Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Braddon for the question. Her advocacy on health care across Tasmania is legendary. The winter Olympics may be on in Italy at the moment, but there are green and gold signs popping up all over regional Australia because the government is strengthening Medicare, because, when you're sick, seeing a doctor shouldn't be a struggle. The Albanese government is laser focused on improving access to health care for people across regional Australia. We're doing this by encouraging more GPs to bulk-bill and by opening Medicare urgent care clinics around the country.

Since the Albanese government expanded the bulk-billing incentive on 1 November, Australians can now access over 3,400 Medicare bulk-billing clinics across the country. From Burnie in Braddon to Saint Georges Basin in Gilmore, there are more GPs bulk-billing in our regions than ever before, because your postcode shouldn't determine your access to health care. I'm proud that the Labor government is helping more people in our regions access urgent care when they need it. In just three months, the bulk-billing rate for Australians has jumped to 81.4 per cent nationwide. It's the largest quarterly jump in 20 years. Bulk-billing rates are up 6.4 per cent in our regional areas, 5.5 per cent in rural communities. There's been an increase in GP bulk-billing in every state and territory across the country.

Medicare urgent care clinics are critical to improving health outcomes in our regions. More than two million Australians have already received free urgent care at Medicare urgent care clinics. Just recently, I joined my local healthcare professionals at the launch of the Bega valley urgent care clinic—one of 123 urgent care clinics that have opened, with 40 of those being in regional, rural and remote areas. So, if you have a nasty spill on your bike or in a party room, you can just pop over to your local urgent care clinic. They'll patch you up. They might pat you on the head. They'll say: 'Fantastic. Great move. Well done, insert name here.'

Not only are we investing in Medicare; we're investing in more places for doctors to train in rural and regional communities, making it easier for people to see a bulk-billing doctor. This year, 2,100 junior doctors are starting their training as GPs or rural generalists. That is 500 more than the intake under those opposite. While we're focused on health care and the access that we have in our regions, those opposite are still focused on themselves.

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