Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During the 2019 federal election and then the 2022 election, the Labor Party made promises. In particular, they made a big promise for an urgent care clinic in my community of Lindsay.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, I think they made those promises all across the country. They even wrote to my community; they had a senator really talk this up, saying that they would have it in the October budget and they would provide funding.

However, the constituents of Lindsay, my community, are still to hear from the Minister for Health and Aged Care about this commitment from the Albanese government. In fact, we were talking just then about how, right across the country, 50 urgent care clinics were promised and it was declared they'd be operational by May, but May has gone and it seems that the government is walking away from this promise and is now claiming that it will be the end of the year.

The minister stood beside the Prime Minister in Perth last week and opened expressions of interest for some clinics in Western Australia. Western Sydney is yet to hear a peep from this government on their promise to provide better access to urgent health care for the community I proudly represent. The government is cutting Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions; they have cut telehealth sessions; and now they are pushing back core commitments in the health space yet again, just like they're pushing back reform on Medicare. It's time this government took the health portfolio seriously and began to deliver on its promises for an urgent care clinic in my community of Lindsay.