From 1 October 2023, MyMedicare is available for voluntary registration for all patients with valid medicare card or a Department of Veterans' Affairs(DVA) card. You will be eligible to register if you have two or more face-to-face appointments at Seymour Street Medical and Dental Centre in the past 24 months. People who are facing hardship are exempt from all eligibility requirements. This includes people experiencing domestic and family violence and homelessness.

By registering in MyMedicare, you may benefit from:

• A formalised relationship with your general practice or GP, which has shown to improve health outcomes.
• Longer Medicare Benefit Scheme (MBS) funded telehealth consultations with your GP.
• Incentive for longer telehealth consultations for children under 16 and Commonwealth Card Concession card holders, from 1 November 2023.
• More regular visits from your GP and better care planning for people living in a residential aged care home, from August 2024
• Connections to more appropriate care in general practice for people who visit hospital regularly, from mid-2024

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Victoria is a signatory of the 2010 Harmonisation Joint Protocol. 

On 11 August 2023 the Victorian State Revenue Office issued a new revenue ruling which will effectively broaden the application of payroll tax to independent practitioners in Victoria. The ruling applies the relevant contract provisions to independent practitioners as it considers independent practitioners to be in a contract with the practice since they have been engaged by the practice to provide healthcare to patients from the practice’s premises. The ruling also considers a contract to include an agreement, arrangement or undertaking regardless of whether it was formal or informal, express or implied.

The 2023–24 State budget included a $200,000 increase to the payroll tax-free threshold, raising it to $900,000. The new threshold will be in place from 1 July 2024 and will further increase to $1 million the following year, bringing it closer to being in line with other states and territories.

Payroll tax threshold and tax rate

The payroll tax rate in Victoria is 4.85% for metropolitan employers and 1.21% for regional employers.
The annual threshold is $700,000. Monthly threshold is $58,333.

The threshold will increase from $700,000 to $900,000 from 1 July 2024.

From 1 July 2023, a temporary surcharge of 0.5% will apply on wages paid by employers over $10million annually. Employers with national payrolls above $100 million will pay an additional 0.5%.  

Therefore, we will have to charge more for consultation if this payroll tax is going to be applied in future.

Please support us by completing the form and send it to your local MP. You can download the form here.

From 1 November 2023, the shingles vaccine Shingrix® will replace Zostavax® on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule to help prevent shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia. 

A free 2-dose course of Shingrix® will be available for: 

• people aged 65 years or over 
• First Nations people aged 50 years or over, and
• immunocompromised people aged 18 years or over with specific medical conditions such as haemopoetic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplant, haematological malignancy and advanced or untreated HIV

Iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most common haematological conditions in the world, affecting females of childbearing age, children and individuals living in low- and middle- income countries. 

Iron is an essential component for haemoglobin synthesis, and its uptake, storage and utilisation are regulated by a number of physiological mechanisms. Haemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Iron is absorbed in proximal small intestine via dietary containing iron. Food containing high iron such red meats, fruits and vegetables such as beans, lentils, tofu and etc. To increase iron absorption, Vitamin C can be consumed with iron tablets or foods containing high iron. 

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