Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. How will health workers and their patients benefit from Labor's tax cuts? How is this building on the measures already introduced by the Albanese government to help make health care affordable for all Australians?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for the question and for the work she does as an advocate for the people of Victoria, particularly care economy workers across her state. There are more than 650,000 health workers in Australia: nurses, doctors, allied health workers and more. Every day they work hard. They turn up, and they work a hard day to keep us all healthy and safe. During the worst times of the pandemic, as all of us in this place knew, they worked hard to keep us safe, often placing themselves in danger to do so.

Our government wants Australian workers to earn more, and we want them to keep more of what they earn. That's why on 1 July, Labor will deliver a tax cut to every single health worker in Australia to help with the cost of living—not just to some of them but to every single one of those 650,000 health workers. A typical nurse earning $76,000 a year will receive a tax cut of $1,579, which is around double what they would have earned under the old plan of five years ago. Every single one of their patients who is paying tax will receive a tax cut as well—not just some of them, but every single one of them—reinforcing our determination to build on the measures we rolled out over the course of last year to help middle Australia with cost-of-living pressures.

We're also taking a range of actions to make health care more affordable for Australians. Under Labor's Medicare urgent-care clinics, we're making it easier for people to get the urgent treatment they need when they need it and without having to pay for it. Senator Walsh will be happy to hear that the doctors and nurses across Victoria responded to almost 66,000 presentations across the 10 urgent-care clinics in Victoria. There have been more than 150,000 presentations to the 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics that are now open and seeing patients across Australia, taking pressure off emergency departments and saving over $42.5 million in avoided patient episodes. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, a first supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor created Medicare to make Australia's health system cheaper, simpler and fairer. Labor knew then, like we know now, that Australians need a government that understands the impact health care can have on the family budget. Forty years on, why is it important to strengthen Medicare? What is the Albanese government doing to ensure that Medicare remains strong?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for her question and thank her again for the work she is doing in Victoria in ensuring more equitable access to Medicare services for the Victorian community. It's true. This year we celebrate the 40th birthday of Medicare. Before Medicare, one in seven Australians didn't have health coverage, and unpaid medical bills were the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in this country. Thanks to that landmark Labor reform, we now live in a country that has a healthcare system that's No. 1 in the world when it comes to health outcomes and when it comes to equity.

Bulk-billing rates were in freefall when we came to government, and that's why we tripled the bulk-billing incentive in last year's budget. Not only has that stopped the slide in bulk-billing rates but also in the first two months we saw an additional 360,000 free visits to the doctor.

Senator Walsh, in Victoria: Victoria saved almost—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Gallagher, resume your seat.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can Senator Ruston please withdraw that?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I didn't hear it, but I'm sure Senator Ruston—

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ruston. Minister Gallagher.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you—$3 million due to this policy, with an extra 71,000 visits bulk-billed. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, a second supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, since coming to government, Labor has made medicines cheaper, opened 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics and tripled the Medicare bulk-billing incentive. How will Labor's cost-of-living tax cuts complement these measures and strengthen Medicare?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think Senator Walsh for the question. As she outlined in that question, the cost-of-living tax cuts complement the other investments we are making in a whole range of areas. In relation to the question on strengthening Medicare: whether it be the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, whether it be the urgent care clinics that are up and running or whether it be the cheaper medicines—and we've seen patients have saved $240 million in medicine costs thanks to the biggest cut in the price of medicines in the 75-year history of the PBS. In four weeks time 100 more medicines will be added to the 60-day script list, saving Australian patients even more money at the pharmacist. In Victoria, Victorians have saved $63 million due to the co-payment reductions on scripts. This is again real money left in the pockets of the Australian people so they have more money to spend on the things that they need.