One of the most notable additions is $65 million to boost bulk-billing rates in regional and rural areas. The budget also includes $9 million for allied health professionals to train in rural areas, $20 million to replace older diagnostic imaging equipment in rural areas, and $29.5 million for innovative trials to support local 'grow your own' rural specialist trainee programs.

Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Dr John Hall said the increased bulk-billing rates would encourage more rural doctors to bulk-bill and while recompensing those who already do.

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"This initiative is seen to reward the doctors who bulk-bill and incentivise them to keep doing that," he said.

"It is recognising that they (rural doctors) are working in more difficult environments and providing some support for those doctors as well."

There are about 12,000 rural and remote general practitioners across Australia. Dr Hall said, "approximately 95 per cent of them are already bulk-billing".

Therefore, the $65 million to boost bulk-billing rates represents an increase of about $5000 per year for each general practitioner.

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Dr Hall said while this raise is not particularly significant, the funding frames rural healthcare certainly is.

The Department of Health uses the Modified Monash Model to define whether a location is a city, rural, remote, or very remote. The model uses a 1-7 system, where MM 1 is a major city and MM 7 is very remote.

Stawell is classified as MM 4. Towns such as Halls Gap and St Arnaud are MM 5.

Dr Hall said in the past rural funding programs had included areas classified as MM 2 - MM 7, despite locations such as Ballarat and Bendigo being classified as MM 2.

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However, the bulk-billing rate increases are only for doctors in MM 3 - MM 7 locations.

"We see this as a game-changer because we're starting to see the government recognise what we call 'real rural'," Dr Hall said.

"It's really a way of recognising that rural medicine is different and that what rural doctors do needs to be incentivised.

"We've been given indications we will see other programs aligned to this redefinition of rurality, which we think is important because the more rural and remote areas have higher rates of chronic disease and lower life expectancy.

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"The main reason for the poorer outcomes in rural areas is the lack of access to health professionals.

"It really does signal the government's change in direction and the importance that they're now placing on rural healthcare."

Dr Hall said while the funding was encouraging, there was still more to be done.

"It's one small piece in the puzzle," he said.

"When it comes to recruiting and retaining doctors in rural Australia this is a very small component of a raft of measures that will be required."

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