This page lists official places to get help with Medicare, finding low-cost care, health costs, your records and complaints, health advice lines and medicines in Australia. Every service here is run or funded by government or set up by law and is free to use; none of it is medical advice, and we don’t recommend any insurer or plan.
In an emergency, call the national emergency number. In Australia, call triple zero (000) for an ambulance if an illness or injury is critical or life-threatening, as this healthdirect page says. www.healthdirect.gov.au/how-healthdirect-can-help-you
Medicare and public cover
What is Medicare? (healthdirect)Explains what Medicare covers, who is eligible and how to register. Medicare gives eligible people free or low-cost access to many health and hospital services.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/costs-and-financial-support/what-is-medicare
How do I pay for healthcare? (healthdirect)Answers common questions about how healthcare is paid for in Australia and how the government keeps costs down for most people who live here.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/costs-and-financial-support/how-do-i-pay-for-healthcare
Finding low-cost care
Find a health service (healthdirect)Search for GPs, pharmacies, urgent care and other services near you, and filter for services that bulk bill.www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services
Bulk billing (healthdirect)Explains bulk billing: your doctor bills Medicare directly as full payment, so you pay nothing out of pocket.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/costs-and-financial-support/bulk-billing-for-medical-services
Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (healthdirect)Medicare Urgent Care Clinics give bulk billed care for urgent problems that don’t need an emergency department. The page explains when to go.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/emergency-and-urgent-care/urgent-care-clinics
Costs, payment help and complaints
Medicare Safety Nets (healthdirect)Medicare Safety Nets help people who spend a lot on medical services outside hospital. Find out if you are eligible and how to register.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/costs-and-financial-support/medicare-safety-net
Health complaints organisations (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency)Lists the health complaints organisation in each state and territory, which handles complaints about health services. Ahpra also takes concerns about registered practitioners on 1300 419 495.www.ahpra.gov.au/Notifications/Further-information/Health-complaints-organisations
Your health records and privacy
My Health Record (healthdirect)Explains My Health Record, Australia’s secure digital health record system, and how to use it to keep information such as prescriptions and vaccinations.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/general-health/my-health-record
Health information (Office of the Australian Information Commissioner)Explains the privacy law rules on how health services collect, use and share your health information, and how to complain to the regulator if yours was mishandled.www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/health-information
Getting help online and by phone
healthdirect helplineA free health advice line where you can talk to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 1800 022 222 (called NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria).www.healthdirect.gov.au/how-healthdirect-can-help-you
After hours health services (healthdirect)Explains where to get help after hours, such as GPs, pharmacists, dentists and counsellors, when you don’t need an emergency department.www.healthdirect.gov.au/healthcare-and-services/general-health/after-hours-health-services
Medicines and their costs
About the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)The government scheme that gives Australians affordable access to necessary medicines. Search the PBS site to see which medicines are listed.www.pbs.gov.au/about
Generic medicines (healthdirect)Explains generic medicines, which have the same active ingredient as brand-name medicines.www.healthdirect.gov.au/medicines/what-are-generic-medicines
Buying medicines online (healthdirect)Explains the risks of buying medicines online and how to do it safely.www.healthdirect.gov.au/medicines/buying-medicines-online
Reporting a problem with a medicine (healthdirect)Explains how to report a problem with a medicine to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the national regulator, as well as telling your health professional.www.healthdirect.gov.au/medicines/reporting-a-problem-with-a-medicine
Checked
Every link, opened.
Each page linked here was opened and checked on 19 October 2026. Services change: if a link no longer says what we describe, the official page is right. Tell us at hello@moraph.org.