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

I rise to speak against the motion moved by the member for Bowman, which is really laughable, because the reduction of bulk-billing over the past 10 years is a direct result of the nine years of coalition policies—a direct result of the big six-year freeze on GP rebates implemented by my opponent, Peter Dutton, in 2014, when he was Minister for Health, and then continued under the now opposition leader, Sussan Ley. And let's not forget the ill-conceived GP fee in 2015, where those opposite actually publicly campaigned for people to be paying for a GP visit, with the former minister, Sussan Ley, now opposition leader, saying, 'If you don't pay for something, you don't value it.' We all know that this led to an unprecedented decline in bulk-billing as doctors found it increasingly difficult to recover their practice costs without charging a fee. So I would say to those opposite, if you want to know why we are now doing everything possible to bring back bulk-billing, you should just look in the mirror and say to yourselves, 'It was the coalition that destroyed bulk-billing,' because that is the truth.

After a decade of cuts and neglect under the former coalition government, bulk-billing was in freefall. Many patients who had only ever been bulk-billed were having to pay a fee for the first time to see a GP, and as a result some were skipping care because they couldn't afford it, resulting in poorer health outcomes for vulnerable Australians. The Albanese Labor government is turning that around. I've heard too many stories over the past eight years of campaigning in Dickson—parents forced to choose between groceries and a visit to the doctor; people going without treatment because they couldn't afford to pay upfront and ending up in A&E. That was the reality of the system that was neglected for far too long by those opposite.

That's why the Albanese Labor government, since its election, has been delivering the single largest investment in Medicare. When we first came to government, we moved to triple the bulk-billing incentive for vulnerable patient groups, children under 16 and concession card holders. Now, for the first time, we're expanding the bulk-billing incentive to everyone—to all Australians. We're providing incentives to general practices that bulk-bill every patient, and we are seeing GP practices take up that offer right across the country. Well over 1,000 have switched to be fully bulk-billed. This is on top of the 1,600 GP practices that already fully bulk-bill. By 2030, we aim to have nine out of 10 GP visits bulk-billed. This investment will deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year across the country. At the same time, we are rolling out our urgent care clinics across the country, reducing waiting times in A&E and providing more out-of-hours services. Our local Murrumba Downs urgent care clinic recently celebrated over 25,000 visits—now over 27,000. The feedback I get from locals on this service is all positive. It's a great local service. We are also opening walk-in free Medicare mental health centres right across the country, and we now have one in Strathpine in my electorate.

On this side of the House, we are restoring bulk-billing, strengthening Medicare and making sure no-one has to choose between their health and their household budget. Whether you need urgent care, mental health care or a check-up at your local GP, we want every Australian to have access to the health care they need, with their Medicare card. That's the promise of Medicare. That's the legacy Labor created, and that's the legacy the Albanese government is strengthening and will always fight for.

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