Bulk Billing Tracker

Bulk Billing Tracker / All areas / New South Wales

Bulk billing in Newcastle

In Apr–Jun 2026, 68.4% of GP visits by people living in Newcastle were bulk billed. That ranks 291st of Australia’s 332 local areas and is 19.1 percentage points below New South Wales overall (87.5%).

Bulk billed
68.4%Australia 84.1%
Change on a year
+3.9 ptsfrom 64.5%
Gap fee
$65.63when not bulk billed
Cost per visit
$20.74Australia $9.60

Since Jul–Sep 2021

Share of GP visits bulk billed, by quarter

50%70%90%202220242026NSW87.5%Australia84.1%Newcastle68.4%

A year earlier the rate was 64.5%. On the ABS disadvantage index (SEIFA 2021), Newcastle sits in the middle fifth of areas for disadvantage. Visits are counted by where the patient lives, not where the clinic is.

Over the past year, residents had about 5.2 Medicare-funded GP visits each, against 6.5 across Australia. This uses 2021 Census population, so it runs high in fast-growing areas, and it leaves out care that isn’t billed to Medicare, such as many remote and Aboriginal community-controlled clinics.

“Gap fee” is the average paid out of pocket for a visit that was not bulk billed. “Cost per visit” spreads it across every GP visit, counting bulk-billed visits as $0. Source: Medicare quarterly statistics, SA3 summary.

Suburbs and postcodes in this area

Adamstown, Adamstown Heights, Bar Beach, Beresfield, Birmingham Gardens, Broadmeadow, Callaghan, Carrington, Cooks Hill, Elermore Vale, Fern Bay, Fletcher, Fullerton Cove, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hamilton East, Hamilton North, Hamilton South, Hexham, Islington, Jesmond, Kooragang, Kotara, Kotara South, Lambton, Lenaghan, Maryland, Maryville, Mayfield, Mayfield East, Mayfield North, Mayfield West, Merewether, Merewether Heights, Minmi, New Lambton, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, Newcastle West, North Lambton, Rankin Park, Sandgate, Shortland, Stockton, Tarro, The Hill, The Junction, Tighes Hill, Wallsend, Warabrook, Waratah, Waratah West, Wickham, Woodberry.

Postcodes: 2287, 2289, 2291, 2292, 2293, 2294, 2295, 2296, 2297, 2298, 2299, 2300, 2302, 2303, 2304, 2305, 2307, 2308, 2322.

Suburbs and postcodes are matched to the area that contains their centre, so places on a boundary may also belong to a neighbour.

Finding a clinic that bulk bills

These are rates for the whole area, not for any one clinic. Ask when you book, or search healthdirect’s service finder, which lists practices and how they bill. More on getting bulk billed.

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