Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let me take you back. It's 2004. Aussie classic Shannon Noll's 'What about me?' is playing on the radio—although, personally, I prefer the original; sorry, Shannon—along with songs like Britney Spears's 'Toxic' and Usher's 'Yeah!'. A new social media platform has launched, a little-known website called Facebook. All the kids want to play Super Mario on the brand-new Nintendo DS gaming console. Shrek 2 is in cinemas. Australia's Ian Thorpe wins the race of the century, defeating Michael Phelps at the Athens Games. Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin feeds a crocodile at Australia Zoo with his baby son, Robert, in his arms—remember that one? And PBS medicines cost no more than $25.

Twenty-one years later and the Albanese Labor government is reducing the cost of medicines to 2004 prices. When we came to government in 2002, the cap on PBS medicines was $42. In 2023, we dropped that to $30. Now, as promised during the election campaign, we have dropped the capped price to $25—the biggest cut to the cost of medicine in PBS history. From 1 January, the maximum co-payment for patients under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, our PBS, will drop from $31.60 to just $25. That's more than a 20 per cent cut in the maximum cost of PBS medicines. For our pensioners and concession card holders, we're keeping the cost of PBS medicines frozen at $7.70 until 2030.

This matters. It matters to me. I have spent the equivalent of a flat deposit on medications over the last 15 years after I lost my leg and in trying to save my son during his battle with leukaemia—literally thousands. The last thing you want to think about when battling serious and chronic illness is. 'How am I going to afford the treatment?' This will make a difference to so many people across the country. My electorate of Dickson has already saved $9.3 million as at 31 July this year.

We know when family budgets are stretched it's everyday essentials that hit hardest—groceries, rent, bills and, yes, medicines. For many people managing a chronic illness, it's not optional; it's a daily reality. We don't want people pushed into impossible choices, skipping doses, delaying treatment, selling the family home or cutting back on the food bill. It means parents can focus on caring for their kids, not worrying about how to pay for the next prescription. It means older Australians can manage their health without dipping into their savings. It's about making sure that no-one in my electorate of Dickson or anywhere in Australia has to choose between their health and putting food on the table. It's not just a headline. It's practical. It's a meaningful step that will save Australians over $200 million every year.

This change is a key part of our cost-of-living plan. It's money that stays in your pocket. We made a promise to deliver cost-of-living measures prior to the election, and I'm incredibly proud that we are delivering on this. We made a promise. This builds on our work we've already done to make medicines more affordable. We reduced the number of scripts concessional patients need before the PBS safety net kicks in by 25 per cent. We introduced 60-day prescriptions, saving time and money for millions of Australians with ongoing health problems, health conditions and chronic health conditions. These are real changes. They're helping real people, and they're part of our broader commitment to strengthen Medicare and make health care more affordable. We've also made sure that pharmacies can continue to offer discounts so that you can still take advantage of discounts at your local pharmacy. This legislation includes protections to ensure that discounting remains available so that all Australians can benefit from competitive pricing and local support. Our cheaper medicines are good for your hip pocket and good for your health.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to strengthening Medicare because Medicare is Labor's heart. We are delivering more bulk-billing for all Australians and making the single largest investment in Medicare ever. We are investing in women's health, making contraceptives cheaper, funding more treatments for menopause and helping women who are suffering from endometriosis and complex gynaecological conditions. We're opening endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics to help Australian women access the care they need closer to home. This includes expanding the clinics' focus to also provide specialist support for menopause and perimenopause, something for which women over the age of 45 and 50 have been crying out for a long, long time. We're opening more Medicare urgent care clinics and Medicare mental health centres. You can just walk in, with no appointment or cash needed. This includes the new Medicare mental health centre at Strathpine, which I was lucky enough to visit on Friday with the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. The new Medicare mental health centre at Strathpine will help thousands of locals in Dickson. It will allow access to much-needed psychological and psychiatrist appointments.

When we reduce the cost of medicines and provide more bulk-billed health care, we're also reducing the pressure on our health system. People stay healthier. They avoid hospital visits. They avoid the accident and emergency department and they get the care they need earlier. This is in stark contrast to the devastating record of those opposite. Who could forget their proposed mandatory $7 co-payment for GP visits, pathology and imaging services, which they tried and failed to implement when they were in government? Their record on Medicare and health care speaks for itself. The former coalition government abolished the Australian National Preventive Health Agency. In doing so, they slashed investment in preventive health care like targeting obesity and smoking, increasing physical activity and improving healthy eating. They also terminated payments to the states for preventive health. They reversed public hospital funding, putting pressure on our hospitals and hardworking frontline doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. They froze Medicare rebates to GPs for over five years and watched while the price of going to the GP soared. They left GPs with the tough decision about whether to absorb out-of-pocket costs or pass them on to patients, leading to fewer bulk-billing practices and higher out-of-pocket costs. Critics at the time described this as a copayment by stealth, disproportionately affecting low-income and vulnerable Australians who rely on regular doctors appointments and, in particular, those with chronic health conditions who need to go to the doctor on a regular basis.

Those opposite might say this was from a budget more than a decade ago, but they're still singing the same tune. The member for Lindsay said yesterday that a Medicare card is nothing more than a 'political prop', but I know firsthand that that is not true. That little green card is the difference between getting treatment or not getting treatment. It is the difference between getting bulk-billed mental health support or not getting immediate support. The Albanese government will never stop strengthening Medicare, and making medicines even cheaper is just one part of how we're delivering on this commitment.

We've also delivered, and we are delivering, for Australians who want cheaper energy. We are giving, over the next few months, $150 off electricity bills. We are also boosting the number of bulk-billed GP appointments. In terms of the cost of living, we're also spending an enormous amount on housing, ensuring that young people get the opportunity to own their own home. Yesterday, we announced five per cent deposits for all first-time home buyers, which we know will make a big difference to those struggling to get into the housing market.

In terms of the cost of health care, I remember back when I worked at a palliative healthcare charity after I lost my leg. I spoke many times to patients who were in palliative care—this is over 10 years ago—who were having to consider selling their homes, having to consider selling their cars, having to consider downsizing and into a cheaper rental because they couldn't afford to pay their medical bills; they couldn't afford to pay for their cancer treatments. I know that this measure is going to make a huge difference to those patients. I know this myself, having walked away from the hospital two years ago and looked at the bill for medications, which sometimes was over $500. This will make a difference to so many peoples' lives.

I am so pleased that we are able to deliver cheaper health care and cheaper medicines. We will continue to do so because Medicare is Labor's heart. We will always fight for Medicare.

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