Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MASCARENHAS () (): I'm unsure about other people's parents, but my mum and dad rarely show any positivity towards each other and rarely any sweetness or tenderness. So, when I got a phone call from my mother and she said to me in a serious voice, 'Dad has had a fall, and he needs to go and have emergency brain surgery,' the tone of her voice was something that I'm not used to. Mum only does that when she shows her real emotions, which is that she deeply cares for Dad and that she was really worried about what was going to happen. We didn't know whether surgery was going to happen that day or the next day. The brain surgeon gave me a call, because I was on the form, and he explained to me that Dad needed to have the surgery straightaway. I tried to go and see Dad before the surgery, but I didn't get to the hospital in time. I asked the brain surgeon, 'Is there a possibility my dad will survive the surgery or not?' The surgeon said, 'There's a possibility that he might pass away.' I asked, 'Can I please speak to my dad before he goes into surgery?' The surgeon said, 'Sure, I'll use my mobile phone.' He gave me a call, and I said, 'Good luck, Dad.'

The thing that was fascinating about that moment is that I had a four-week-old bub, and it was kind of a beginning-of-life/end-of-life scenario. I just wanted to see my dad before that happened. It also made me realise that all I wanted was to make sure that my dad was going to be okay and I didn't have to think, 'Who is going to pay for this? Is this surgery something that's going to be cost prohibitive? How much do I need to pay for this?' So I'd say that I am really proud of Australia's Medicare system. It's something that Labor built. It's something that we will protect. The other thing that I'll add is that my dad survived the brain surgery and he's going well, two years on. But that moment made me realise how proud I am to be Australian and how amazing our system is—1984 is not only great for movies like Footloose or Ghostbusters; it's also the year that the Labor Party introduced Medicare. I think it's one of Labor's proudest legacies. It's a source of pride for so many Australians, and it's one of our defining national characteristics.

The thing that's fascinating is that my dad has six brothers and sisters and they all migrated to California; we're the only ones who ended up in Australia. When you have a look at the healthcare system of countries like the US versus Australia, it seems like it's an alien planet. I think that we have a system that has been amazing in the past and can be amazing. I believe that in Australia it should be your Medicare card, not your credit card, that guarantees quality health care. For me, it's fundamentally about a fair go and helping a mate out when they're in need. It gives peace of mind to so many Australians, and it also ensures that support and care is given when we need it most.

After a decade of cuts and neglect by previous Liberal governments, the Albanese government is committed to rebuilding Medicare. We've inherited this primary care system and it is in a terrible state. The former government froze the Medicare rebate not for one or two or three years but for six years. For six years it was ripping billions of dollars out of primary health and causing gap fees to skyrocket, and this is something that Australians have been feeling right across the nation, but particularly in my electorate of Swan. This has increased the number of Australians who have had to pay out-of-pocket expenses to visit a GP.

We said at the election that there was no higher priority in the health portfolio than strengthening Medicare and rebuilding general practice. In Swan there are lots of amazing general practices, but the thing that we've been seeing is that the model that has existed has not been able to flourish and survive under the previous coalition government. When I went doorknocking during the campaign—and during the campaign we knocked on 45,000 doors—people said time and time again that they were so worried about the state of Medicare and the level of disrepair and neglect that had happened previously.

This government knows that bulk-billing is in decline and that this has caused additional stress on Australian families that are already dealing with cost-of-living pressures. When you've got it crying child with a fever, the last thing you need to be thinking about is out-of-pocket expenses that your GP will impose on you. That's why we have committed $750 million to implement the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce. This is a really exciting initiative. It's about increasing the amount of primary care access. What this means is developing a system where Australians are supported to be healthy and well and making sure that the system is equitable and affordable and that we have patient-centred primary care services. Where people live or the type of care that they need shouldn't matter. We need to make sure that the financing that supports it is sustainable. We need to make sure that it's simple and easy to navigate for people and their healthcare providers.

To reduce fragmentation and duplication and to deliver better health outcomes, we're also looking at encouraging multidisciplinary teams. Too often people treat health in silos, but what we need to do is make sure that we're thinking about the patient and the way that allied health services work together. We need to make sure that we improve people's health outcomes, because, in the end, that's what it's about.

It is also about modernising primary care, and this includes using data and digital systems to better help support diagnosis. We are moving into cool medical technology, and we need to make sure that we're actually using this to benefit all Australians. We need to share critical patient information and empower people to participate in their own health care and also drive insights for planning and resourcing and continuous quality improvement. We need to make sure that we're continuously trying to improve the system, rather than seeing it fall backwards. It's also about supporting change management and cultural change in the healthcare sector. This is something that happens in the private sector all of the time, and this is something that we need to do better. We need to make sure that we systematise it.

Our universal healthcare system is the envy of the world. It's something that we should work to strengthen and protect. It's something that we should do with bipartisan support every day. In the October 2022 budget we announced a $2.9 billion package to drive an innovative revamp of Australia's primary healthcare system. This included $220 million for the Strengthening Medicare general practice grants program to support general practices and eligible Aboriginal community controlled health services to apply for up to $50,000 to make improvements to their practices and to extend patient access and provide better primary care. This is really exciting, and I encourage people to try to participate in it.

There is also $135 million to commence the establishment of 50 Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia to give families more options to see a healthcare professional when they need to. This is a really smart idea. What it will do is divert people who can't access a doctor through their GP using Medicare without a gap fee and prevent them from going to emergency rooms. This is a smart policy which will help both of those systems. These clinics will be bulk-billed and will be open seven days a week. For my electorate, the two neighbouring areas that will support them will be in Perth and Midland, so I'm really excited about those coming up.

I'm proud to be a part of a Labor government that is investing in Medicare. It is a proud legacy of this government. When you think about the alternate—of winding it back and seeing the disrepair of it—it's just not fair. It's un-Australian. The truth is that only Labor can be trusted on health care. I'm amazed at the number of GPs and doctors who have been elected to the 47th parliament. I think we have at least three who have been elected to the class of 2022, which is phenomenal. What this will do is make sure that we create patient-centred and better health policies, informed by professionals. But we also want to make sure that it has a real impact for our constituents. I am proud of what the Labor Party has done and I'm proud of what we will continue to do.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further grievances, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:31