GP bulk billing has jumped sharply since the federal government rolled out new incentives, with new survey data showing the percentage of fully bulk-billing clinics has nearly doubled over the past year.
The data comes from a new report from Cleanbill, an online GP directory, who contacted 6,977 GP clinics between 1 November and mid-December 2025 . It shows 40.2 per cent of available GP practices now fully bulk bill standard weekday consultations. This figure sat at 20.7 per cent the year before, according to Cleanbill.
While the percentage of fully bulk billing clinics almost doubled to over 40 per cent nationwide, the figure jumped over 50 per cent in New South Wales and the Northern Territory, while Victoria sat at 43.6 per cent.
Tasmania, which had no available bulk billing GP clinics in January 2025, now has 37.
The analysis found 1,007 GP clinics had switched from private or mixed billing to full bulk billing since the start of 2025.
While the report shows some good gains in bulk billing, it’s not all good news.
For Australians who don’t access bulk billing, average out of pocket costs for consultations have risen.
The data shows a rise of 13.5 per cent over the year in out-of-pocket costs for patients who are not bulk billed. Nationwide, there’s been a 13.5 per cent increase in out of pocket costs, with the average cost of a standard GP consult now exceeding $100 in the ACT and Tasmania. This means out of pocket costs now sit at f $58 in the ACT and $61 in Tasmania.
2026 is also the first year that Cleanbill has observed a net decline in the number of GP clinics nationally. The report cites a significant number of clinic consolidations or closures.
The federal government has urged caution about relying on Cleanbill’s data, saying the analysis did not include clinics that did not answer their questions.
Late last year, the federal government implemented its $8.5 billion promise to increase incentives for GPs to bulk bill patients. It promised nine out 10 GP visits would be free from out of pocket expenses by 2030.