Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government strengthening Medicare? Why is it important to listen to a range of voices in shaping health policy after a decade of cuts and neglect?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for Menzies, who is already such a strong advocate of our push to increase rates of bulk-billing not just in his part of Melbourne but right across Australia.

Our first investments are already turning around bulk-billing for concession card holders and kids. That rate now sits above 92 per cent, with almost seven million additional free visits to the GP every year as a result of our investment to triple the bulk-billing incentive for those Australians back in 2023. But bulk-billing is still too low for Australians who don't have a concession card. That's why we're going to roll out bulk-billing incentives for those Australians for the first time from 1 November this year.

Bulk-billing, as we know, was in freefall when we came to government, and it's no mystery why. After the Abbott government failed to get their GP tax through the Senate, of course they decided instead to freeze the Medicare rebate—and the backlash rightly was immense, absolutely immense. The health minister at the time, Mr Dutton, was shelved as health minister after barely two years in the job and replaced by the Leader of the Opposition. Perhaps the Leader of the Opposition thought of trying to find a way out of the utter mess left by that disastrous Dutton horror budget or, to paraphrase that famous speech she gave to the LNP a couple of weeks ago, perhaps instead she thought of Peter often as she walked the corridors of the parliament as the new health minister.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Herbert is warned.

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She wondered what, would Peter say? What would Peter do? What examples can I draw from his time as the health minister? Well, it turns out that's exactly what she did, because, far from correcting course from that disastrous horror budget, the Leader of the Opposition as health minister instead doubled down on the Dutton agenda. She doubled down on the hospital cuts to our hardworking public hospital doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. She marked herself out as the only health minister in memory never to increase the Medicare rebate—not once. Even Peter Dutton managed to increase it once. She grabbed that Medicare rebate freeze and she made her own. In the 2016 budget, the Leader of the Opposition extended that Medicare rebate freeze right out to the rest of the decade.

By contrast, we're strengthening Medicare. We're rolling out more bulk-billing, more urgent care clinics, more doctors and nurses, and cheaper medicines—and, in the meantime, fixing up the mess left by the Leader of the Opposition.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having had questions from this side about cost of living, wages, economic growth, AUKUS, social cohesion, robodebt, social security and Medicare, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. And I'd suggest to those opposite that they go touch grass during the break and get in touch with what Australians are concerned about.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order! We're just going to make sure all the rules are—the member for Barker. Just to assist the House, we'll always follow the rules, and perhaps things will go a lot more smoothly.