Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to strengthen Medicare, including $8.5 billion to deliver an additional 18 million bulk billed general practitioner (GP) visits each year, hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors in the largest GP training program ever;

(2) notes:

(a) this measure has already seen practices around Australia become fully bulk billed, with nine out of ten GP visits expected to be bulk billed by 2030 and around 4,800 fully bulk billed practices, which is triple the current number; and

(b) that while the Government is expanding access to bulk billing by expanding the bulk billing incentive, by contrast the Leader of the Opposition, as the Minister for Health:

(i) never increased Medicare rebates, the only health minister in Australian history to do so;

(ii) doubled-down on the then Government's $50 billion cut to hospitals; and

(iii) continued the fight for the former Leader of the Opposition's GP tax; and

(3) further acknowledges that only the current Government will strengthen Medicare.

I am proud to move this motion, which notes that the Albanese Labor government is delivering on its promise to strengthen Medicare, delivering the single largest investment in Medicare in 40 years.

Our government is committed to universal health. We are investing $8.5 billion into Australia's greatest policy achievement: Medicare. This investment will deliver an estimated 120,000 additional bulk-billed GP visits in the community that I represent. From this Saturday, 1 November, every Australian will be eligible for the bulk-billing incentive, while GP clinics that fully bulk-bill their patients will be eligible for a new, additional incentive payment on top of that. This is great for patients, and it's a pay rise for our doctors.

This reform is already delivering in my community. The Werribee Medical and Dental Centre, run by ForHealth, has been fully bulk-billed since 8 September, meaning locals can already see their GP without worrying about out-of-pocket expenses. ForHealth has stated that Labor's investment in Medicare and bulk-billing will see an increase from one in 10 of their clinics being fully bulk-billed, to seven in 10 by this Saturday. This is just one of many clinics across the country, operated by this company, that are now going fully bulk-billed, including the Craigieburn Medical and Dental Centre in the electorate of the member for Calwell, who will second this motion today. It's another example of how Labor is delivering for the outer suburbs, across Melbourne and across this nation. This change alone will save my local community an estimated $570,000 in out-of-pocket costs every year. When you go to the Werribee Medical and Dental Centre, all you will need is one of these: a Medicare card. This is part of Labor's broader agenda to strengthen Medicare and ensure it continues to deliver affordable, universal health care for all Australians, from the smallest to the elderly.

One of the real game changers in reversing a decade of cuts and neglect under the former Liberal government has also been Labor's Medicare urgent care clinics. Since it opened, more than 27,000 locals have been treated at the Werribee Medicare urgent care clinic, one of the first of 90 clinics across the country to open. These clinics are making a real difference, allowing people to get urgent care when they need it without waiting in an ED or paying out-of-pocket fees and taking pressure off our public health system. We've also made medicines cheaper, saving families money at the pharmacy. We've capped the cost of PBS listed medicines at $25, ensuring people can afford the medicines they rely on.

Labor created Medicare, and the Albanese Labor government will always work and act to strengthen Medicare because it is more than a policy; it is a statement of our values. It says that, in this country, access to health care is determined by your Medicare card, not your credit card. It says that no matter who you are, where you live or how much you earn, you deserve high-quality, affordable health care. That is what Labor stands for.

Labor stands for an Australia where people's health is a priority. Labor stands for an Australia where preventive health has benefits that are acknowledged by all. That is what this great investment delivers. It will undo 10 years of neglect by those opposite. Worse than neglect; the freezing of the Medicare rebate for nine years meant doctors didn't get better pay. This changes all that. That is what this investment delivers, and that is why I am proud to move this motion to strengthen Medicare for every Australian.

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