part in delivering that plan.

“Getting the right care early can also stop a small problem becoming a major one. That’s what these clinics are designed to do — treat people early and keep them out of hospital.”

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Lucy Caruso: 0408 803 428 (Butler)

James Laidler: 0458 729 475 (Khalil)