Australians will not incur any out-of-pocket costs for consults done over the phone or on video with health professionals like GPs, psychologists and psychiatrists, as part of a $1.1 billion funding boost designed to protect against the widespread impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Key points: The bulk of the package will go to expanding Medicare subsidies for telehealth services

The bulk of the package will go to expanding Medicare subsidies for telehealth services Money will also be committed to mental health services and counselling services for families caught up in, or at risk of, domestic violence

Money will also be committed to mental health services and counselling services for families caught up in, or at risk of, domestic violence The National Cabinet will meet again on Sunday to discuss the country's next moves

The bulk of the funding — $669 million — will go towards expanding Medicare subsidies for telehealth services, which allow GPs and other health professionals to consult with patients over video conferencing sites rather than face to face.

If GPs and other eligible specialists wish to access the temporary Medicare item, they will be required to bulk-bill the service, meaning patients will not have to pay any out-of-pocket costs.

That included psychology and psychiatrist sessions conducted over both telephone and video consultation services like Facetime and WhatsApp, the Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday.

"Everything which can be done by telehealth will be done by telehealth," he said.

"That includes general practice mental health consultations, psychological services, psychiatric services."

The Government will also double the bulk-billing incentive for GPs to provide the telehealth services to concession card holders and people aged under 16.

It means city doctors will be able to claim about $13 for not passing on fees, while all other GPs will be able to receive about $19.

Measures will reduce PPE demand, AMA says

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Harry Nespolon hailed the package as a major win in protecting the health of both patients and doctors.

"The reason we have been pushing so hard for the telehealth expansion is because GPs on the front line battling COVID-19 know that it will make a real difference in limiting the spread of the virus," he said.

Dr Nespolon said it was important to note people could access the bulk-billed services for telephone consultations as well as video calls.

"We need to be technologically agnostic and not have the public or GPs think that this MBS item is limited to video consultations," he said.

"An old-fashioned phone will do just fine."

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The Australian Medical Association's Tony Bartone also welcomed the announcement, saying supplies of valuable protective clothing for frontline health care workers would be conserved.

"It will significantly reduce the demand on personal protective equipment (PPE)," he said.

"We know PPE is in very much in short supply. It's very scarce."

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd described the changes as the most dramatic of his whole career.

"We know that during a pandemic one of the greatest risks to the population is if we see a collapse of services available to patients with chronic health or mental health conditions," he said.

"The measures put in place will ensure the people of Australia continue to have access to high-quality [services]."

Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen said while the measures were welcome, the Government needed to consider mental health screening for people who tested positive for coronavirus.

Mental health services swamped

A total of $74 million is being allocated specifically for mental health services that are coming under strain during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mental health organisation Beyond Blue will provide a dedicated coronavirus wellbeing helpline, with $10 million in funding — half of which will be provided by private health insurer Medibank Private.

Another $14 million will go to existing mental health services, including Lifeline and Kids Helpline.

Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman said the pandemic was having a profound impact on the country's mental health.

"We all react to stressful situations in different ways," she said.

"Now more than ever, Australians need very accessible, concise and practical advice and support."

"And if we can help people to actively manage and seek support for their mental health now, we can stop that becoming more significant and overwhelming for people, families, communities and services down the track.

"This is about prevention."

Frontline health workers, under significant pressure as emergency and intensive care wards fill with coronavirus patients, will also have access to increased mental health support, and specific programs will be developed to assist Indigenous communities.

Family violence a growing problem

Counselling services for families caught up in, or at risk of, family violence — such as 1800 Respect and Mensline Australia — will share $150 million.

In announcing the extra cash, the Government said search engines such as Google were "seeing the highest magnitude of searches for domestic violence help that they have seen in the past five years with an increase of 75 per cent and some services are already reporting an increase in demand".

A new national campaign to promote services available to Australians affected by family violence during the COVID-19 outbreak will also be funded.

Food and bill relief coming

Sunday's funding commitment by the Prime Minister includes $200 million for charities that provide emergency relief for households.

It will go to services and organisations that help households pay bills and buy food, clothing and petrol.

Money will also go to the National Debt Helpline and Financial Counselling Australia to train new financial counsellors, potentially providing hundreds of new jobs.

"Given the unprecedented nature of the situation we are facing, I am acutely aware that emergency relief services will likely be more heavily relied upon in coming months than we have seen in our lifetimes," Family Services Minister Anne Ruston said in a statement.

National Cabinet to meet

The health announcement came ahead of another meeting of the National Cabinet, made up of the Prime Minister and state and territory leaders, on Sunday afternoon.

They will assess whether current restrictions put in place to control the spread of coronavirus are effective, and what protections can be put in place to ensure tenants do not find themselves evicted during the crisis.

Mr Morrison is also due to announce a third round of economic assistance in coming days, focusing on helping businesses go into "hibernation" so they can begin operating again once the virus outbreak subsides.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann on Friday suggested more income support could form part of the package.