Claire Clutterham (Sturt, 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 delivering more urgent care clinics across the country? Why is it important for Australians to be able to access urgent care when they need it 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

Thank you to the member for Sturt. She's still in her first year, but she's already making a terrific contribution in this place and greatly representing her community in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. Particularly on health, she brings really valuable insights from her time as a board director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and she's already delivered on the commitment she made to open a Medicare urgent care clinic in Norwood.

It opened on 17 December. It's in the heart of her community on the parade there in Norwood, and it's already seen hundreds and hundreds of patients, like Hermione Farmer's daughter. Ms Farmer wrote online about her experience. She said:

My daughter used the walk in Medicare clinic at Norwood on NYE—

and it's pretty hard to find a GP clinic open—

It was great She got the high quality of care she needed in a timely fashion without sitting around in emergency for hours.

That was the promise that the member for Sturt made, and it's just one of 122 Medicare urgent care clinics that are open right now. Another 15 clinics are opening in coming weeks.

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

Why are you ignoring the Mid North Coast?

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

They're all open seven days a week, 365 days a year, with extended hours. Already they've seen 2½ million patients. A third of those patients were children under the age of 15, and a third of them were seen on weekends, where they would find it very difficult to get into their usual general practice. Importantly, every single one of those patients has been fully bulk billed. All they needed was their Medicare card. Once this is fully up and running, the network will see two million patients—

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

Order! The minister will pause. I'm up to 11 interjections by the member for Lyne, so she won't make 12; she'll leave the chamber—now.

The member for Lyne then left the chamber.

The minister will continue.

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

Once fully up and running, this network will see two million patients every single year, not just delivering high-quality urgent care free of charge—all you need is your Medicare card—but, importantly, taking pressure off our busy emergency departments, something the Prime Minister talked to the premiers and chief ministers about on Friday. All of this is why Australians know what they get from the Labor Party when it comes to Medicare. But, after a decade of cuts and neglect, the alternative is still not very clear at all. Of course, the Leader of the Opposition has got a pretty infamous record on Medicare from her time as health minister. I'm not sure the member for Canning has ever mentioned the word 'Medicare' in this place, and, as for the great pretender to the throne, the member for Hume, who inexplicably remains on the front bench, a man with no apparent honour at all, plotting against his leader from the front bench, well, he described our Medicare investments as wasteful spending!

Government members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my right. The manager on a point of order?

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, the minister is not being relevant to the question he was asked, and he's not referring to members by their correct titles.

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

On the point of order, the Leader of the House?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the point of order, I'd say two things: one, the minister was clearly, from the way that question was framed, able to give the comments that he gave and, two, I note the member for Hume never claimed to be misrepresented.

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

The manager?

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, if that's okay, I can refer to the manager of opposition and also a pretender to the throne. That would be in order. That would be his title, if that's what he's saying is in order.

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

Look, the manager—

An opposition member interjecting—

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

Whose side are you on? I wouldn't want you.

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

Order! I'll deal with this. The Manager of Opposition Business is correct. I'm agreeing with him. He's entitled to raise a point of order. He has a job to do, and everyone has a role to play in this parliament. He's entitled to raise a point of order; he did that. All members have got to be referred to by their correct titles, and I ask everyone to temper their language. I want everyone to show each other respect. Let's ask the questions, get the answers and keep moving.

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

My point is on this side you'll get work for a stronger Medicare; on that side you get Hobson's choice.