Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Hansard source

Affordable health care is one of the critical ways in which we in the Albanese Labor government are delivering real cost-of-living relief for every single Australian. It has now been just over a month since we slashed the price of PBS listed medicines to just $25, and $7.70 for concession card holders. The result of this is pretty simple but fundamentally important: millions of Australians are now paying less for the medicines they rely on every day, including thousands across those communities that I'm so proud to represent.

Why have we done this? We believe, fundamentally, that every Australian should be able to get the medicines they need without worrying about whether or not they can afford it. They shouldn't have to choose between their health care and other cost-of-living pressures. Similarly, it is our fundamental belief as the party of Medicare that people should be able to see a GP for free, and, thanks to the investments we've been making into bulk-billing—the beating heart of Medicare—this is now a reality. These rates were in freefall thanks to a decade of neglect and underinvestment under the coalition, but we've reversed that trend and, thanks to our record investments in bulk-billing incentives, residents in the Scullin electorate now have 23 bulk-billing GP clinics to choose from, up from just 11 before the investment. This is tangible evidence of the real difference our policies are making to the lives of every Australian.

Last month, many Australians participated in a wide range of Australia Day activities. It's a day that means different things to different people, as the assistant minister here well knows. For some, it's spent at citizenship ceremonies, celebrating our newest Australians. For others it's a day to reflect on what it means to be Australian. This year I was so pleased to attend an event hosted by the Unity Libyan Youth Association, supported by our government and showing first- and second-generation Australians coming together to demonstrate their pride in our country and our shared cultures. I was so proud of the work of Ines Ahmed and the wider Libyan community for inviting me along to learn about them, to learn about their culture, and to learn about their pride in Australia and the journey they are on, making our country even better.

We spend a bit of time recognising people in this place, as we should. I want to talk briefly about a friend of mine who has never sought recognition or any accolades: my friend David Leydon, who is about to retire from a lifetime of service to the Australian Services Union. David is an extraordinary human being who's given so much in many aspects of life, in particular to the mighty Burnley CYMS Cricket Club. David has also been an absolute stalwart of the Australian Labor Party and particularly the union movement. He is our movement at its very best—someone who has never asked for anything and always sought to make a difference to the lives of others in their workplace and in their community and more broadly. Thanks for everything, Dave.

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