For years, healthcare has been considered a steady issue in Australian politics. Healthcare has always been important, but rarely decisive. That has changed. According to Resolve Political Monitor polling commissioned by London Agency, healthcare has risen to become one of the top two issues for voters, second only to cost of living. In some electorates, it is now THE deciding factor that could shape the outcome of the next federal election.
Australians are unlikely to go to the polls until 2028, yet the commanding 94 seat majority that Labor won in 2025 was in a large part down to the emphasis that they placed on healthcare. Now with a mandate for reform and investment there is an expectation that they will spend their term in government making changes that improve health and wellbeing across the country.
Healthcare, by its nature, is universal but is often lower profile compared to other priorities in voter’s minds but today this sleeper issue is dominating people’s willingness to back a party. So, what is driving this shift? Three key factors stand out.
Resolve’s latest survey found that nearly half of Australians (49 percent) say healthcare investment will influence their vote. In marginal seats, the electorates that ultimately decide who forms government, that number is even higher. Among marginal seat voters, support for Labor on healthcare rose from 27 percent in January to 39 percent in March, following a series of targeted announcements. At the same time, support for the Coalition slipped.
The lesson here is simple: healthcare has become a ballot-box issue. In areas where every vote counts, policies that improve access to services, medicines, and medical technologies are now powerful drivers of political support.
Swing voters, who are not firmly aligned with any major party, are particularly sensitive to healthcare promises that affect affordability. Recent measures, such as expanded bulk billing incentives and reductions in the PBS co-payment, have directly tied healthcare policy to household budgets. For many Australians, cheaper GP visits and more affordable medicines feel like immediate relief.
The polling reflects this. Among soft voters, Labor’s support on healthcare climbed from 28 percent to 33 percent, while the Coalition’s support dropped over the same period. Healthcare is no longer viewed as separate from economic pressures. It is now closely linked to cost-of-living concerns.
When voters are asked why healthcare matters to them, the answers are rarely abstract. It is about whether they can afford to see a GP, fill a prescription, or access specialist care. Investments in healthcare are increasingly being viewed not just as health policy, but as economic relief.
For example, reducing the PBS general patient co-payment, a policy highlighted in the Resolve polling, immediately saved Australians hundreds of millions of dollars at the pharmacy counter. Measures like this connect directly to household budgets in ways that voters feel every day. In a cost-of-living election, these connections matter.
Healthcare is no longer a background issue in Australian politics. It is central to how voters are making decisions, especially in the seats that decide elections. Both major parties are being judged not just on their promises, but on their ability to deliver practical improvements in access, affordability, and outcomes.
For companies operating in the MedTech, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and biopharma sectors, this shift is significant. Healthcare policy is not only shaping politics, it is shaping the environment in which therapies and technologies will be funded and adopted.
The message is clear: healthcare matters at the ballot box, and according to Resolve’s data, it will play a decisive role in shaping Australia’s political and policy future.
