An incentive scheme to ease the nursing shortage is being extended as the government prepares to broaden Medicare to allow nurses to take on more work done by GPs.
Doctors, nurses and the Opposition have welcomed the measures.
However Labor says the move still fails to address an ailing health system facing a critical shortage of nurses.
The federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, says the move will help overstretched practices.
"There are many urban practices as well as many country practices which have closed their books to new patients and the better use we can make of nurses in general practice, the more easily the existing medical workforce will be able to deal with their caseload."