Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about some encouraging news for local families in my electorate that has been delivered by the Minister for Health and highlights how this government is committed to Medicare. It's been revealed that the national GP bulk-billing rate for the September quarter has increased to a record 85.9 per cent. I'm advised by the minister that this is the highest bulk-billing rate ever achieved for a September quarter and significantly higher than Labor's 82.2 per cent when they were last in government. We are spending more than ever before on Medicare, with record funding each and every year. It's growing—from $23 billion in 2017-18 to $24 billion, to $26 billion, and to $28 billion in 2020-21. Under Labor, in their last year of government, spending on Medicare was only $19.5 billion.

People in the electorate of Robertson, on the Central Coast, have also benefited, with the latest data showing that bulk-billing rates for patients visiting their GPs is at 86.2 per cent, which is in fact higher than the national average. That figure, 86.2 per cent, is a full three per cent higher than at the end of Labor's six wasted years in government. In Dobell, at the northern end of the Central Coast, the figure is almost 91 per cent. This means that more people on the Central Coast—people who live in Woy Woy, Erina, Gosford, Davistown, Kariong and Terrigal—can visit their doctor without having to reach for their wallet.

In my electorate we can also point to the massive, $45 million investment that this government has committed to the world-class Central Coast Medical School and Health and Medical Research Institute, which will be a game changer for our region, an $85 million partnership between this government, the New South Wales coalition government and the University of Newcastle. We also recently announced funding for a new prostate cancer nurse based at the Central Coast Cancer Centre at Gosford Hospital. I really want to give a shout-out to the former member for Robertson Jim Lloyd, who is now an ambassador for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and has been a tireless advocate in securing this for our region.

We've listened and we've addressed the GP shortage crisis on the peninsula by securing funding in the budget and then working closely with our primary health network on the Central Coast to secure a recruitment breakthrough. Three new doctors have already started working in this area of need thanks to the initiative so far.

But ultimately what we have to call out today are Labor's crazy claims about the future of Medicare, which we are even hearing right now in the Bennelong by-election—claims that are downright wrong. The facts are that Australian patients received an additional 21 million bulk-billed visits compared with Labor's last year in government. We've established the Medicare Guarantee Fund to secure the ongoing funding of the Medicare benefits schedule and the PBS. Commonwealth investment in public hospitals is also continuing to grow, and funding for New South Wales hospitals is 43 per cent higher than during Labor's years.

I thank the coalition government for their determination and commitment to delivering better quality health care for people on the Central Coast.