Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our record investment in Medicare is seeing real cost-of-living relief around the country, like in my community in Melbourne's western suburbs. Just take a walk around Caroline Springs, Deer Park or Deanside and you'll see that it's full of young families moving into the area and building their futures. Families who have mortgages, bills and weekly supermarket shops shouldn't be hit with another bill every time they visit a GP, and no-one should be putting off seeing a doctor because of the cost. I know this. Labor knows this. It's why we've increased bulk-billing incentives so that more people can see a doctor for free, and the results are in.

There are now 23 Medicare bulk-billing clinics in my electorate of Gorton. You can now get an appointment for free at 70 per cent of the GP clinics in our local area. The national bulk-billing rate is now sitting at over 80 per cent, and 96 per cent of Aussies live within a 20-minute drive of a fully bulk-billed practice. That is incredible.

We have two urgent care clinics just down the road in Melton and Sunshine. That's free, walk-in care fully covered by Medicare, taking pressure off our emergency departments. This is making a real difference for families, and it's the direct result of this Labor government's historic investments in Medicare. When you visit the GP, you shouldn't need to carry your credit card, just your Medicare card.