A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will work with the Malinauskas Labor Government to build South Australia’s future, today announcing a new state-of-the-art health service for Adelaide’s south: the Flinders HealthCARE Centre.
 
This election is a choice between Labor's plan to keep building and strengthening Medicare, or Peter Dutton's promise to cut Medicare and raise taxes. Only a vote for Labor is a vote for stronger Medicare and lower tax.
 
We will invest $150 million to support the construction of a new 10-storey facility in the Flinders Health Precinct in Bedford Park that will provide locals with 10,000 health appointments and see  1,300 health professionals graduate each year.
 
The $150 million capital investment will be matched by Flinders University to fund the construction of the Flinders HealthCARE Centre, featuring three floors of state-of-the-art clinical space that will be able to treat 100 patients simultaneously.
 
Research and training facilities at the Centre will mean Flinders University can produce an additional 1,300 work-ready graduates each year, including:

• More than 490 nurses
• 250 social workers
• 128 occupational therapists and speech pathologists
• 101 paramedics
• 60 physiotherapists
• More than 50 midwives
• 24 clinical psychologists
• 180 other allied health professionals

Design and development is expected to begin later this year, with Flinders University targeting construction to start in 2027.
 
The $150 million investment is a decision of government that will be reflected in the 2025 PEFO.
 
This investment builds on the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to deliver free, quality healthcare for South Australians. We are:

• Boosting funding to all South Australian public hospitals next year by 15 per cent to $2.35 billion, to help cut waiting lists, reduce waiting times in emergency rooms and manage ramping;
• Delivering $498 million for a once-in-a-generation upgrade to the Flinders Medical Centre, in partnership with the Malinauskas Government, with upgrades to operating theatres, imaging and ICU, and an additional 160 hospital beds.
• Opening another three Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in SA, building on the six Urgent Care Clinics that have already treated more than 80,000 South Australians. This is free healthcare, where all you need is your Medicare card.
• Making the largest investment in Medicare since its creation 40 years ago, so more Australians can see a doctor for free. This will mean an additional 1.5 million free GP visits for South Australians and boost the number of bulk billing clinics in South Australia to 310.
• Making cheaper medicines even cheaper, with a PBS script to cost no more than $25 next year – providing important cost of living relief on top of the $95 million that South Australians have already saved from cheaper medicines.

This investment in public healthcare is in stark contrast to Peter Dutton, who was voted the worst Health Minister in Medicare history by Australia’s doctors, after he cut $50 billion from public hospitals – including $4 billion from SA hospitals – and tried to end bulk billing with a fee for every GP visit.
 
Quotes attributable to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
 
“We’re working with the Malinauskas Labor Government to build South Australia’s future.
 
“If re-elected, Labor will invest $150 million in a new state-of-the-art health service for Adelaide’s south, with the Flinders HealthCARE Centre.
 
“This will open up 10,000 health appointments and see up to 1,300 health professionals graduate each year.
 
“Only Labor is strengthening Medicare, with the largest ever investment in more than 40 years.
 
“This means more free trips to the doctor, cheaper medicines and more Urgent Care Clinics – where all you need is your Medicare card not your credit card.”
 
Quotes attributable to the Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas:
 
 “South Australians can see the determination of both State and Federal Governments to build a bigger health system in our $498 million upgrade to the Flinders Medical Centre, currently under construction which will deliver 160 additional hospital beds to the south, along with surgical and procedural spaces.
 
“But we won’t stop there.
 
“The Albanese Government’s significant new investment in Flinders University’s HealthCARE Centre will help deliver the highly skilled workers needed to staff our growing hospital system, with 1,300 graduates each year.
 
“Nurses, midwives, ambos, speech pathologists, physios, psychologists, and other health professionals — this means more of them, trained in world-class facilities.
 
“It also means up to 10,000 additional appointments each year for patients in the south, to be undertaken at the new Flinders facility.”
 
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Mark Butler:
 
“This election is a choice between Labor's plan to keep building or Peter Dutton's promise to cut. Only a vote for Labor is a vote for stronger Medicare.
 
“Australia's doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.
 
“Everything in Peter Dutton's record tells us that he will start by cutting Medicare and he won't stop there. He will cut everything except your taxes.”
 
Quotes attributable to Member for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost:

“The Flinders HealthCARE Centre is a truly exciting and transformational project for our community.

“It directly tackles two of the biggest issues raised with me — access to health services and workforce shortages.

“It’s been a privilege to work alongside Flinders University as this proposal has progressed, and to advocate for more medical, allied health, and nursing appointments right here in our local area.

“Labor is committed to delivering affordable, accessible health care — and I’m proud to help make that a reality for Boothby."

Quotes attributable to Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling:
 
“The $300 million Flinders HealthCARE Centre is a game changer for our community, delivering better care, faster access, and a stronger health workforce.
 
“This facility will transform healthcare in southern Adelaide while producing 1,300 extra graduates each year to tackle critical workforce shortages.
 
“For over 50 years, Flinders has led the way as Australia’s first university embedded in a public hospital. Our $150 million investment, matched by the Federal Government, cements that legacy, delivering world-class care and training for generations to come.”