Psychiatrists and paediatricians among specialists most likely to charge ‘extreme’ fees, thinktank finds

<p>Grattan Institute finds some doctors charge up to triple the fees of their peers – well beyond what can be justified by business running costs</p><ul><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>More than 2.2 million Australians paid an “extreme” fee to see a specialist last year, with psychiatrists and paediatricians among the most likely to routinely unreasonably charge their patients, according to new research.</p><p>Specialists cannot justify exorbitant fees by blaming inadequate government rebates, or the costs of running a business, a report from policy thinktank the Grattan Institute found, as these factors explain only a fraction of the fee increases Australians have faced.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/nov/08/psychiatrists-paediatricians-extreme-specialist-fees-health-australia">Continue reading...</a>