Matt Gregg (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that on 1 November, bulk billing incentives were expanded to all Australians, and a new incentive payment began for practices that bulk bill every patient; and

(2) notes:

(a) that these policies will mean:

(i) nine out of ten general practitioner (GP) visits will be bulk billed by 2030; and

(ii) the current number of fully bulk billed practices will triple to around 4,800 nationally;

(b) other policies the Government has delivered to strengthen Medicare, such as:

(i) opening 90 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, with 47 more on the way;

(ii) tripling the bulk billing incentive;

(iii) opening 61 free Medicare Mental Health Centres;

(iv) lowering the maximum cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listed medicines to $25 from 1 January 2026 and freezing the concession price at $7.70 until 2030; and

(v) boosting funding for hospitals by $1.7 billion; and

(c) that while the Government is expanding access to bulk billing, by contrast, the Leader of the Opposition as the Minister for Health:

(i) never increased Medicare rebates, the only health minister in Australian history not to do so;

(ii) doubled down on the then Government's $50 billion cut to hospitals; and

(iii) continued the fight for the former Leader of the Opposition's GP tax.

Over the weekend, I met Dr Sara Razaghi, a GP at the Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre. This is one of the practices that has become 100 per cent bulk-billed thanks to the Albanese Labor government expanding bulk-billing incentives to all Australians, the single largest investment in Medicare since Labor created it over 40 years ago. Sara told me this change means that she can focus on her patients and their needs without worrying about how many people she can feasibly bulk-bill. She could see in her patients that a gap fee wasn't sustainable for them, so she did what she could to support her patients and bulk-billed as often as she could, often at her own financial detriment. Now that she's able to bulk-bill all her patients, she can finally focus on their wellbeing and know that the Albanese government has her back.

Forest Hill isn't the only clinic in Deakin to go to 100 per cent bulk-billing since we announced our changes. I've also visited Seymour Street Medical & Dental Centre, which is now also bulk-billing every patient. Between Seymour Street and Forest Hill alone, patients in my community will be saving almost $1.4 million. That's just across two clinics. Imagine the savings we're going to see as more clinics take up the incentives and provide more bulk-billing. That's going to make a massive difference in Deakin, and I'm so proud to be part of a government that is making it easier to leave your credit card at home when you seek medical care.

Unfortunately, the Australian people had to wait for a Labor government to fix Medicare. When the now opposition leader was health minister, do you know how many Medicare rebates increases we saw? Zero. I would go on further, but I note the opposition leader is having a tough enough week, so I'll leave that aspect there.

While the Liberals froze Medicare, the Albanese government has delivered the three largest increases in its history, and we're now making the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago. We're investing $8.5 billion to deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year nationwide, as well as hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors in the largest GP training program in Australia's history.

For the first time since Labor created Medicare, we've expanded bulk-billing incentives to all Australians, with an additional new incentive for practices that bulk-bill every single patient. That means nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030, boosting the number of fully bulk-billed practices to around 4,800 nationally, triple the current number. The Albanese government tripled the bulk-billing incentive in 2023 in what was the largest investment in bulk-billing at the time. Medicare bulk-billing incentives were available to providers if they bulk-billed children under 16 and other concession cardholders. We saw that result in about nine in 10 visits being bulk-billed for that cohort. Expanding these incentives to all Australians will be life-changing for a lot of people. We know that even those who don't happen to meet the eligibility requirements for a concession card are often doing it tough; it doesn't mean they're rich, and they will really benefit from finally having bulk-billing returned to its glory. Already, under our government we've seen almost two million additional bulk-billed visits in Victoria, and I can't wait to see even more people from my community leaving their credit card at home.

GPs want this change, and around a thousand practices have already signed up or expressed interest saying they want to go 100 per cent fully bulk-billed, and I expect that more will do so once they see all the financial advantages for themselves and their patients. Doctors like Sara at Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre want to focus on caring for patients, not stressing about money and not talking about money with their patients. They want to focus on the healthcare needs of those who have come to see them, and this provides them with that very important opportunity.

Because of our investment, doctors can focus 100 per cent on their patients, and more patients can be 100 per cent bulk-billed. With such a large investment in the program, Medicare has had the best comeback this weekend other than Oasis. We've seen, finally, a whole lot of green and yellow signs, which has warmed my heart as I go around seeing more and more people and clinics talking about bulk-billing returning to its former glory. We want to get to a point where those who need medical care don't hesitate to go to see a doctor; they get those interventions they need when they need them, rather than letting small things become big things. We've seen too much of that over the last few years.

Clinics have copped the Medicare freeze for a long time. They wore it for as long as they could. Then COVID came along, so more and more doctors were left with no choice but to charge gap fees. This is an essential corrective action to ensure Medicare meets its promise to the Australian people: that, finally, people can go with their little green card to see the GP and get the support they need without having to worry about any debt that might result from that. This is an essential public service. It's provided by private providers, but this is an essential public service paid for with a levy that all taxpayers are paying—

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member's time has expired. Do you have a seconder for your motion?

Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 1 May, the Prime Minister held up his green Medicare card and declared, 'Under Labor, all you will need is your Medicare card, not your credit card, to see a doctor.' Well, I can tell you this: that is not absolutely true in my electorate of Dawson. In Dawson, you can wave that Medicare card as much as you like, but unless you have your credit card, you can't see a doctor. In Mackay, a regional city of 130,000 people, there is not one single bulk-billing clinic. If you don't have a concession card, you cannot see a doctor without your credit card. In the Whitsundays, Bowen and the Burdekin it's the same story: not one clinic. The nearest bulk-billing clinic is in Townsville, an 800-kilometre round trip from Mackay. That's eight hours of driving and more than $100 in out-of-pocket expenses for fuel alone, just to see a bulk-billing GP. That's not Medicare, that's 'Medi-don't-care'.

All last week we heard that side boast, 'In my electorate we've got these bulk-billing clinics.' Frankly, I'm sick to death with how Labor only cares about their own backyard. The people on that side couldn't care less about the communities suffering under Labor's blatant neglect. We're not talking about tiny backwater towns here; Mackay has a population of more than 130,000 people, and there is not one single fully-bulk-billed GP. Medi-fail! And yet, while regional Australians are struggling to access a GP, the government recently announced $10.5 million for three bulk-billing clinics in Canberra. Canberra, the wealthiest city in the country, where the median household income is 30 per cent higher than the national average. Meanwhile, regional Australians—farmers, tradies, nurses and teachers—are forced to fork out cash that they simply don't have just to get basic health care. The hypocrisy couldn't be any clearer. Labor talks about strengthening Medicare but, in reality, it has weakened access for the very Australians who rely on it most.

Let's look at the facts. People in regional areas are 50 per cent more likely to delay or skip seeing a GP, due to cost, compared to those in the cities. This government loves to talk about record funding, but in communities like mine none of that is reaching the front line. Since Labor came to office, out-of-pocket healthcare costs have jumped by 25 per cent in the electorate of Dawson alone. Families and pensioners are paying more, they're waiting longer and they're getting less. That's not a healthcare system to be proud of; that's a crisis. And what's the government's answer? 'Don't worry, nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030.' 2030! Tell that to a pensioner in Proserpine who can't get a doctor's appointment now. Tell that to a young family in Bowen choosing between groceries or a GP visit. They don't need a promise of 2030; they need a doctor today. Real Medicare is about care on the ground, not slogans in Canberra. You can't deliver bulk-billing by throwing money at city clinics, when regional towns go without doctors, nurses and clinics entirely. Labor needs a plan—one that recognises that regional Australians deserve the same access to health care as those in capital cities.

The Prime Minister says Medicare represents who we are, but I say this right now: Medicare represents a growing divide between city and country. The people of Dawson don't need slogans; they need services. Until this government stops pretending that Melbourne and Mackay are the same and that metro and regional health systems are equal, we will keep seeing the same result. Regional Australians are paying more, travelling further and getting less. It's time this government delivers Medicare that actually works for all Australians. In the mean time, regional Australians will have to keep carrying their credit cards because their little, green Medicare card is little more than a discount voucher.

Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It does not surprise me one iota that the member for Dawson does not support Medicare. It does not surprise me one iota that the member for Dawson does not support the bulk-billing investment that this government is doing, because this is a member opposite who is part of a coalition and a party who, when in government, tried to introduce a co-payment. What is a co-payment? A co-payment is the death of Medicare. Not only that, the member for Dawson is part of a coalition who, when in government, cut billions of dollars from health funding that people rely on each and every day to make sure that they can get better.

In contrast, this is a Labor government that is investing in health and investing in the people who need it most when they get sick, the people who need it most when someone falls down and breaks their arm and the people who need it most when a devastating diagnosis comes back. That's why we've invested in urgent care clinics. That's why we've invested in women's health. That's why we've invested in cheaper medicines. That's why we've invested in bulk-billing. And what we know already is that hundreds of GP practices have signed up. It's for our communities, for Australians and for people from my community and that of the member for Lyons. It doesn't matter where you are in this country. What they need is bulk-billing, and that is what Labor is delivering.

Medicare had its 40th birthday last year, and it was well worth celebrating 40 years of low- or no-cost health services for Australians, no matter where they lived or how much they earned. Labor is the party of Medicare. We invented it. We don't leave it to rest idle. We invest in it, support it and make it better. It's part of who we are as a party and part of who we are as a government. And now, at 41, Medicare is going from strength to strength. This is thanks to a Labor government that's committed to the belief that, when you need medical assistance, you deserve to receive high-quality health care quickly, without breaking the bank. In 2023, Labor tripled the bulk-billing incentive for people who need to see their GP most often—for pensioners, for concession cardholders and for families with children. This drove the turnaround of bulk billing, enabling an additional 6.5 million bulk-billed GP visits, with an additional 1.2 million in Queensland alone.

Last Saturday was 1 November, and it was another important day in the history of Medicare and in the history of our health system. For the first time, bulk-billing incentives will be paid to GPs for every patient they bulk bill, not just the group I mentioned. What does this mean? This incentive represents the single largest investment in Medicare ever. It equates to 18 million additional bulk-billed visits per year. That is something that makes a difference. It makes a difference whether you are an old Australian, whether you have a brand-new baby that you want to go to an urgent care clinic, whether you are someone who is sick, or whether you are someone who has an injury. It means that, by 2030, nine out of 10 visits will be bulk-billed in this country, and that is something to celebrate. It's something to celebrate because this is a government that doesn't just talk about our investment in health care, doesn't just say that will do something; it delivers. When we deliver, we make it real and we make it happen, and that's what we've seen with bulk-billed services today, that's what we've seen with urgent care clinics, that's what we are seeing with our Medicare mental health clinics, that's what we are seeing with new endo and pelvic pain clinics, that's what we are seeing with cheaper medicines, and that's what we are seeing across the whole of our health sector, because Australians deserve accessible and affordable care every day, and Labor delivers that.

Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Investment in Medicare is always welcome. I'm hopeful that the additional bulk-billing incentive payments will directly benefit Lyne constituents, who have seen a serious decline in bulk billing availability in the last four years. I look forward to hearing from Lyne locals that it has hit the ground. But praise has not been universal. General practice clinics and owners are already disclosing publicly that they will not be signing up to the incentives. Why?

Firstly, signing up to the program is prohibitively time consuming and complex, and most GPs and practice managers—certainly in regional Australia—are already incredibly busy and do not have the time to do the paperwork. Secondly, the incentives are not sufficient to offset the soaring operational costs of running a clinic under Labor's skyrocketing energy prices. To enable 100 per cent bulk billing, many GPs insist that, if they were to take part in the program, their practice would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, which would ultimately jeopardise the viability of keeping the practice open.

I want constituents to have access to no-appointment-necessary bulk-billed after-hours care. An urgent care clinic in Taree would complement a state funded one, the Forster-Tuncurry health facility that my state colleague, the member for Myall Lakes, has successfully obtained funding for, after the Minns government axed funding for a public hospital.

The mover of this motion, the member for Deakin, references a number of other policies that the government has undertaken to strengthen Medicare, including opening 90 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across the country, with 47 more on the way. One would think this would be good news for my electorate. Lyne is, after all, the oldest electorate and one of the poorest in the country, so surely it should be on the list to receive a federally funded urgent care clinic. Well, it's not. Surely, it is one of the 47 that is on the list to be delivered down the track. Well, it's not. Out of the 137 urgent care clinics the government will operate, not one falls within the borders of my electorate. My electorate and my constituents sit squarely in the middle of a yawning service gap that exists between Coffs Harbour and Newcastle, and despite my many calls to the minister to work with me to fix this gap and deliver an urgent care clinic in the Lyne electorate, I've been generally knocked back. My request should not be of any surprise to the government. During the election I called for an urgent care clinic in Taree. Labor ran a candidate against me, so why didn't Labor match my commitment and budget for it during the election, as they did in the many others they are delivering? I note that an urgent care clinic that was committed to in Maitland will benefit many of my constituents and I'm grateful to the government for this commitment, but Maitland is almost two hours away, too far for the people of Taree and Forster and the Mid North Coast to access.

The member for Deakin, when moving this motion, also spruiked the government's lowering of the maximum cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listed medicines. And while we all hope this initiative will land in the pockets of hardworking Australians, increasingly we are seeing these savings washed away by other surging price rises created by this government's policies.

Just last Friday I received a call from a constituent who had undergone a pathology test and only after the fact was told an invoice would be sent to him. This is another policy that was brought in by the Albanese government, but curiously they are not spruiking this one, which runs completely counter to their misleading narrative that they are delivering cheaper and more accessible health care. This formerly free health service is no longer, thanks to the government placing tighter restrictions on who can get Medicare funded vitamin B12 and urine specimen testing. This gentleman who contacted my office could not believe that the Prime Minister, who theatrically waved his Medicare card and promised on no fewer than 71 occasions—throughout the election campaign and since—that all you need is your Medicare card, not your credit card, was doing the exact opposite when it came to the pathology. This decision, as my constituent warned, will deter many Australians from doing clinical tests, potentially creating more complex and expensive health problems down the track. He said, 'If I'd been made aware of the cost prior to the test then I don't think I would have had it.'

Health is one of the major concerns on the mind of Lyne residents—again, the oldest electorate and one of the poorest in the country. We feel we're missing out on our fair of investment in local health services under this government. I'm here to work constructively with whomever is in government to support the health needs of Lyne communities.

Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Guess what's back again? Bulk-billing is back. Please tell your friends! In Bonner we now have 11 fully bulk-billed GP clinics and counting: Archer Medical Centre; Doctors on Manly Road; Garden City Family Doctors; Good Health medical centres in Garden City, Mt Gravatt and Carindale; Mansfield Family Practice; Mt Gravatt Family Practice; Realcare Medical Centre; Tingalpa Family Health Care Centre; and Yulu-Burri-Ba. This is all thanks to the Albanese Labor government's record investment in Medicare. It's been 40 years since its inception, and we are tripling the bulk-billing incentive. This will mean Australians can see a GP for free and access care when they need it most.

This is just the beginning. Over the next four years, we will see around 4,800 GP clinics converted to fully-fledged bulk-billing practices. Nationally, over 1,000 have already signed up. In Queensland we have 1,430 GP practices, and over the weekend we saw a doubling of fully bulk-billed practices. That's 408 across the Sunshine State. This means more bulk-billing doctors for more communities, easing pressure on families. When they need to see a doctor, all they're going to need is their Medicare card, not their credit card. As a member of this Labor government, I am committed to delivering real cost-of-living relief for my constituents in Bonner and to building a fairer and healthier Australia. From the mum from Mansfield to the student from Belmont and the pensioner from Wynnum Manly, more constituents in my electorate of Bonner will be able to see a GP for free.

But more good news is on the way. We have opened 90 Medicare urgent care clinics across the country, and 47 more are on the way, including in my electorate. The Carindale Medicare urgent care clinic will be opened in the coming months. The expressions of interest have now closed, and I cannot wait to cut the ribbon on that clinic and open it up to members of my community. This will be the first Medicare urgent care clinic in Bonner. Hundreds of locals signed my petition calling for an urgent care clinic in our electorate, and I am so proud to see that Labor has heard them and will see this delivered in the coming months. Labor is delivering tangible, substantial cost-of-living relief, and that will benefit millions of Australians, not just those in my community in Bonner.

We are also investing in women's health at a record rate. On the weekend we listed even more new contraceptive options on the PBS, and it's great to see menopausal hormone therapies being added to the PBS as well. We are also delivering expanded endometriosis clinics to help deliver earlier diagnosis and treatment—something that will change the lives of women who for years have often had their pain dismissed. The Albanese Labor government is providing Australian women with more choices at lower costs. We know that women have faced a significant range of barriers to accessing health care, often at significant cost, just by virtue of being a woman.

Australia has had one of the lowest rates of long-acting reversible contraceptive use in the developed world. Medicare rebates for insertion of IUDs and birth-control implants will increase by up to 150 per cent, with around 300,000 women each year expected to save up to $400 in out-of-pocket costs under the changes that are being made. The Albanese Labor government is also funding free training for health practitioners in the insertion and removal of IUDs to boost the number of qualified practitioners and improve access to services. In addition a 40 per cent bulk-billing incentive will be introduced incentivising health professionals to provide long-acting contraceptive services and support women to have greater contraceptive choice. These are all part of Labor's landmark women's health package, investing almost $800 million to deliver improved health care for women and girls.

This is what a Labor government does. We strengthen Medicare, we deliver cost-of-living relief and we keep working to build a fairer and healthier future for all Australians.

Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is a crisis unfolding in regional Australia: the collapsing access to general practice services. It is not easy to see a GP in the country, and I think we can all agree that your postcode should not determine whether you get health care. Labor is busy spruiking its urgent Medicare clinics, presenting them as a solution to health care, but I have news for this parliament: most people in my electorate will never get access to one. In fact, on health outcomes, people in my electorate of Grey already have some of the worst outcomes in the country. We have the highest rates of diabetes in the country, more than double the national average, we have some of the worst access to health care and we have some of the lowest life expectancy rates, while access to seeing a doctor in my community is getting worse, not better.

Policymakers need to stop playing politics with health care. They know exactly how medical clinics operate and they know the real-world consequences of their policies. For those unaware, GP clinics make money on brief consultations and subsidise the longer, more complex consultations, which often the clinics service at a loss. Labor's new policy is simply putting pressure on the clinics to find ways to fund these essential longer appointments. This was confirmed by the health department in Senate estimates, who also confirmed that it will cost more to see a GP this year and next year. Everyone I speak with, from councils to community members, recognises that there is a massive issue with access to GPs in rural and remote communities, yet, despite this widespread recognition, no-one is doing anything meaningful to make a difference, especially not this Labor government.

Only last month another medical clinic in my electorate closed its doors for good. That closure means the residents of Peterborough now must drive over an hour to see a GP and wait over six weeks to get an appointment. This is unacceptable. Even communities that have traditionally been strong for championing rural practice, like Tumby Bay, Clare and Port Lincoln, are struggling badly. The wait time to see a GP in Tumby Bay right now is a shocking nine weeks.

Then there are locums, the temporary doctors filling in the gaps. While they keep some hospitals running, the widespread use of locums in my electorate only hurts our communities even more. Take Peterborough again. When the local clinic closed, it stopped supplying doctors to the local hospital. So the local health network, the LHN, stepped in and turned to the locum market at a cost of over $4,000 per day per doctor. This situation is costing my own LHN $18 million per year, meaning less money for infrastructure and leaving old, aging and, frankly, unfit hospitals in places like Wallaroo and Port Pirie without the upgrades they so desperately need.

The core issue is that this government is fundamentally undermining the business model. As we have discussed, general practices used to make more money on brief consultations, which would then help subsidise the longer, more complex ones. However, many simple consultations are being diverted. They are going to urgent Medicare clinics, where the government invests $246.50 per patient, or to nurse led clinics, which cost $200 per patient. The simplest cases are even ending up in the emergency department, which costs the taxpayer $692 per patient without an admission. This leaves GPs to deal with longer, more complex consultations. For these, the Medicare rebate is significantly lower per minute, with the government only investing about $40 per patient.

This government proudly talks about its new bulk-billing incentives, but they are merely a small patch on a gaping hole. This government is approaching four years in office and it has delivered nothing but worse outcomes for my community. By contrast, the coalition had a strong record on Medicare. We increased funding every year, from $18.6 billion under the former Labor government to more than $30 billion by FY 2022. We left office with bulk-billing at a record high at 88 per cent. In our last year, 167 million free GP visits were delivered, 61 million more than under the previous Labor government.

Let's not forget about mental health. Labor has cut Medicare subsidised sessions in half, stripping vital support from 370,000 vulnerable Australians and ignoring the advice of experts and even their own review. I like to say that there's better access to mental health care in Mongolia than there is in regional South Australia. To use the PM's own language, it is all BS. Before you can see a GP for free, you need a GP. The truth is that we simply don't have that in our communities.

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

The first day of November 2025 was a great day. It was, of course, when the Albanese Labor government's expanded bulk-billing incentives kicked in, expanding bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and also with an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk-bill every patient. It follows on from our very successful tripling of the bulk-billing incentive two years ago in 2023 for pensioners, concession cardholders and students. That proved very, very popular. We saw bulk-billing rates increase in particular for this cohort of people. I can honestly say that this makes a huge difference in people's lives.

People are doing it tough, and we have always said that we will provide cost-of-living relief where we can. The changes on 1 November did just that. They are being welcomed by a whole host of GP practices in my electorate of Gilmore that are keen to also provide some relief for patients. I visited Grand Pacific Health in Nowra, one of the first medical practices in Gilmore to sign on to become a fully bulk-billed practice. This is what practice manager Charisse Morris had to say:

This will make a huge difference. If people don't have to pay that gap for general consults, that's food in their mouth. When you have to prioritise food or health, that's a problem.

I couldn't agree more. This is much-needed, real relief for people.

Just before 1 November, posts started popping up on Facebook by GP practices in Gilmore and our Facebook community groups, like this one from the Sussex Doctors at Sussex Inlet on the New South Wales South Coast. They said:

Healthcare made more affordable at Sussex Doctors!

We're proud to be a Fully Bulk Billing Clinic, ensuring everyone in our community can access quality medical care.

…   …   …

…   …   …

From general consultations to care plans, we're here to support your health at every stage without financial stress.

At Sussex Doctors, your health is our priority and now, it's more accessible than ever.

They said:

More access. Less cost. Better care.

It's hard to argue with that, so I shared that post and people started commenting about other local GP practices also moving to bulk-billing every patient for GP visits. That included Bomaderry Creek Health Centre, which has a new pop-up on their Facebook page that says:

Bulk billing for all patients starting 1st November 2025

From 1 November 2025, there are no out-of-pocket costs for your GP visits at Bomaderry Creek Health Centre. How good is that?

Recently, I also I met with GPs at the Queen Street Medical Centre at Moruya. They are also taking up the expanded bulk-billing incentive. They told me what a significant difference this will mean for patients and their practice. The 12.5 per cent additional incentive payment for bulk-billing every patient was also so welcomed. And the earnings boost is larger in regional areas like Gilmore, with a GP at a rural practice that bulk-bills every visit to earn almost $24,000 more than a mixed-billing GP for providing the same number of services. We need more GPs in regional areas, and these expanded bulk-billing incentives help even more people in regional areas like mine.

As at 27 October 2025, 21 GP practices in Gilmore indicated their intent to become a Medicare bulk-billing practice, with 11 of those being currently mixed-billing practices. From these expanded bulk-billing incentives, we've seen mixed-billing practices become full bulk-billing and more practices in total becoming full bulk-billing. Here's what John said:

I already get bulk-billed. But I'm glad it's extending. When people can see a GP without having to sacrifice their children's nutrition or rent, it makes us all smarter.

The Albanese Labor government has delivered the three largest increases in history, and now we're making the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago.

I'm also looking forward to the new Nowra Medicare urgent care clinic, which I know many people in my community are very much looking forward to as well, and I know that that's moving forward well. There is also the expanded hours for the Batemans Bay Medicare urgent care clinic, with the hours from 6 am to midnight, 18 hours a day—the longest of any urgent care clinic in the country.

Labor created Medicare, and a Labor government will always strengthen Medicare.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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