Trish Cook (Bullwinkel, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2025-2026 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2025-2026. These bills represent the Albanese Labor government's unwavering commitment to delivering for all Australians. As we move through the parliamentary term, our focus remains clear: providing responsible economic management and cost-of-living relief. For the people of Bullwinkel, a brand new electorate that I am incredibly proud to represent, these appropriations are not just figures on a page; they are blueprints for a healthier, more supported and more connected community. As a nurse, I'd like to use my speech to talk about the health expenditure that this bill allows for.

There's Medicare and bulk-billing success. Medicare is the foundation of our social contract. When we came to government, that foundation was crumbling. After nearly a decade of neglect from those opposite, bulk-billing was in freefall, but we've turned that around with the largest investment in Medicare's 40-year history. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive, and the results have been historic. Nationwide, we're seeing bulk-billing rates jump up to over 81 per cent, and, more importantly, nine in 10 visits for children and concession card holders are now free. For a young family in Mundaring or a pensioner in Northam, this is the difference between getting the care when you need it and waiting until the condition becomes dire. We're not just saving the system of Medicare; we're expanding it so it works for the modern era.

Cheaper medicines are another aspect addressing the cost-of-living issues. As of 1 January this year, we capped PBS scripts at $25. This is the first time in two decades that the cost of medicines has actually gone down. For those managing chronic conditions, this isn't just a minor saving; it is hundreds of dollars back in their pocket every year. This is what Labor governments do. We manage the budget so we can manage the costs that hit the kitchen tables and the back pockets every single week.

We've also had a revolution in women's health, and I want to highlight a particularly proud achievement of our government, which is the $573 million package for women's health. Our caucus is 50 per cent women. That changes conversations, and it changes budget allocations. For too long, women's health was underrepresented and underfunded, but we're changing that. One example is a new contraceptive that has been placed on the PBS list—for the first time in 30 years, a new contraceptive is on the PBS list. This significantly lowers the cost of reproductive care. We're also addressing women's health at all times of their lives, for fertility, for people with issues like endometriosis—we've instigated endometriosis clinics across the country—and also for menopause, so it's specialised women's health support. And, not forgetting men, we've put $32 million specifically towards men's health and promotion as well.

Our commitment to a fairer Australia also extends deeply into the disability sector, and I'm thrilled to discuss the $5 million Assistive Technology Rental and Refurbishment Pilot. This Albanese government initiative is run by Ability WA and is now being expanded to Western Australia. Under this pilot, Ability WA provides vital infrastructure and expertise needed to recycle and distribute disability support equipment. It's a very commonsense policy that allows people with disability to choose whether to rent, purchase or exchange technology through a streamlined platform. Importantly, it allows users—particularly children, who are growing and whose needs are rapidly changing—to test the equipment and switch to more suitable technology without being locked into expensive purchases. This pilot is available to all people with disability under the age of 65, not just NDIS participants, and Ability WA are working closely with the national Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. By renting and refurbishing assistive technology, we're ensuring timely, affordable access to the tools people need to live independently. This initiative represents a new, cost-effective model for support.

The transformation of primary care is also something that the Albanese Labor government has addressed. In our first term of government, we promised 50 urgent care clinics across the country, impressively delivering 87 during that term. We've also committed to another 50 for this term of government, and I'm proud to say that we are now at 134 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics open and operating nation wide. In Bullwinkel and its surrounds, this revolution is saving our emergency departments and it's also reducing the management load for busy GPs. As a nurse in GP clinics, I know the pressure of when an urgent case walks into the GP clinic, and it is sometimes chaotic. Obviously, they have to be addressed, and people end up waiting for hours; it's frustrating. The urgent care clinics have replaced the urgency of some of those presentations attending for treatment when they need it.

I'm very proud to have delivered on my election commitment by opening the Mundaring Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at the GP Super Clinic in Mundaring Weir Road. It officially opened its doors just last month on 23 February. One month later, the community's needs for this service are already clear. There have been more than 530 presentations to the Mundaring clinic in the last month since it opened, and this is providing enormous relief for our local hospital at the bottom of the hill, the Midland Hospital. Together with the Gosnells and North Midland Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, it kind of forms a ring of support for our region. Taking the pressure off St John of God Midland Public Hospital emergency department has been a game changer, with the staff there noticing the dramatic difference. For parents of children with a fever or a worker with a deep laceration or a sporting injury, the urgent care clinics, open seven days a week, with extended hours, are really providing a relief valve in the health system. They provide high-quality, fully bulk-billed care for urgent cases, without people having to reach into their wallet. This is what it means to strengthen Medicare and to directly provide direct cost-of-living relief for people of Bullwinkel and across Australia.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the strides that we've made in mental health care, opening mental health clinics around the country. We recently opened the Northam Medicare Mental Health Clinic, which is a regional area of my electorate, and we are looking forward to the election commitment of a Kalamunda Medicare Mental Health Clinic being delivered within the year. We know that mental health is just as important as physical health. Yet for too long, walk-in support has been out of reach for many in the Hills area, and this clinic will provide a safe, free space for people to get the help when they need it without turning to their credit card and without an appointment or a referral. This clinic will be a great addition, as I said, to the Northam Medicare clinic and the Midland based Headspace.

Furthermore, we're investing in the next generation, keeping the little ones healthy and educated with a $5 million Mundaring Early Childhood Education Centre. We look forward to finding a permanent home for this election commitment, and we hope to co-locate it with the local school. This will make life easier for parents and ensure that children have the best possible start in life. Of course, this is supported by the 15 per cent pay rise for the early childhood workforce, a highly feminised workforce that has been undervalued and underpaid for far too long. These are the commitments for the people of Bullwinkel and they are commitments that only a Labor government will deliver.

This government is about delivery. Whether it's $25 capped scripts, the expansion of bulk-billing and incentivisation of bulk-billing, or the ring of care provided by our urgent care clinics, we're building a healthy system and a health system that works for everyone. I'm proud to stand here as the member for Bullwinkel representing an electorate named after a nurse and delivering a health system that would make Matron Vivian Bullwinkel very proud. I commend these bills to the House.

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