Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) | Hansard source

Today marks the second birthday of the Medicare urgent care clinic in Bankstown, a milestone that celebrates not only an important investment in local health care but also the dedicated healthcare professionals who've made its success possible. Over the past two years, the clinic has helped take pressure off the emergency department at Bankstown hospital. People have presented to the clinic around 14,500 times, accessing free walk-in health care close to home. Behind every one of those visits is a team of doctors, nurses and support staff who have worked tirelessly to deliver high-quality care with professionalism, compassion and dedication. Their commitment has ensured that people can receive timely treatment for urgent but non-life threatening conditions, while also helping reduce pressure on the busy hospital emergency departments. Their work has made a genuine difference to the health and wellbeing of our community.

The Bankstown clinic is one of 137 Medicare urgent care clinics that Labor committed to delivering across the country. We've now delivered every single one of them, and from today they are permanent. We're also continuing to strengthen Medicare by expanding bulk-billing incentives so more Australians can see a GP without paying out of pocket, introducing the 1800MEDICARE helpline to provide trusted health advice day or night. We have had more than three million cheaper medicine scripts filled in the Watson electorate and have reduced the maximum costs of PBS medicines to $25, the same price they were back in 2004. These are practical investments that are improving access to affordable health care for communities like mine.

As the Bankstown Medicare Urgent Care Clinic celebrates its second birthday, I want to sincerely thank every member of the team for their outstanding service. Your hard work, commitment and care have supported thousands of local residents and our community is stronger because of your efforts. So happy second birthday to the Bankstown Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, and thank you to the incredible staff who continue to serve our community each and every day.

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