Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Health and Ageing. How is the Albanese Labor government making it easier for Australians to see a GP for free? Why is this important 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

My friend and colleague the member for Spence is a terrific representative of Adelaide's northern suburbs. A lot of people do it tough in Adelaide's north, but it is an amazing community. It gave us Holden cars and Jimmy Barnes and so much else. Those opposite managed to shut down Holden, but not even that terrible government could shut down Barnesy, for which we're all very thankful.

He's also been a relentless advocate for a stronger Medicare in Adelaide's north. The urgent care clinic in Elizabeth has seen almost 30,000 people already—all bulk-billed—taking pressure off the terrific Lyell McEwin Hospital. `Last month we opened a new headspace service in Gawler, as well as a new Gidget perinatal mental health centre in Elizabeth. Both opened just last month. Soon that longstanding headspace in Edinburgh's north, which has been supporting young people in the member's community for almost two decades, is going to be upgraded to a headspace plus, with more staff and more free services for young people. For a community like Adelaide's north, bulk-billing is especially important—the idea that people there can go to the doctor whenever they feel they need to, rather than just when they feel they can afford to.

When we came to government four years ago, bulk-billing was in freefall because of a decade of cuts to Medicare, particularly the Medicare rebate freeze. After we tripled the bulk-billing incentive, since 2023 bulk-billing for pensioners and concession card holders started to turn around. But our decision to extend bulk-billing payments for the first time ever to every single Australian last year is the thing that's really making a big difference. Since 1 November—just five months ago—the number of general practices in Spence bulk-billing all of their patients all of the time has tripled. Today, two out of every three general practices are 100 per cent bulk-billing practices in the electorate of Spence.

Indeed, before 1 November, only around 2,000 general practices in Australia out of more than 7,000 were 100 per cent bulk-billing. We expected to get that number up from 2,000 to 3,600 by 2028, on our way to a 90 per cent bulk-billing figure in 2030 that the Prime Minister committed to. I'm pleased to report that we have already achieved our 2028 target in March 2026. Today there are 3,621 general practices bulk-billing all of their patients, and that number is increasing every single week.