Albanese promises around-the-clock health line, with leaders to hold rallies

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will launch another push on health on Sunday, announcing a re-elected Labor government would set up a free around-the-clock 1800MEDICARE advice line and afterhours GP telehealth service.

The service would start from January 1 and cost A$204.5 million over the forward estimates.

Albanese will tell a Sydney rally that people would be able to call at any time to get advice from a nurse. If the problem couldn’t wait for their regular GP, they would be connected to a free GP telehealth consultation.

“Life isn’t 9 to 5. Neither is health care,” Albanese will say in his speech, an extract of which was released ahead of delivery.

People with a sick child late at night or an unwell elderly parent would know there was trained expert advice at the end of the phone.

“This will take pressure off people – and off public hospitals.

"And in conjunction with our plan to open 50 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, it will ensure that free urgent care is within a 20 minute drive away for four out of every five Australians and just a phone call away for every Australian.”

The present telehealth service is patchy depending on which part of Australia people live and doesn’t provide a weekend GP service.

Reacting to the Labor proposal, Australian Medical Association President Danielle McMullen. said the service must “be part of an integrated GP-led model of primary care, otherwise it runs the danger of undermining the role of the patient’s usual GP and fragmenting care.

"1800 Medicare should not be seen as a substitute for care by a patient’s usual GP and wherever possible should link patients back to their usual GP or if that is not possible, other local GPs,” she said.

McMullen said there had been an enormous growth in call centre and online triage services recently. “While these services can be a useful part of an integrated GP out-of-hours service model, it is not a substitute for accessing high quality GP after-hours services,” she said.

With a number of Victorian seats in strong contention, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has a rally in Melbourne on Sunday. Federal Labor’s vote in Victoria has been volatile, first collapsing under the unpopularity of the state Allan government but recently reviving.

Read more: 50 new urgent care clinics are on the cards. But are the existing ones working? Here's what we know so far

A small group of men from a boat that arrived illegally in remote northern Australia has been apprehended by Border Force. The men were first discovered by a commercial helicopter pilot.

They had written “SOS” in the sand and put up a flag. It is not known where they came from, or their circumstances.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Saturday, “We do not confirm , or comment on, operational matters.

"There has never been a successful people smuggling venture under our government, and that remains true.

"When someone arrives without visa they are detained and then deported.”

In 2022 the Liberals tried to exploit a boat interception on election day, by publicising it and sending text messages to voters.