Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The changes to the private health insurance rebate are about a fair go for all Australians. It's also about having a long-term vision for the provision of aged care in this country. The extra subsidy previously provided to older Australians over the age of 65 for private health cover was the legacy of an era when Australia was able to take full advantage of the mining boom 20 years ago, when we had more working-age taxpayers and fewer retirees. Over 20 years later, Australia finds itself in a dramatically changed position. We have more retirees and so the service mix that this government needs to provide includes a stronger emphasis on aged care—at home and residential. So, instead of applying subsidies according to age, subsidies will be applied according to income level, a much fairer outcome for all Australians. Older Australians will continue to receive a rebate between eight and 24 per cent based on their income level, settings which will apply to all Australians.

These changes are about providing older Australians with financial support to access private health care according to their income, while recognising another urgent reality that is affecting the provision of aged-care services in this country. We have an ageing population and so the demand for aged-care services is increasing. Those opposite ignored this reality, not even implementing the recommendations of the royal commission into aged care. A new aged-care home needs to be built every three days for the next 20 years in order to be able to service our cohort of older Australians at the rate at which it is now growing. Currently, we are not meeting that demand and the entire system risks collapsing under its own weight. So any savings from the change in rebate arrangements will be redirected to expanding and improving the provision of aged-care services in this country.

This will mean more aged-care beds, more packages and better care. It will mean 5,000 more beds year on year. It will mean being able to build and maintain quality residential accommodation. It will mean a Support at Home program that is fairer and more affordable, with faster and improved assessments and shorter wait times. It will mean free personal care services, such as showering assistance, dressing and continence support alongside free clinical care. It will mean an expansion of the end-of-life pathway to provide dignified care for older Australians in their final months. It will mean 20 additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units and an expansion of the Hospital to Aged Care Dementia Support Program, providing crucial transitional support for older Australians going from hospital into residential aged care.

These are in addition to the Albanese Labor government's ongoing commitment to provide more accessible and affordable health care for all Australians, including older Australians. This includes making urgent care clinics a permanent part of Medicare, with 135 urgent care clinics across Australia and more being built. This will mean four in five Australians will live within an only 20-minute drive from urgent health care. An extra $25 billion, on top of $220 billion already committed, is going to our public hospitals over the next five years. Cheaper PBS medicines with a maximum price of $25 per prescription and $7.70 for pensioners and concession card holders have already saved Australians more than $2.3 billion. And with almost 3,800 fully bulked-billed practices right across Australia, more bulk-billing clinics means a projected nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030.

The Albanese Labor government has a long-term vision for this country—a fairer Australia for all Australians, including the right service mix for our changing demographics to meet the demand now and into the future. While older Australians will continue to receive a concession on their private health insurance based on their income, aligning with the rebate received by all Australians, the additional funds will be invested back into the improvement of the aged-care system more broadly by creating an aged-care system that will be affordable, accessible, fit-for-purpose and provide the highest standard of care for generations to come. This government is committed to investing in the future of all Australians.

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