Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. How are the Albanese Labor government's record investments in bulk-billing helping to strengthen Medicare 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

The member for Calwell is such a terrific advocate for Medicare in his community and in this place because he knows that Medicare is Australia's most important program. He also knows that the beating heart of Medicare is bulk-billing—the promise that every Australian should feel that they can go to the GP whenever they need to, rather than when they feel they can afford to; the promise that all they should need to take to the GP is that little green and gold Medicare card.

But we know that, when we came to government three and a bit years ago, bulk-billing was in freefall. That was the description given to it by the College of GPs. And we also know that the reason why it was in freefall was no mystery at all. It was because the Liberal Party government had frozen the Medicare rebate and frozen the income of doctors year after year after year—most of those years—as a result of a budget decision overseen by the Leader of the Opposition, of course, when she was the health minister. Because of that freezing of their income, GP leaders had started to advise their members to walk away from bulk-billing.

When we came to government, we were utterly determined to turn that around. In our first full budget, delivered by the Treasurer in 2023, we tripled the incentive that GPs get paid for bulk-billing pensioners, concession card holders and kids. It was a request from the College of GPs, and, when we delivered on it, they called it a game changer. Bulk-billing rates for those Australians are now comfortably back up over 90 per cent.

We also delivered the three biggest general increases to the Medicare rebate in 30 years. The biggest, the second biggest and the third biggest since Paul Keating was Prime Minister. Also, only three months ago, for the first time ever, we delivered bulk-billing support to every single Australian, not just those with a concession card. I'm happy to report that, already, that is making a huge difference out in our community.

The member for Calwell and I visited the Craigieburn Medical & Dental Centre late last year. Before 1 November, that centre charged gap fees, but, after our incentives were announced, GPs sat down and crunched the numbers and realised that taking up that offer was better for the practice. It was better for GPs individually and obviously it was better for patients. Today, that practice bulk-bills all of their patients all of the time. Indeed, before 1 November, only about half of the GP practices in Calwell bulk-billed all of their patients. Today, that figure is 90 per cent, which is great for GPs, great for household budgets and great for the health of that community. That is why we work so hard to strengthen Medicare.