Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. We're strengthening Medicare. We are cementing quality, bulk-billed health care at its heart. It's something we are absolutely committed to and something that I announced in the electorate of Bass with the $8½ billion commitment that, before I had finished speaking, the coalition then backed in. They backed in that position.

Back in 2023, in the budget, we tripled the bulk-billing incentive for pensioners and concession card holders. When those 11 million Australians go to the GP, they're bulk-billed 90 per cent of the time. It is our plan for Medicare in action, and it is working. That is why we took that principle and then made a decision to extend it to all 26 million Australians for the very first time, lifting bulk-billing rates for every patient to 90 per cent by 2030.

This is an important part of the reform agenda, where Labor not only created Medicare but will always work to strengthen it. I know it annoys those opposite to see this little bit of green and gold. Green and gold are the same colours that our athletes proudly wear. Why do they wear the green and gold? It's because it's a source of Australian pride. Just as we take pride in Australian athletes—I see Emma McKeon up there and Jess Fox; I see some great athletes of the past, the present and, indeed, the future—we take enormous pride in the fact that, unlike some countries, where people can't get health care because they don't have the money to pay for it, here in Australia, we have a different system.

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