Australian taxpayers subsidise rising specialist fees as spending on Abbott-era Medicare safety net ‘explodes’

Exclusive: Health department data shows spending on the 2004 extended safety net has nearly tripled, from $324.9m in 2010 to $850.4m in 2024Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTaxpayers are increasingly subsiding the rising fees of specialist doctors, as new data shows “explosive” government spending on the Medicare safety net, which has more than doubled in 15 years.Total Medicare safety net benefits rose f