Matt Smith (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I'm very happy to continue my remarks on this motion brought forward by the member for Bowman. Medicare is one of Australia's great success stories, and while we can throw numbers about, the simple thing is that facts don't care about your feelings. In Leichhardt there are 24 fully bulk-billed practices helping families and kids. Bulk-billing rates in Queensland alone have gone up by 3.4 per cent. That is up despite what those people opposite would have us believe. Facts and figures don't lie.

I'd like to talk about a little town not actually in my electorate. It's called Mission Beach and is about an hour and a half south in the electorate of Kennedy. But I'm sure the member for Kennedy won't mind—we have a passport-style arrangement going on there. Mission Beach is one of the most beautiful places in the country, outside of Leichhardt. It has palm-lined beaches, crystal-clear water and, in 2021, no GP clinic. When last I checked, in 2021, those opposite were in charge. One of the most beautiful places in the country could not hold a GP. That's incredible!

But I'm pleased to report that they now have one. The people of Mission Beach—an ageing and retiring population—now have access to a GP on a regular basis. That's because of the Anthony Albanese Labor government. That's because of Medicare. That's because of the investment that Labor always puts into people's health and people's wellbeing. It's who we are.

They talk about the credit card. They talk about the numbers. They talk about slogans. But $8.5 billion isn't a slogan; it's a commitment. It is the largest single investment in Medicare since its inception. It is something that we should be proud of as a nation. I have lived under the regime of the US medical system, knowing how much it can cost without that safety net. Now the safety net has grown.

One thing we can all agree on is that your postcode shouldn't matter in how you get healthcare. Your income shouldn't matter in how you get healthcare. I represent some of the most remote and disadvantaged places in the nation. Things like rheumatic heart disease, which is basically eliminated in the rest of the first world, runs riot through the cape. But, because Labor invests, we can give hope, we can give opportunity, and people know that when they show up to a doctor at one of the 24 bulk-billing clinics in Leichhardt, all that they need is their Medicare card. When we go to an urgent care clinic—as I had to do to get my daughter's X-rays—we know that all we need is a Medicare card.

When Minister Butler came we up, were talking to a woman who had been attacked by a dog. She'd only heard about the Medicare clinic a little bit. She rolled in and got stitched up. Her wounds were cleaned and she was home within 45 minutes—unheard of for that kind of treatment. If you go to any of the major hospitals, you can be in ED for hours and hours. But, with just her Medicare card and our investment in Medicare and the urgent care clinics, she got home, she was comfortable and she was relieved. She had no idea who Minister Butler was when she was relaying this story to him, but it was a nice thing to see how the investment works for people on a day-to-day basis. It is something I know this side is very proud of, something I know that we hang our hats on and something that I know makes a difference.

See this speech in context