Rebecca White (Lyons, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fowler for raising this issue. We love talking about health in this parliament, and I'm pleased to be able to speak to some of the points that you raised, recognising that we want all Australians, no matter where they live, to have access to the health care that they deserve. That's where our government has been so strong by investing in Strengthening Medicare. I also recognise you raised issues around access in hospitals. Our government did strike a deal of $25 billion with states and territories for the National Health Reform Agreement, which will see extra investment flow into hospitals, including those in your electorate.

It is critical that we look at where we are providing services across the country. Where there are doctor shortages, we are keen to work with doctor groups to understand how we improve workforce opportunities and address those needs. I can assure you that the minister and the government are looking to do exactly that, particularly in some of those metro areas across the country. You've spoken about your own community, but the same can be said for other metro areas around the country where we are seeing some challenges.

It is not just one policy that we set and forget. As much as I love talking about Strengthening Medicare and lifting bulk-billing rates, it's also about growing the workforce. It's why we're now seeing record numbers of GPs going through that training program in our universities. We saw a record number last year on top of a record number the year before, and we're hoping for a record number again this year—increasing the number of Commonwealth supported places.

In your own electorate, you should be incredibly proud of the bulk-billing rates, at about 94 per cent now, being the best in the country. Constituents in your electorate have access to bulk-billing rates from great doctors who are providing that service at a rate better than anywhere else in Australia.

You mentioned, of course, Medicare urgent care clinics. We are very proud of the investment we've made in Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in your own electorate, the Liverpool Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, which has been very busy and had over 15,000 presentations as at 23 February this year. It is taking pressure off emergency departments, providing that extra opportunity—an extra step in the process, I guess—for people who might need to see a GP for an urgent presentation and can go to an urgent care clinic instead for that appointment. It takes take pressure off the emergency department because their issue doesn't reach the threshold that you want to have patients presenting to the emergency department for. The investment that we've seen across the country, including in your own electorate, has meant that a lot more of your constituents are now able to access affordable health care close to where they live. That is the premise that underpins our investment in a lot of the programs that we're delivering throughout health.

One of the other opportunities that our Strengthening Medicare measures provide through the lifting of bulk-billing rates—and this is particularly true in your electorate, where you've got such high bulk-billing rates—is that doctors are now earning more because of the bulk-billing incentive. Where every GP in a practice signs up and says, 'We are going to bulk bill every patient who walks through the door', they get paid an extra incentive in recognition of the fact that they are doing that. Where you had a fully bulk-billing doctor in 2023 earning about $280,000 a year, that fully bulk-billing doctor now, in 2026, earns over $400,000 a year, on average. That is a recognition of their contribution to delivering health care in our local communities. It is also better for patients, who are now able to access a fully bulk-billing GP.

In your contribution you also mentioned concerns about the numbers of patients that most doctors might see. On average, a doctor sees 1,100 patients. That's the average across the country. You mentioned the rate in your own electorate being less than that. I recognise that you're doing your job, advocating for your community, who are telling you that they want even better access to health care than what they currently have, and that one of the challenges is the workforce. But, in that electorate, your electorate of Fowler, you already have really good representation of bulk-billing GPs and good opportunity for patients to get in and see a GP.

That's not to downplay the fact that, across the country, including in urban areas, there is more work to do. That is what we are absolutely committed to. There are other efforts that our government has taken, and I'll take some time to speak to these. In addition to strengthening bulk billing and rolling out urgent care clinics across the country, we're also making medicines cheaper. From 1 January this year, medicines listed on the PBS went down to $25, or $7.70 if you're a concession card holder. That has enabled people—sometimes for the first time—to get access to the medicines they need to stay healthy and well and to live a good and dignified life.

I've spoken to members in my own community who have shared stories with me about how they can now go and see a GP for free at a bulk-billing clinic. In my own electorate, we have also seen a significant uplift in bulk-billing rates, with 18 practices now fully bulk billing from just six before November last year. That's a significant increase in bulk-billing practices in my electorate. What that means—both patients and doctors have shared this with me—is that somebody can go to an appointment with their GP and get bulk billed for that, but, when they have a follow-up appointment because they need to get some results or they need to go back for a further consultation, they are showing up. They are actually receiving the care that they need and showing up for those follow-up appointments. They are no longer prevented from doing that because they can't afford to pay the out-of-pocket cost. This is going to significantly transform the lives of thousands, if not millions, of Australians, and we are already seeing the impact of this across the country.

From making medicines cheaper, we are also hearing stories of people who've been able to get the treatment that they need without having to worry about whether they can afford to pay for groceries that week, put fuel in the car and get their medicines—things that they had to choose between previously. They can now look after their health and look after their family. I think this is one of the significant improvements that we've been able to make in delivering the reforms that we have across health: to provide cost-of-living relief to households everywhere around the country. Access to health care shouldn't be something you're forced to choose based on whether you can afford it or not. We fundamentally believe, here on this side of the House, that access to health care should be universal for everybody. That's why we've fought so strongly to protect and defend Medicare and to strengthen it.

When it comes to access to cheaper medicines, one of the things I'm really proud of is the work that's being done in the women's health space, with the listing of new medicines—whether it's contraceptive medicines, endometriosis medicines or menopause medicines—that have seen hundreds of thousands of women in Australia benefit from being able to access products they may never have had the choice to access before in their lives, but, because of these changes, they now can. I've spoken to women who've been able to get menopause therapies and medicines listed on the PBS and to finally find relief for their symptoms. They've been able to work with their GP to take different hormone therapies until they find the right mix, and they've been able to afford to do that because these medicines are listed on the PBS and are capped at just $25.

They've been able to work with their GP, and in some cases that's a bulk-billing GP, so their out-of-pocket expenses are significantly reduced. That has meant that in some cases it's enabled women to continue in their work. It's increased their productivity, it's improved their relationships, and it's given them their life back at a time when they thought they were losing the ability to engage in life as they knew it. So I'm incredibly proud of the work that has been done there and the work that we're rolling out with the endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain clinics. I'm very hopeful that we'll have all of the 33 clinics open very soon. That, again, is vitally important, because we know that when women have good information about where they can access the health care that they need it can be life-changing.

In addition to those reforms, of course, we are working every day to listen to Australians about what they need to see happen to make sure that they can continue to have access to the health care that they deserve. I thank you, Member for Fowler, for raising the point you have in the parliament today, and I can assure you that, further to the improvements we've been able to make for constituents in your electorate of Fowler, we are determined to grow the health workforce. It's why, as part of our Strengthening Medicare commitments, there's been a significant contribution of about $800 million to train more GPs and nurses. It is why we are working with medical practitioners who are in colleges and peak bodies to understand these workforce constraints and how we can address them. We want all Australians to have access to the health care that they deserve, and we are keen to work with anybody who wants to achieve that too.

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