Tasmania clinic funding cuts spark concerns over access to care
28 May 2026
The service, operated by Moreton Group Medical Services, delivers healthcare directly to people living in community housing, supported accommodation and other hard-to-reach locations across southern Tasmania.
While Commonwealth funding will continue to support after-hours outreach clinics, State Government funding for daytime services will end following the recent Tasmanian Budget decision.
The move has prompted concern among healthcare providers, who say the daytime clinics play an important role in supporting vulnerable groups, including women, children, older people, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
According to the service provider, the clinics regularly see up to 25 patients a day and help connect people with ongoing healthcare before their conditions worsen.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said sudden funding changes can place significant pressure on healthcare providers and may affect efforts to keep people out of hospital.
The funding decision has also reignited debate over whether primary healthcare services should be funded by state governments or the Commonwealth.
Tasmanian Health Minister Bridget Archer said general practice funding is primarily a Federal Government responsibility and that the state cannot continue funding services that fall within Commonwealth responsibilities.
Healthcare providers argue that reducing community-based services may increase demand on hospitals and emergency departments, potentially shifting costs back to the state health system.
The funding changes also affect the after-hours service at the Cygnet Family Practice Urgent and After-Hours Service, which is expected to close at the end of the financial year after losing its annual government funding.
Service operators and local healthcare advocates are now calling for ongoing support to ensure vulnerable patients continue to receive timely access to primary healthcare.
Tasmania clinic funding cuts spark concerns over access to care
Source: newsGP