Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Health is always a first order issue for Australians, particularly for the people of the electorate of Werriwa. Constituents consistently talk to me about how much they care about health and education of their children and families. Health care is one of the key services the Australian government delivers, and, for the Albanese government, it is a cornerstone and a key priority. Medicare is Labor's DNA. It was true when Gough Whitlam first introduced Medibank, it was true when Bob Hawke later restored it after it was abolished by Fraser and it is true to this day with the Albanese Labor government injecting historic amounts of money to improve the system.

At the last election, the Prime Minister was often seen with his green Medicare card on display, and why wouldn't he be? The card is a guarantee of free access to the finest healthcare system in the world. There is no lottery, no luck or no chance in the provision of Medicare cards, as suggested by the member for Fowler. All Australians regardless of postcode, education, wealth or ethnicity are entitled to one. The Prime Minister has one. I have one. The member for Fowler has one, and the newest Australian citizens have one. Of course, we can always improve the Medicare system, but we need to be clear. Our universal healthcare system is the envy of the world, and talking it down unnecessarily belies that fact and devalues the wonderful healthcare workforce we have.

Front and foremost in our healthcare system in Australia is recognising that GPs are the frontline as primary healthcare workers. They need to be respected, valued and, more importantly, remunerated. The improvements to GP payments from 1 November do this. Not only have those improvements ensured GPs are appropriately paid, but they have significantly improved bulk-billing rates. The success of the $8.5 billion injection into Medicare by the government is undeniable. There are now over 3,400 Medicare bulk-billing practices across the country. That's almost 1,300 more, who were previously mixed billing. The bulk-billing rate for all Australians has increased to 81.4 per cent nationwide. These statistics mean that of the Albanese government's policies 96 per cent of Australians are now within a 20-minute drive of a registered Medicare bulk-billing practice.

In terms of the electorate of Werriwa, there are 32 Medicare bulk-billing practices. That is seven more than before 1 November. Ninety-one per cent of practices in Werriwa are now bulk-billing all their patients all the time. Interestingly, the constituents in the electorate of Fowler, with whom I share a border, have a choice of practices, 94 per cent of which bulk-bill. That is the highest in the country, and it's nine more since 1 November. The Albanese government has further supported south-west Sydney and the residents of Fowler and Werriwa by investing $80 million to upgrade the Fairfield emergency department. Werriwa also has a new urgent care clinic in Austral, which was promised during the election campaign. It opened on 27 January and has already seen 280 people in the last four weeks. The government has also made a massive $25 billion investment into the public hospital system, which was recently announced by the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Prime Minister, after negotiations with all the states and territories.

There is also the $792 million investment into women's health, which is changing so much, and changing how women's health is looked at in this country. There are cheaper medicines which, from 1 January, meant that PBS scripts were only $25, or $7.70 with a concession. In my electorate of Werriwa, constituents have saved more than $8.2 million with over 1.3 million cheaper scripts. Then there is the historical investment that the government has made into mental health, which has seen a headspace in Edmondson Park open, which is doing such great work.

The motion moved by the member for Fowler referred to a lottery, but the winners of this lottery are the people of Werriwa, Fowler and wider Australian communities who have a government that, in all aspects of health, is improving the lot for all Australians.

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