Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week marked one year of the Labor government and on behalf of my electorate of Cowper I want to put regional health—and I emphasise regional health—in the spotlight. Sadly, in my view, it has been relegated to the dark backstage during that time. I will, however, give credit where credit is due, and I acknowledge that many GP practices across the country are grateful for the increase in the bulk billing incentive. This announcement was also welcomed by many constituents who had contacted my office regularly over the past four years. I was told that the fee gap when visiting the GP was becoming untenable when coupled with the significant cost-of-living woes over the past 12 months and record inflation levels.

In my electorate of Cowper, there are only two per cent of GPs that will bulk bill. I sincerely hope that this increase will change that, and I'll be keeping a very close eye on that statistic. Unfortunately, the credit will stop there, because in regional Australia it's not getting easier to get an appointment. As a result of COVID-19, the migration away from the cities and into regional areas skyrocketed our migration numbers, particularly in coastal regions on the stunning mid-north coast. While the population numbers are surging, the number of GPs and medical centres has stagnated, and in some areas, including Port Macquarie and Lake Innes, it has declined. Prior to COVID, it was already difficult to get in to see a GP or a specialist in areas of my electorate, but now it is close to impossible, with many practices forced to close their books to new patients. Even existing clients are waiting weeks to be seen.

Instead of recognising this and providing initiatives aimed at safeguarding the regions, this government has actively ripped out doctors from our regions by changing the distribution priority areas, effectively funnelling skilled workers into metro areas and sealing our fate when it comes to attracting the long-awaited migrant force into the areas that need it most. To further compound the issue, the Albanese government has slashed Medicare-funded mental health supports in half. We've been shown that 70 per cent of GPs list mental health as one of the top three issues in patients. Many GPs and psychologists across the country have articulated that Australia is facing a mental health crisis and that support and consideration needs to be given more weight, not less. I think that one of our local clinical psychologists, Jennifer Grant from Coffs Harbour, said it best when she called me to express her dismay on the cuts. She stated, 'Just as people shouldn't be asked to ration vital medicines like insulin, they shouldn't have to ration mental health care.'

Then there is the 60-day dispensing legislation. Once again, this sounds great and will save some people some money, which is noble given the cost-of-living issues. But, once again, it doesn't provide the necessary safeguards to ensure that our critical regional pharmacies are able to remain open and with the right level of stock to service the community. As we have seen so often before from Labor, this new legislation is set to heavily benefit metropolitan areas and put added strain on regional providers. I continue to field desperate calls from pharmacists around my electorate. While all understand the merits of the system in that the number of required GP visits will be reduced, what the legislation does not take into account is the knock-on effect. It has been widely reported in recent months that Australia is already facing serious supply chain issues when it comes to critical medicines across regional Australia. Pharmacies are feeling the impact more acutely than their counterparts as they are not prioritised when it comes to stock distribution. This new legislation will mean that some patients will simply miss out on medication as other individuals are able to stockpile. It needs to be changed.