Health At Newton

01/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/197NRuEuD6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A heartbroken mum is urging SA families to take the flu seriously after her partner, who had a pre-existing condition, died suddenly with his final text to her a chilling warning of what was to come.
📌 FULL STORY: https://bit.ly/4fmSmv4

28/07/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16fNhXdmEp/

break and entry - theft of power tools - 523 Lower NE Road, Campbelltown 28/7/2025

22/07/2025

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Mass vaccination efforts have been launched immediately. 📌 MORE: tinyurl.com/25r4nhrx

28/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CckPhzKvT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Thousands of cases have been confirmed across Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Germany.

02/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14EF85N8coi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

27/04/2025

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnv56q82vnro?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5hNfBkzaepNYS0umLYZylQpcstCNbCGX_uGq6l5wlhGajRDjKlcmlmZhuKKA_aem_C8awA3e67thtxVK73_Vbaw

More and more Australians, regardless of where they live, are delaying or going without the care they need.

24/04/2025

How we put this article together
Following both major parties' big election pledges, we asked GPs to share their views on whether it would make a material difference to them.
We received more than 840 responses from across the country, the vast majority of which indicated the policies would not be enough to help their practice raise bulk-billing rates and remain financially viable.
We analysed the responses to discern the most prominent concerns and verified that those quoted in this story are registered with the industry regulator.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-24/federal-election-2025-bulk-billing-medicare-gp-reponses/105188752?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ2qEZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFEb2dNdmtIZjFYTDZsak1xAR7dbluDJSzEl2Sr-JBi6dXZkcrKzrkS_fQh1FKx0SOkDS2SDut1wXsgJWTK2A_aem_h-C41Ey6BehkYXcDAhxpNA

We heard from hundreds of GPs across the country and here's why many are saying they won't expand their bulk-billing practices beyond concession patients.

04/04/2025

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Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are treating patients quickly and diverting thousands from hospital emergency departments – but a government-commissioned review has found the $750 million program is yet to prove its cost-effectiveness or ease the burden on Australia’s hospital system. The Interim E...

23/02/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1206504650831121&id=100044147934160

This morning, Australia woke up to an announcement by our Prime Minister than due to an election pledge of extra funding from the Federal Goverment, that 9 out of 10 visits to the GP will be bulk billed.

Echoes of ‘doctors visits will all be completely free’ have been repeated by the media throughout the day.

Such promises and headlines are creating expectations which are sadly not reality.

The promised funding is a small welcome boost to those GPs who already bulk bill, as it triples the incentive to do so. Note, this is not a tripling of the Medicare Rebate, it is merely a tripling of the smaller *incentive*, which will increase from $7 to $20.

A further announced incentive payment of up to 12% will only apply if ALL doctors in a practice *exclusively* bulk bill ALL their patients.

For universal bulk billing practices who may churn through patients in the dreaded ‘six minute medicine’ consults, these new incentives are very good news. These corporate practices, which heavily focus on the quantity of consultations, will be very happy today.

However, if your GP is a private billing doctor, the sad reality is that nothing will likely change with the Government announcement today.

GPs, like plumbers, restauranteurs and every other small business owner, set their own fees. This allows them to run their business, cover their overheads, and earn a living that takes into account the fact that they do not get sick leave, paid holiday leave or even paid superannuation.

What the Government is offering voters relies on those GPs who currently privately bill their patients accepting a 30% reduction in their average private fee in order to bulk bill. And sadly, that’s not going to happen.

There is no private business that would be willing to accept less than what their service is worth just because the Government has promised voters in an election year that this will happen.

The current mess that primary care is facing is because Medicare rebates were frozen for years and don’t reflect the true cost of seeing a doctor. With the added pressure of state governments trying to enforce payroll tax on medical practices, the tripling of the token bulk billing incentive is not a magic bullet.

So please, please, please temper your expectations.

Your private billing GP is not going to suddenly start bulk billing you for your consultations despite what Albanese and his government have promised.

And naturally it’s going to be the ‘greedy’ GPs that will be blamed when the promised ‘free nine out of 10 GP visits’ don’t materialise in the way voters expect.

We need a fairer system where there is greater investment in fairer Medicare rebates which recognise doctors who see complex patients, take their time with patients, and who see a disproportionately high number of mental health cases.

Please remember: your trusted GP is not the enemy here.

- Sara

Addit: I want to be very very clear that criticising this announcement/policy is NOT an endorsement of Dutton’s policies (or lack thereof). In fact Dutton has pledged a similar policy. I am merely clarifying that on this issue that it’s not as simple as people assume it will be. Please vote for the party which aligns with your own personal values.

21/11/2024

Move over Banksy! You may have the “banana” but we have “unsupervised by parents” by “bored child”! 🤦‍♂️

18/11/2024

Sharing this - our neighbours at the Rezz had a fridge stolen! Please share and help identify the thieves! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14mM9soyom/?mibextid=WC7FNe

UPDATE on the STOLEN FRIDGE from the Rezz Hotel

Dear neighbours of the Rezz Hotel,

We have been able to fine-tune the time when the fridge was stolen.
This fridge was on wheels.
It was pushed away from the Rezz lawns early Saturday morning, 9th November at 3.35am.
Across Hamilton Terrace in an easterly direction
Then it was wheeled into Thorndon Park at 3.39am as the blue arrow shows
It was then collected by a new white twin cab Ute with a white canopy with roof rails/racks at 4.19am
The canopy of the Ute had two lights on the back end on the top of the canopy facing rearwards.

Phone or text Richard Hamood with any information that leads to its recovery.
0411 181 337
Reward of dinner for two at Rezz still applies!

Campbelltown City Counci l (SA)

10/10/2024

Looks like other states are waking up to how unreasonable and unfair aka is and how it’s adding to the cost of living. Please petition your local Federal and State MPs to abolish this unfair and unconscionable ! Peter Malinauskas Jack Batty MP - Member for Bragg Chris Picton MP Stephen Mullighan MP James Stevens MP Vincent Tarzia - Member for Hartley John Gardner MP Ashton Hurn MP - Member for Schubert Senator Anne Ruston Mark Butler MP Australian Labor Party Australian Medical Association RACGP RACGP SA Faculty Australian Medical Association - SA https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/queensland-to-abolish-gp-payroll-tax?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0ZSat3UWmaswxSdbsHtLu4BGzVzzSMaBvuw2fiYaHY1IAhB_SAP-qq51s_aem_HNpTwyv-SKy0zpHJ9wy58g #:~:text=Queensland%20has%20become%20the%20first,years%20advocating%20for%20the%20exemption

The State Government will permanently ditch its tax grab following years of outcry from GPs, as pressure mounts on other states to follow suit.