Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Government's commitment to strengthening Medicare;

(2) welcomes that, from 1 July 2025, the following measures to strengthen Medicare began:

(a) a $1.8 billion boost to hospital funding, helping Australians get the quality healthcare they deserve;

(b) more choice, lower costs, and high-quality care for Australian women; and

(c) expanded access to Medicare-funded magnetic resonance imaging scans;

(3) further welcomes the Government's commitments to strengthen Medicare through:

(a) the single largest investment in Medicare to deliver more bulk billing;

(b) opening an additional 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, on top of the 87 already in operation;

(c) cutting the maximum cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicine to $25; and

(d) launching 1800 MEDICARE to take pressure off hospitals and make free, urgent care available to all Australians;

(4) notes the stark contrast between the Government's investment in Medicare and the Leader of the Opposition, who, as health minister extended the Medicare rebate freeze; and

(5) welcomes the Government delivering the better future Australians voted for by strengthening Medicare.

It is an absolute pleasure to make my first contribution to our new parliament and to make it about Medicare—to move a motion that celebrates that Labor, having been returned to government, will act to strengthen Medicare. We will do that, the same as we did in the last parliament.

When we came to government in 2022, it had never been harder or more expensive to find a doctor. Bulk-billing was in freefall after a decade of cuts and neglects to Medicare. That's why strengthening Medicare was a key focus of our election platform. As a member of parliament who was here during the decade of cuts and neglect, let me tell you how important this is. I was here when the previous government put in the 2014 budget with its GP tax, a co-payment that would have been initiated by law. I was here and worked with members of the public, members of my own community, to march in the streets of Melbourne to push back on that policy, to push back on the then minister for health, the then member for Dickson, Peter Dutton, and his plans. But the opposition were not deterred when the public saw that off. They then built in, by regulation, freezing the indexation for Medicare repayments, which, in effect, led to doctor upon doctor and centre upon centre introducing a co-payment of their own to seek fair payment for the services of our GPs in our areas.

Still, the opposition needs to learn that lesson well—that, if you want to talk about what's pivotal to 27 million Australians, a universal healthcare system is pivotal to the safety and the health of 27 million Australians. It is absolutely pivotal. Being able to see a GP without your credit card and without getting money from the bank, being able to walk in and see a GP, being able to have your preventive health measures provided by a general practitioner in your own community are fundamental to what Australians believe their healthcare system should provide. They are fundamental. Universal health care is fundamental to most Australians and is something they want to see, to ensure it stays part of our health system. There are lots of reasons why but the most important reason is preventive health saves the government dollars in the longer term, in the amount we have to spend on hospitals and the amount we have to spend on chronic conditions. It means Australians, if they've got a preventive-health system in place for them, are walking around healthier. It means early detection of chronic diseases. We've run these arguments a million times, and now, in a second-term government, we get to deliver $8.5 billion for more bulk-billed GP visits each year, hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors.

I just want to make the point that, in my community, one of the things the previous government did was rip us off the distribution priority area listings. It had been a fundamental thing in my community, where overseas doctors had come and done out-of-hours care and, in doing so, got themselves their Australian licences. When this was ripped away, when my local GP clinics could no longer do that, not only did our hours offering to see a GP shrink back to business hours—so we lost our longer hours. In a community where people are getting home from work on public transport at six o'clock and leaving in the morning at six o'clock, those long hours are really important. Not only did those hours shrink back; in my community, we lost 30 per cent of our GPs in a 12-month period. We put the DPA back in our last term of government, and those numbers are lifting again. We're really proud to be part of a community where international doctors are receiving their training and getting their qualifications; we're really proud of that in our community. Our community has seen some of those doctors put down deep roots and build new centres. That's what universal health care is about, and those opposite need to acknowledge it.

Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lalor for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. As a former doctor and a medical researcher, health is very close to my heart. It is one of the most important issues in the electorate of Kooyong.

At the last federal election, both the major parties offered an extra $7.9 billion in funding to Medicare to boost bulk-billing rates. Now, $7.9 billion is a lot of money. I wholeheartedly support the concept of universal health care, I support Medicare and I support bulk-billing. But throwing more money at the system without addressing its structural issues simply is not going to ensure that all Australians can see a GP without paying out-of-pocket. Last financial year, 77 per cent of GP services in this country were bulk-billed. A metropolitan GP who bulk-bills every patient earns about $50,000 a year less than someone who undertakes mixed billing. That's a big gap, especially if you factor in rising overheads, staff wages and the complexity of care.

The government's new Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program offers a 12.5 per cent quarterly bonus for practices that bulk-bill all their patients. But more than 90 per cent of GPs are telling us that, even with this incentive, exclusive bulk-billing may not cover their rising operational costs. The fact is that both the current and the proposed bulk-billing models incentivise shorter appointments. Essentially, they promote six-minute medicine. The longer the consult, the worse the remuneration under Medicare. This disadvantages those GPs who are undertaking important chronic disease management and those people who specialise in women's health or in mental health. In rural areas, practices face a number of additional challenges, which include workforce shortages, geographic isolation and fewer resources.

At the same time, we're facing a growing shortage of GPs, especially in rural and outer suburban areas. Young doctors are choosing other specialties because general practice is undervalued and undersupported. If we don't make general practice a viable, respected career path for young doctors, no amount of funding is going to ensure access to bulk-billing. We have to give GP trainees the same pay and conditions as young doctors who are training in hospitals, and we have to create more GP training positions.

Medicare is just one piece of our healthcare puzzle. We have a situation where we have fragmented and disconnected services and a lack of coordination between primary care, hospitals and allied health care. Our public hospitals are overfull. Their infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth and with ageing demographics. They're facing a dual crisis of increasing demand and decreasing productivity. Hundreds of thousands of Australians are currently waiting for planned surgeries. More than one-third of people wait longer than recommended times for essential procedures like heart valve replacements. We have a situation where ambulance-ramping remains a critical issue. Lives are being lost in ambulances because we can't get people through the doors of our hospitals.

The government's new urgent care clinics aim to provide free walk-in care for non-life-threatening conditions. Theoretically, that should ease pressure on emergency departments—and that is a worthy aim. Already, over 1.2 million Australians have accessed urgent care clinics. But there are legitimate concerns about them. They strain the already limited GP workforce, they divert funding from existing practices and they potentially, consistently, plausibly undermine continuity of care. The Albanese government has already spent $1.3 billion on urgent care clinics without any significant evaluation of their outcomes or their cost effectiveness.

The government is investing billions to expand bulk-billing incentives, but we need it to also address GP remuneration and training numbers, practice sustainability, hospital capacity and workforce retention. We need real reform of our healthcare system. We have to invest in digital health, in integrated care and in preventive services. We need to simplify Medicare. We need to introduce item numbers that reflect the realities of modern medicine. We need to pay doctors who are providing the very best practice care, not just seeing patients quickly. Investment in health care is the very best investment that we can make as a country. I urge the government to stay the course and to make that investment wisely.

Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I'd like to thank the member for Lalor for moving this motion. She understands, and the Albanese government understands, that a strong Medicare isn't just about better health outcomes, although this is essential; it's also about easing household budgets. Urgent care clinics are doing exactly that—providing free, timely, high-quality care to many thousands of Australians when and where they need it most. Over 1.5 million patients have already walked in the door of an urgent care clinic and received the free, urgent care they need, instead of waiting hours in a busy hospital's emergency department. These clinics are filling the gaps between GPs and hospital emergency departments and are a key part of the Albanese government's efforts to make health care more accessible and affordable.

Locals in my electorate of Corangamite recognise this, and, on 3 May, they voted for a new urgent care clinic in Torquay. The Torquay clinic will mean more access to health care on the doorstep of communities right along the Surf Coast. It also builds on the work of the urgent care clinic in Belmont, near Geelong, and the 87 clinics our government has already rolled out across the nation. These clinics are part of a much broader commitment to strengthen Medicare. This commitment now includes mental health hubs, which we are also rolling out across the nation. We will soon roll out one of these hubs in my fast-growing electorate in Torquay.

The Albanese government is making the single-largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago—$8.5 billion to deliver more bulk-billed GP visits each year, hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors. Australian patients and families will save hundreds of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. It will boost the number of fully bulk-billed practices to around 4,800 nationally—triple the current number of practices.

We're also strengthening the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. From January next year, general patients will pay no more than $25 for their medication. This is another key cost-of-living measure that will continue to put downward pressure on inflation. It was Labor that created the PBS. We recognise the important role it plays in delivering much-needed access to medications, particularly for women. That's why we have listed Prometrium, Estrogel and Estrogel Pro on the PBS. This move is directly benefitting countless women across my electorate.

Trish from Ocean Grove said the following:

Last year a bone density test revealed I am osteopenic, meaning I'm at risk of developing osteoporosis.

My GP has me smearing Estrogel on my upper arm each morning to hopefully improve my bone density or at least stop it getting worse.

At my last doctor's appointment, my GP said, good news, Estrogel's now on the PBS!

Trish went on to say:

Labor understands reducing falls and fractures in post-menopausal women is not just about showing compassion, it's recognition of the unique challenges faced by women.

That's the power of a strong, enduring PBS. We understand that a strong PBS and a strong Medicare mean more Australians with challenging health conditions are cared for. More than that, it also shows that their government hears them and that we are here to support them. That's why we're backing in the PBS, and it's why we're strengthening Medicare.

This government's work is delivering for Australians. In 2023, we tripled the bulk-billing incentive. As a result, more than nine in 10 visits to a GP were free for people eligible for the incentive. Since we've tripled the investment, we've seen a turnaround in bulk-billing—a national increase of 3.2 percentage points in June 2025 and more than 6.5 million additional bulk-billed visits. In closing, the Albanese government understands Medicare is at the heart of people's lives. Medicare is a promise that no-one will be held back, and nobody will be left behind. That's why I'm so proud that we support this motion. Thank you.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Lalor for giving me the opportunity to stand up and talk about Labor's failings when it comes to Medicare. It's really important that we have a little bit of reality, here, versus the rhetoric. Everyone would remember that the Prime Minister, during the campaign, stood up and said: 'All you'll need is one of these. All you'll need is one of these.' What he didn't tell you is that you're also going to need one of these—your credit card. For Australians across this country who are trying to see a doctor, that is not enough. That is not enough for them. I'll come to some of the stats in a moment, but it's very, very clear that Australians have been sold a pup when it comes to Medicare. They wanted to give this government the benefit of the doubt, but I'll tell you what: over the next three years, Australians will be getting buyer's remorse about this government because they'll realise that you need a credit card more than you need a Medicare card with this government.

Let's look at the facts. Under Labor, GP bulk-billing has plummeted from 88 per cent to just 77 per cent. That is an 11-point drop. Last year alone, 40 million fewer GP visits were bulk-billed. Patients are now paying 45 per cent more out of pocket to see a doctor. That's if they can see a doctor. On the Sunshine Coast, I had to actually—hello, Dr Andrew, I saw you recently—book two weeks in advance. He's such a good doctor, my GP. He's always booked out. There are so many Australians who face the same situation; they can't get in to see their GPs, but when they do, they pay for it with their credit cards and their Medicare cards. The problem with this is that over 1½ million Australians avoided seeing their GP last year because they simply could not afford it. The RACGP, in their own survey, have demonstrated that the government's push for urgent care clinics is going to make the staffing shortages of GPs even worse. When we were in government, Medicare funding rose every single year. In 2012-13, it was $18.6 billion. In 2021-22, it was $30 billion. Yet the Labor Party, when they were in opposition, continued to talk about how we cut funding from Medicare. Now, how you can go from $18.6 billion to $30 billion in a little under a decade and call that a cut—well, that's the Labor Party's economic team in fine form. In our final year, 167.2 million free GP services were delivered, 61 million more than in Labor's last year in office.

Mental health is something that I am very, very passionate about. I've always been very passionate about it, but this government's track record on mental health is just as grim. They cut Medicare funding for mental health sessions in half. It was one of the first things that this government did when it won in 2022. This has impacted 372,000 vulnerable Australians. They ignored the expert advice. The health minister ignored the expert advice from a panel that he engaged to look into this. That panel said, 'Keep them.' The government cut them in half, from 20 down to 10. Access to Medicare supported mental health care is now at a 10-year low. Shame on this government! Labor abolished the National Mental Health Commission, and the chair of Mental Health Australia resigned in protest after the PM repeatedly refused to meet with him.

Labor's record on health care is clear: they are big on promises—they're always big on promises—they're always poor on performance. They'll promise you the world; they'll give you an atlas. The coalition will continue to fight for a healthcare system where your access to a doctor doesn't depend on your bank balance.

Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind members to refrain from the use of props.

Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Almost 17,000 people have walked through the doors of the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic since the doors opened in December 2023—people like Nikita, who has taken her sick kids to the clinic many times, where they received care and went home without having to wait around for hours in the emergency department, and people like Sonja from Malua Bay, who said the clinic has provided convenient care for her family, including her three grandchildren, who live with her. Nikita, Sonja and thousands more like them, including local residents and many visitors to Batemans Bay, have walked into the Medicare urgent care clinic and have seen a doctor without having to get out their credit cards, just their Medicare cards.

Batemans Bay is a growing region and the population swells during the summer months as visitors flock to the seaside retreat, which is why I'm so thrilled that the Albanese Labor government will be extending the opening hours of the Batemans Bay urgent care clinic. Locals and visitors will be able to walk into the clinic from 6 am till midnight seven days a week and receive urgent but non-life-threatening care with just their Medicare card. I'm so proud that the Batemans Bay clinic will soon have the longest opening hours of any Medicare urgent care clinic in the country.

The community response to the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic has been nothing short of incredible. The clinic has taken pressure off the emergency department and local medical centres. Families with young children, injured sports people and many of our older residents have walked in, received care and gone home without waiting hours at local hospitals and clogging up the ED. It has been life-changing. In fact, people right across my electorate of Gilmore on the New South Wales South Coast, having seen how great the Batemans Bay UCC is, have been calling for a second clinic in the north of the electorate, and I'm so thrilled that, after launching a community petition, Gilmore will, in fact, be getting a second Medicare urgent care clinic.

Shoalhaven residents have been crying out for a clinic to take pressure off the busy Shoalhaven hospital, where, people have told me, waiting times at the ED can be from four to six hours for non-life-threatening care. The new Medicare urgent care clinic in Nowra will service a huge area, including Berry, Bomaderry and Shoalhaven Heads to the north and Jervis Bay, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet to the south. When the doors open, people will be able to walk in and receive health care with just—you guessed it—their Medicare card. This government's commitment to strengthening Medicare will have a profound impact on the lives of people living in and visiting my electorate. Not only will we have expanded hours at the Batemans Bay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic and a brand new Medicare urgent care clinic in Nowra; this government will also expand mental health services.

The recently opened Nowra Mental Health Hub will be upgraded to a full Medicare mental health centre to provide free access to psychiatrists and psychologists onsite or on call. There has been a massive need for additional adult mental health support around Nowra. I'm so proud to be delivering that service to my community. The expanded Nowra Medicare mental health centre is in addition to the walk-in adult Medicare mental health service that opened in Moruya last year, which is providing a vital service for people in the south of the electorate. Our young people have not been forgotten, with the Albanese Labor government opening Kiama headspace, providing life-changing support to local families.

I'm really pleased that this government is helping so many women, way beyond the boundaries of Gilmore, thanks to the hugely successful South-Eastern Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic in Milton. With one in nine women living with endometriosis, it's essential that they receive good support and a timely diagnosis; it's even better that they can access help close to home. I have spoken to many local women and mums who have welcomed Labor's $790 million women's health package, which will bring more choice, lower costs and better health care for women of all ages right around the country.

We promised we would get on with strengthening Medicare, with more bulk-billing, training more doctors and nurses, opening urgent care clinics and, of course, making medicines even cheaper—and that's what we are doing.

Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Lalor's motion to strengthen Medicare. I welcome the investment being made. I want to make sure that my community's voice is heard and not left behind.

Yes, Medicare is being strengthened. Yes, we've seen commitment to bulk-billing, urgent care clinics, hospital funding and improvements in women's health and diagnostics. I thank the government for listening to my community's advocacy and for committing $80 million to Fairfield Hospital during the recent May election. It's much-needed help, and help that I know the opposition also wanted to match. But, for my community, these efforts are only beginning. On the ground in south-west Sydney, Medicare is not working as it should, and my electorate of Fowler is one of the hardest hit. Families in Fowler are telling me they can't find a bulk-billing clinic and, when they can, appointments are booked out for weeks. Many are forced to pay an average of $42 out of pocket per visit—a cost they simply cannot afford.

We have some of the lowest GP-to-population ratios in the country. Practices are struggling to recruit doctors, and many GPs currently serving our community are nearing retirement with not enough younger doctors coming in to replace them. Medical professionals are choosing to work in other parts of Sydney where they can charge more and sustain their practices more easily. Meanwhile, our population continues to grow rapidly.

These aren't just statistics; these are everyday struggles for people in my community. For many families in Fowler, the choice is between seeing a doctor and putting food on the table. The median income in Fowler is 35 per cent lower than the national average, and nearly 80 per cent of residents speak a language other than English at home. That diversity is our strength, but it also creates barriers in health access. Language differences can lead to misdiagnosis and delays. Cultural misunderstandings can discourage people from seeking help, especially for mental health, and many of our residents have come from backgrounds of trauma, displacement and upheaval. They carry not just physical illness but deep emotional burdens that require culturally informed care. So, when we talk about strengthening Medicare, I say that that must mean meeting people where they are.

That's why I call on the government to go further. Firstly, match the New South Wales Labor government's $550 million commitment to Fairfield Hospital. Our local hospital is chronically underfunded and overstretched. A one-off injection of $80 million is helpful, but it doesn't reflect the level of need in one of the most disadvantaged regions in the country. Secondly, invest in recruiting and retaining GPs in south-western and Western Sydney. Here, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. The government already uses the Modified Monash Model, or MMM, to classify and support rural and remote communities. Through the Workforce Incentive Program, doctors and practices in MM 3 to MM 7 areas receive location based payments, rural loadings and support for hiring nurses, midwives and allied health staff. These programs have been successful in improving health access in regional areas. So I say let's replicate this model in urban areas like Fowler where healthcare access is just as urgent, because the needs in Fairfield and Liverpool are vastly different to those in Fairlight or Lindfield, and our policies must reflect that reality.

Finally, we need a multicultural healthcare centre in Fowler—a one-stop shop with bilingual staff and interpreters and culturally tailored mental health care—because in many CALD communities mental health is understood very differently from the mainstream, and we need outreach programs that genuinely connect with people's lived experience. This is not just about better health; it's about equity, dignity and inclusion.

If we're serious about strengthening Medicare, then we must look beyond national averages and focus on communities like mine, where the gap between need and access is growing wider every day. Let's not leave places like Fowler behind.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of this motion moved by my dear friend and colleague the Chief Government Whip, the member for Lalor. I'm supporting both her motion and Labor's determination to strengthen Medicare, because no matter your age, no matter your income, no matter who you are or where you come from, all Australians deserve quality, affordable health care. The Australian people value Medicare, and so does Labor. We always have and always will. That's why the Albanese Labor government has made record investments into strengthening Medicare since coming into office in 2022. The Liberals left Medicare in a mess. They had bulk-billing in a rapid decline, they slashed funding and they froze rebates. Novocastrians told me just how hard it was to find a GP, let alone one that bulk-billed their patients.

But, in the last term of parliament, the Albanese Labor government did what Labor governments do best. We made record investments into Medicare to help stop that bulk-billing freefall, we lifted the six-year freeze on Medicare rebates and we reinstated funding to Newcastle's GP Access After Hours service to take the pressure off emergency departments and help ensure access to bulk-billing GPs. We rolled out 87 urgent care clinics across the country, ensuring that, when Australians need their health care most, they can get it free of charge. But that's not all. From 1 July this year, we boosted hospital funding by $1.8 billion. We've made more contraceptives, endometriosis treatments and IVF therapies accessible and affordable for women across Australia, and we expanded access to Medicare funded MRI scans. But we're not finished. We have committed to the single-largest ever investment in Medicare to deliver more bulk-billing services. We're opening an additional 50 urgent care clinics on top of the existing 87, and we're cutting the maximum cost of PBS medicines to just $25. We're investing $662 million in a workforce package that will expand the largest GP training program in Australian history, funding 2,000 new GP trainees every year. And, on top of this, all Australians will soon be able to access free 24-hour telehealth services, with the launch of 1800MEDICARE. That might seem a lot, because it is, but we know that investing in Medicare makes a real difference to the lives of all Australians, so we make no apology for our ambitious plans for a stronger Medicare.

Novocastrians have certainly been making use of Labor's urgent care clinic, and my office has received a lot of positive feedback from people who have used the clinic up at Charlestown. Eighty-year-old Colleen got my community information magnet in the mail with details about the urgent care clinic and the GP Access After Hours service. She stuck it on the fridge and thought she'd never have to use it, but shortly afterwards she fell and injured her knee. Luckily, she was able to grab that magnet off the fridge, and she got the health care she needed. She told me that the service, the staff and the treatment were fantastic, and, most importantly, it was all bulk-billed.

After attending Labor's urgent Medicare clinic at Charlestown, another constituent, Kevin, contacted my office with a very simple message. He said, 'Medicare just saved my life.' Let that sink in. Kevin attended the clinic with some abdominal issues, and his GP identified the problem and immediately called an ambulance. Kevin underwent emergency surgery at the John Hunter Hospital shortly afterwards. As a result of that surgery, they discovered Kevin had bowel cancer, which has now been treated. Kevin said that without the urgent care clinic he wouldn't have known about his cancer. That's what affordable, accessible health care does: it saves lives.

But we're not finished. As I said, we've committed to these additional funds, and it is really exciting to see some big work and investment into women's health. We are making sure that health care is equitable for women. I was at the University of Newcastle orientation week recently. Young women were very excited to find out they can finally afford an IUD or access their preferred oral contraceptives, like Yaz, Yasmin or Slinda, thanks to Labor's investments. For the first time in 30 years, new oral contraceptives have been added to the PBS. Most of these young women weren't even born the last time a pill was added to that list. And women undergoing IVF are going to get the support they need.

I will conclude by saying Labor created Medicare. We will always fight to protect and strengthen it. In Australia, we know that the only card you need for quality health care is your Medicare card.

Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for the debate has expired. The debate is interrupted, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.