Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we look at health. Hand sanitiser, masks, QR codes and contact tracing have become the norm as Australians make sure we are looking out for each other's health and protecting our communities. But one thing that hasn't changed is the Morrison government's commitment to the health and wellbeing of all Australians and our guarantee for the essential services Australians rely on. That's why, in the federal budget, we've committed an additional $6 billion to Medicare. In this budget, we've committed $30 billion to Medicare, increasing to $31 billion, $32 billion and $33 billion over the coming financial years. This will have a tremendous impact for families in my community of Lindsay.

Our plan is about delivering better health outcomes for local people, and one such example is telehealth. Since telehealth was introduced, 61.8 million services have been delivered to over 14.1 million patients, with $3.1 billion in benefits paid. Over 84,000 practitioners have now used telehealth services, and this has enabled almost 100,000 people in my electorate of Lindsay to access telehealth services during the pandemic. This is truly remarkable. As part of the budget, we've extended telehealth services until the end of the year, because we recognise the impact it has on ensuring more people and families in my community and right across Australia can access the care and support they need as we continue to navigate the pandemic.

The Morrison government are also ensuring that patients in my electorate of Lindsay have access to modern medical procedures and treatments. We've committed over $711 million in funding for new and amended Medicare listings to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. The Morrison government have overseen record levels of GP bulk-billing rates; the rate for this year, up to March, is 88.7 per cent. This is compared to a bulk-billing rate of 82 per cent when Labor were last in government. The importance of guaranteeing the services that Australians rely on has only grown during the coronavirus pandemic, and we have responded to the needs of people in our communities throughout the pandemic to adapt and provide the best services.

We are also making a record investment in women's health in this year's budget. When I wrote to women in my community about what matters most to them, so many of them wrote back to me about women's health. The Morrison government's $350 million package for women's health will go towards perinatal mental health; addressing the rates of preterm birth; breast and cervical cancer screening programs; and endometriosis. This will make such an important difference to the lives of women and their families in my electorate of the Lindsay, helping them through difficult times with life-changing and life-saving treatments and medicines.

We are committed to guaranteeing the essential health services that Australians rely on when they need them most, both now and into the future. The Minister for Health came to Lindsay and helped me launch by Lindsay Healthy Active Living Network. Like me, he knows how important Western Sydney is and he shares my passion for encouraging healthy active living. I am very committed to making sure my community is an even better place to live, work and stay healthy. We are working on important health initiatives from improving our mental health services—I'm so pleased that we have a mental health hub coming into Penrith—to tackling really serious issues around childhood obesity, which in the electorate of Lindsay is higher than the state average. I am very much committed to addressing that.

The Morrison government's plan guarantees the essential services that families in my electorate of Lindsay rely on, and that is absolutely essential. Could the minister please outline what new listings the Morrison government has funded in this year's budget, what the GP bulk-billing rate means for people in my electorate of Lindsay, how important telehealth has been for my community and right across Australia, and the important measures that were funded in our $354 million women's health package?

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