Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

REID () (): My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Why is it so important for the government to make it easier for Australians to see a bulk-bill doctor? What approaches has the government rejected? And what has the reaction been?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We on the Labor side feel so lucky to have had such a talented young emergency physician with such energy join the Labor caucus. I thank the member for Robertson for his question and for his ongoing advice about health matters. He, like all of us on this side, campaigned so hard at the last election on our promise to strengthen Medicare, and, on Tuesday night, the Treasurer's budget delivered on that promise.

The Treasurer delivered a $6 billion package to strengthen Medicare, as well as a $1½ billion boost to indexation across the board of Medicare rebates. This will deliver the biggest increase to Medicare rebates across the board since Paul Keating was Prime Minister, more than 30 years ago—in one year, a bigger increase to Medicare rebates than the former government managed in seven long years; in one year, bigger than seven long years under the former government.

Our Strengthening Medicare package delivers more than $2 billion in deep reform, recommended by the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce—reform that will bring Medicare into the 21st century and into line with the needs of patients who tend to be older and tend to have more chronic disease. But the centrepiece of our Strengthening Medicare package is a $3½ billion investment to triple bulk-billing incentives, described by the College of General Practitioners as a 'game changer'. It is a game changer for millions of mums and dads who want the confidence, when their kids get sick, that they can go to a bulk-billing doctor, a game changer for millions of pensioners and concession card holders who rely on bulk-billing and a game changer for general practitioners who now know they have a government in Canberra who values the work that they do. But it's not just the college who have welcomed our package. The AMA said:

… this targeted support is much needed and will make a real difference, especially in rural and regional areas.

The Consumers Health Forum said: 'This is a win for health consumers.' They said: 'We asked the government to listen to consumers,' and, they said, we have.

I also noticed, though, some comments last night from a former health minister, now the Leader of the Opposition. He very usefully added his comments and said: 'More needs to be done in the bulk-billing space'—an intriguing comment, because we know what happened when the Leader of the Opposition last ventured into 'the bulk-billing space'. When he last ventured into the bulk-billing space, he tried to abolish bulk-billing, for every single patient and make sure that every man, woman, child, pensioner and concession card holder would pay a GP tax every single time they visited the doctor.

Well, our position on Medicare has been unshakeable for 40 years. And Tuesday night's budget delivered on that position.