Labor Offers $32 Million for Men’s Wellbeing as Parties Battle It out on Health

A $32 million boost will fund awareness and training to help men be healthier, Labor has announced.

A man works on a construction site building new apartments in Melbourne, Australia on April 4, 2023. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Labor has announced it will spend an extra $32 million on men’s health if re-elected in May, as the parties do battle over healthcare in Australia.

The funding would be directed to community groups that deal with men’s wellbeing, such as Men’s Shed, which calls for the creation of more male-only spaces.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the funding would encourage awareness.

Part of the $32 million would be used to help the Movember charity create a new campaign to encourage men to stop avoiding health check-ups and better train healthcare providers.

“Too many blokes put off ­prioritising their health,” Butler told reporters.

“This investment by Labor into Movember’s training will mean doctors and nurses have the right tools to support men.”

The Black Dog Institute is set to receive $2 million of the funding if Labor is re-elected.

Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler addresses the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on March 30, 2023. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

The Battle for Healthcare

The pledge is the latest in a long list of health initiatives put forward by both parties in the lead-up to the May 3 election.

Labor has also pledged $8.5 billion in funding to bolster bulk-billing medical appointments, a $644 million expansion of free urgent care clinics, and the reduction in cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medications to no more than $25.

Labor also announced an oral contraceptive and endometriosis treatment would be added to the PBS from May 1.

A billion dollars has been offered for mental health services.

Meanwhile the Coalition has also mirrored Labor’s pledge for $8.5 billion for Medicare, and the $25 price cap on PBS medicines. They have also promised $573 million towards women’s health.

The promises build on an earlier Coalition pledge to add $500 million to subsidise more mental health treatments, after Labor cut the cap on sessions from 20 down to 10 after the pandemic.

Another $400 million has been promised by the Coalition for youth mental health.

Meanwhile, Greens Leader Adam Bandt has been walking around with a giant red toothbrush to push his plan for free dental funded by Medicare.

Bandt says he is banking on the formation of a minority government to force the change.

“You shouldn’t have to pay through the teeth to see the dentist, but many people are putting off going to the dentist because of the costs,” Bandt told reporters.