A re-elected federal Labor government has committed to maintaining an urgent care clinic in Warragul that enables West Gippsland residents to access free, bulk-billed urgent care without waiting hours in a busy hospital emergency department.

ALP candidate for Monash Tully Fletcher announced the Warragul clinic on Sunday, saying the clinic was part of a $644 million commitment to establish an additional 50 centres if the Albanese Labor Government was re-elected.
While Mr Fletcher's media statement described it as a "new" clinic, he said it would take over the existing Victorian government state-run urgent care service which is currently run at Central Clinic in Warragul.
He explained the Victorian urgent care clinic model (formerly priority primary care) was designed and funded to relieve emergency departments during the pandemic.
Mr Fletchers said the new funding commitment by the Albanese Labor Government provided certainty to Warragul and Drouin with ongoing federal funding for a fully funded, bulk billed clinic.
The clinic will provide bulk billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week, for extended hours, and with no appointment needed.
The ALP said the urgent care clinic will take pressure off the West Gippsland Hospital, which saw 11,439 non-urgent and semi-urgent presentations in 2023-24.
"Warragul and Drouin are the fastest growing towns in Australia. We need our health services to catch up and keep pace with that growth as it continues."
"A new fully funded and bulk billed Medicare urgent care clinic in Warragul will provide long-term certainty to families in Warragul and Drouin and take pressure off the emergency department at West Gippsland Hospital, diverting thousands of presentations."
"As a dad with two kids under three I'm really pleased that my first promise to Warragul and Drouin as our Labor candidate for Monash is a fully funded and bulk billed Medicare urgent care clinic."
"After 20 years of Liberal neglect, Warragul and Drouin need results, not empty promises by Liberal, Teal and independent candidates who haven't delivered and won't deliver," he said.
Mr Fletcher said doctors had embraced the clinics, with a survey finding seven in 10 GPs supported Medicare urgent care clinics, and eight in 10 GPs said they had a positive impact on hospital emergency departments.