1:30min
Since our bold call to Canberra – “Wake up, Canberra: Ignoring eye health is costing Australians their sight” – Optometry Australia has continued to push hard for meaningful change to Medicare funding for eye care. Our message has been clear: reversing the 2014 Budget decision and reinstating biennial eye exams for Australians under 65 is not only evidence-based, but vital to preventing avoidable vision loss in our communities.
Backed by over 500 optometrists around the country, our ‘Eyes on Medicare’ election campaign has reached nearly every sitting Federal MP and candidates in key marginal seats. This level of engagement is an extraordinary show of strength from the profession, and we are deeply grateful to every member who has lent their voice to the cause.
Together, we’ve called for eye care to be prioritised – but so far neither major party has made a concrete commitment to urgently addressing the profession’s concerns.
Recently, the Coalition provided their written response which stated that in government they would ‘continue to assess the appropriateness of the frequency of eye examinations’. Their response stated that the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce deemed current policy settings were appropriate. However, this overlooks the fact that the Taskforce’s Optometry Clinical Committee – after reviewing extensive evidence provided by Optometry Australia – recommended that Australians aged 50–64 receive a comprehensive eye examination every two years. And as we reported a few weeks ago, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) referred us to the Medicare Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) rather than committing to fixing the issue.
We’ve responded decisively.
- We wrote to Senator Anne Ruston, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, acknowledging the Coalition’s recognition of eye health, while urging the party to reflect on its own legacy – one that includes the Medicare rebate freeze and the extension of the recall interval for eye exams, both of which contributed to the current crisis. As one of our members wrote to their MP: ‘[The Liberal Party’s] decision to freeze Medicare rebates and increase the time period for payment for a full consultation set this crisis in motion, and there has been no adequate correction since.’
- In mid-March, we formally expressed our dissatisfaction with Minister Mark Butler’s response. While the ALP has criticised and reversed other harmful Medicare cuts from the same era, it has yet to acknowledge the value of preventative eye care or take steps to address our concerns.
- Further, the Australian Greens have provided only a general commitment to Medicare, focused on dental rather than eye care.
While we continue to push for a firm commitment from the political parties, we’ve already submitted an MSAC application to reinstate Medicare-subsidised eye exams for Australians under 65. The MSAC process is known to be lengthy, and we are continuing to press for an expedited or direct pathway to fast-track this critical reform.
To all our members who have taken action – thank you. Your support has not only amplified our campaign but has helped to significantly raise the profile of optometry in Parliament. And we’re not stopping here.
We are now well positioned to advocate for this and other key issues and emerging priorities in the next parliamentary term. Ensuring timely access to eye care will remain a central focus, with continued advocacy efforts to ensure Medicare funding reflects the true cost of providing care. In the coming months, we’ll continue to engage with all members of the incoming Parliament, across party lines, to advocate for meaningful change for optometry, optometrists, and community eye health. We look forward to continuing to work with optometrists across the country to drive forward this advocacy.
If you haven’t yet taken part in our campaign, there’s still time to get involved. You can email your local candidates using our simple online tool.