Australia urgent care clinics: I thought Albanese’s new paid clinics were a waster

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Healthcare

Opinion

I thought Albo’s urgent care clinics were a waste – until I needed one

Angus Thomson Health Reporter November 5, 2025 — 7.30pm

Most Australians have come to see free healthcare as our birthright, so I was shocked to hear a friend recently shelled out more than $300 for a specialist emergency clinic after accidentally stabbing her palm with a kitchen knife.

It wasn’t her first choice. She waited an hour in a crammed Sydney emergency department before the triage nurse warned it would be another four hours until she could be seen. In the end, she decided it would be quicker to drive half an hour and pay the premium to get it sorted.

That’s not an option for most Australians, but shows demand exists for a service our hospitals are no longer equipped to