Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 is important. Certainly, when it comes to health, I acknowledge that today, 1 July, we see, as we heard in question time today, five new drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. As I said earlier, in the discussion on the matter of public importance, this is important because it actually saves lives. Any time that any federal government—it doesn't matter what political persuasion they are—puts new drugs onto the PBS, that is going to make such a difference. It is going to make such a difference for those people who are on that medication. It's going to save them money. But ultimately, in the long run, it saves people's lives.

I know the number of medications that former minister for health Greg Hunt, the former member for Flinders, put on the PBS, and I acknowledge that the Minister for Health and Ageing has continued that tradition. Aren't we a lucky country? People can afford their prescriptions, and I appreciate the work that has been done in that space, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis. I was at my friendly pharmacist only the other day, and the chemist was telling me about a particular drug that is used in IVF. A local woman availed herself of this particular medication, and it was costing a very small amount. But a relative of hers who lives in the United States was paying somewhere in the order of more than $30,000 for the same drug.

We often talk about the lucky country. But certainly, when it comes to health, we very much are because, whilst we can always have improvements in the health system, when it comes to making sure that people are looked after there is not only the safety net of Medicare and the safety net of bulk-billing, but we've got a medical system second to none in the world. I will always say that. It doesn't matter who's in power; it's there, and it's to be commended.

The coalition supports Commonwealth health incentive payment programs. In fact, just like putting drugs on the PBS, we established several of these whilst in government. The coalition is not opposing the bill in the House, but we do believe earnestly that the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee needs to examine this and needs to give it further scrutiny because, often with Labor, the devil is in the detail. I know the member for Lindsay has moved an amendment, and I commend that to the House. That particular amendment highlights the government's failings and actions in some areas of primary care. Certainly, we will continue to look at Labor's comments and statements around Medicare, and we'll continue to hold the government to account, as a good opposition should. We have to.

I noted in question time today that the Prime Minister, in describing how good the government is and what changes are going across the board from 1 July, mentioned that bulk-billing rates are on the rise. Let me tell you, if you are in regional Australia, then bulk-billing rates are not on the rise. In fact, the last time I looked, bulk-billing rates were at 77 per cent, whereas they were at 88 per cent when the coalition was in government. That is a fall of 11 per cent. Labor cannot crow about having increased bulk-billing rates when, in fact, the recent statistics show quite the opposite.

We talk often in this place about the urgent care clinics. Well, they might be fine if you're in an electorate that is served by one. But let me tell you that there are many, many regional seats that do not have an urgent care clinic. I hear the member for Lyne talking about Taree often; she would love for her constituents to have one of those clinics, to have the after-hours care and to have that provision of particular health services. But, right across regional Australia, there are so many areas where you just don't have bulk-billing doctors.

I've given the health minister a bouquet; I'm now going to give him a brickbat. The health minister, in response to a question about bulk-billing services—I'm paraphrasing, but they were words to the effect of: 'If you can't get a bulk-billing doctor in the first instance, just ring another practice. Just ring another doctor and use that one.' Well, that might be all well and good in the leafy suburbs of Adelaide, where the health minister resides, but it's not out in regional Australia, because the nearest bulk-billing doctor would probably be about 300 kilometres away. We just don't have the provision of bulk-billing services that you see in metropolitan Australia.

The other great concern I have—and I know the member for Wannon will share this view with me—is the distribution priority areas. That provision of services was one of the first things that Labor changed. One of the first things they did when they came to office in May 2022 was take away the DPAs, the distribution priority areas. Well, they didn't take them away; they actually extended them to Newcastle and Wollongong and areas of the Gold Coast. Good luck to those doctors who wanted to practice in those sorts of areas. But, for really remote regional communities, what happened? Don't just take my word for it; it was the Rural Doctors Association and other stakeholder groups in the medical field who complained bitterly about this because what the doctors in some of those areas did was take the shingle off the clinic and move to the seaside. They moved away from inland Australia, remote Australia. In some cases, some of those areas now do not enjoy the health services that they once did. It's such a shame, and it's so wrong. It is just so wrong, because we do need to have more medical services.

I'm very, very proud of the fact that, whilst I was the Deputy Prime Minister under Malcolm Turnbull, we, as the coalition, managed to fund the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network. What that does is provide training for young potential doctors from start to finish in Mildura, Bendigo, Shepparton, Orange, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga. A six-year course is begun and completed within one of those regional settings.

We know from statistics provided that, in three-quarters of cases—and it's not just in the medical field; it's in so many areas of endeavours—when young people go to university in a regional setting, chances are they'll stay in that regional setting once they graduate and get their diploma. They fall in love with the area. They realise they can make money in the area. They realise there's a need in the area. Some of them even fall in love with someone in the area. It's a romantic way of getting people to stay, but, I tell you what, it's also a romantic way of getting more doctors in the bush—and our regional areas do need more doctors. When it comes to the distribution priority areas, it's going to take a while to make up that shortfall. But make up that shortfall we will.

The member for Macarthur, Dr Freelander, helped me open the Wagga Wagga facility. Even though Labor had nothing to do with the funding or the construction of it, I was pleased that the member for Macarthur was there. He, like me, shares concerns over health. I'm not verballing or disparaging him; he is a good man. He understands the complexities and shortfalls in many regional areas. I appreciate and acknowledge that there are regional members in the Labor caucus as well. But what we really need to do is make sure that we, at every step of the way, provide the funding where it is most needed.

I have to say that I think we're eventually going to have to look at the Medicare provider numbers for some of those graduates—and for some of those people coming to Australia from overseas to practice, and even for some of the doctors who are graduating from the sandstone universities. It's not right or fair and it's un-Australian that too many regional people are waiting weeks and weeks in pain for the absence of a doctor when some areas—the leafy eastern suburbs of Sydney and elsewhere—have a doctor just about every square kilometre. It is simply not right. We need to do better and we need to provide more services for country areas.

One of the provisions in the budget which I was most exercised about, as were many of my constituents, was the change for older Australians in their private health rebate. All that is going to do is push older Australians who are in more need of health care and should be actually using private health into the public state health system. It's cost shifting. That's what it's doing. This Labor government is guilty of cost shifting not only in the space I just mentioned but certainly in the National Disability Insurance Scheme space. I hosted a forum in between the sitting weeks for service providers and families using the NDIS. Listening to the stories from families whose little ones, whose vulnerable ones, have been able to get care and provision because they live in a major regional hub such as Wagga Wagga but now, because of changes to the NDIS and this crackdown on the dodgy, shonky and charlatan providers—and I'm not against it—are going to miss out was heart-wrenching. This is what happens. It's not the ones who should be getting taken off the system and having their funds cut away from them. It's the ones who most need it, who most need the speech therapy, the physical care, the psychological care or the autism care, and they are not going to get it.

Earlier this year—it was, I have to say, a blight on this Labor government—the government packaged the travel component into the service fee. What that meant for towns such as Tumut, Gundagai, Cootamundra and Temora, in my electorate, which are about an hour away from the regional hub that is Wagga Wagga, where a lot of the service providers are—those good, professional, caring, loving service providers who've done the job for many, many years—was that all of a sudden they found that the travel component was packaged in with the total overall cost. They can't run a business on the smell of an oily rag. Whilst they are still continuing to do it for many, if not all, of their clients, they can't keep doing it. We've lost 40,000 small businesses already because of some of the policies of this Labor government and the overall decline of the economy. But these NDIS providers that were providing travel to those towns about an hour's drive of Wagga Wagga now simply can't keep up with the cost of fuel, the cost of staffing and the cost of service provision when their fees are being reduced in this way.

Meanwhile, we've got the shonky providers still operating. There has to be a crackdown. There has to be a proper audit in this space, and there has to be something done. I acknowledge that. But the vulnerable young people who need the care the most are now missing out, and the families are very upset. They're very worried. It's going to end up, as it already currently is, in a bureaucratic nightmare.

Rowan Holzberger (Forde, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

It's probably just a case of statistical probability that I follow the member for Riverina quite often. Potentially it's because the member for Riverina does a lot of speaking, which is something I try to emulate. There are many things that the member for Riverina does that I try and emulate. One is how he manages to create this bipartisan vibe while kicking the absolute guts out of us! I don't know how he does it, but it is something that I definitely want to try and learn.

There are a couple of points to make. When I look at the claim about bulk-billing being higher under the former government, I think that does underline the fact that there was a period, as bulk-billing was beginning to collapse under the former government, that happened to coincide with something called COVID, where the entire nation went and got vaccinated multiple times, and that artificially lifted the bulk-billing rate for that period. So I don't think it's really comparing apples with apples.

Again, I always try and remind people that, while I represent an outer suburban electorate today, I come from a regional town myself. I come from the bush, from Broken Hill. I worked on sheep and cattle stations around Broken Hill—literally out the back of Bourke. My dad met my mum in Mount Isa, and I was born in Brisbane and grew up in Broken Hill, so I'm not sure where that quite places me. I've always actually believed regional Australia should have its own state. The cities could have one state, and regional Australia could have another state—anyway.

I know the challenges that exist for people living in regional areas when it comes to finding medical care. I've got to say that it's not just in the backblocks. Even in the electorate of Forde, I talk to doctors all the time who struggle to find GPs. It is a challenge that I think the outer suburbs share with the regions. But I think the government is beginning to address that. If you look at one number, something like 17,000 doctors have joined the Australian health system over the last two years, the biggest number in a decade at least. I think that will go some way to addressing some of those shortages; 17,000 doctors is a shot in the arm to the health system.

Finally, the member for Riverina talked about the NDIS, kicking the proverbial out of us. I think it would be fair then to say that the problems we were left with through the NDIS and the aged-care system could easily have been dealt with, in the NDIS at least, in 2018 as the still relatively new scheme started to scale up. All the problems that existed then, when it was at a manageable size, could have been addressed much more easily but have to be addressed now, and now the problems are much larger and undoubtedly causing anxiety in the community. I think for the member for Riverina to put those problems at the feet of the government is really rewriting history. Again, it's a skill of his that I would like to learn.

At the heart of this legislation sits a bill and a philosophy that is at the heart of the labour movement—not just the Labor Party but the labour movement as a whole—and that is the realisation that, as much as workers struggle on the shop floor to improve wages and to improve conditions, there are just some things that you cannot achieve on the shop floor. There are some things for which you need the control of this parliament to be able to do. One of those things is to bring in a universal healthcare system. You need control of the government to do that. It is not something you can just achieve through the award or through an EBA. So it is that Medicare sits at the heart of the labour movement.

During my preparation for my contribution tonight I came across an article written in 2019, at the death of Bob Hawke, by ABC journalist Norman Hermant, and I'd like to read out a bit from it. The article was titled, 'Before Bob Hawke's Medicare, a visit to hospital forced many Australians into bankruptcy'. In the article, Norman Hermant wrote:

It was a huge change for Australians—not only from a medical care point of view, but for financial security.

With the death of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, many are pointing to the introduction of Medicare as one of his signature policy achievements.

Before Medicare, most Australian families had to pay for private insurance to cover their expenses in hospital.

Author and associate professor Jim Gillespie from the University of Sydney said once you were in hospital, the clock was ticking.

"If you earned more than a certain amount of money, you'd have to pay. So, you'd have to have insurance for hospital or you'd have to pay out of your own pocket," he said.

Mr Gillespie said insurance could also run out during a hospital stay.

"Like private health insurance today, if you were on a lower level of it, which most people would've been on, you'd be covered for a certain number of days of hospitalisation. And people tended to stay in hospital much longer then," he said.

This meant when someone needed hospital treatment, often many families quickly faced enormous financial pressure. …

The situation in Australia before Medicare was similar to America today—medical expenses could push families into poverty.

"Hospital and medical expenses were one of the largest reasons for personal and non-business-related bankruptcy before Medicare," Mr Gillespie said.

"After Medicare they actually removed it from the published list of reasons because it fell so low."

The article goes on to say:

Maureen Buckingham was newly married and living in Sydney in the 1980s.

She remembered what it was like when you got sick before Medicare—even if you had private medical insurance.

"There were certainly times when you'd think twice. Do I really need to go to the doctor? Maybe I can struggle through [and] get there on my own," Ms Buckingham said.

Before Medicare, there was no bulk-billing, so the fees for a visit to the doctor had to be paid in full up front.

That changed once Medicare was implemented.

Mrs Buckingham's quote on thinking twice about going to see the doctor is something that all of us in our electorates have faced and heard about from people who told us that they would choose to put food on the table and feed their kids rather than see the doctor.

There's one last quote from this story, which I'll read out in this context. A former adviser, Bill Bowtell—some people in here will remember that he was an adviser to Neil Blewett, the health minister who introduced Medicare—said:

People were going without treatment. They couldn't afford going to doctors. They certainly could not afford expensive procedures in hospitals.

The reason I read that out is because, as I said, Neil Blewett was the health minister who introduced Medicare. There must be something lucky about health ministers from South Australia. There must be something good about health ministers from South Australia. We've got another health minister now, who I think—in all the years that I've been both a participant and an observer in politics, I have never seen one policy have such an immediate and positive impact as the policy to triple the bulk-billing incentive for all Australians. I don't think we have ever seen one policy change the country overnight, like we saw when that policy was introduced last November. In just one night in November last year, the number of bulk-billing practices in Forde doubled. They doubled overnight.

I think the changes to our tax policy, to level the playing field for first home buyers, might also have an instant impact. Perhaps history will record that our Medicare policy has a bit of competition for instant success, but I think that those changes to Medicare in November really have been more successful than the government could have hoped to imagine at this point. There's something about health ministers from South Australia. Maybe they all need to come from South Australia in the future!

I thought the article ended interestingly, because Medicare hasn't always been widely supported by everybody in the community. The article continued:

Despite the advance Medicare brought in terms of access to subsidised medical care, the program was not universally popular.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA), which represents the nations' doctors, was vigorously opposed to the change.

…   …   …   

"Right at the beginning, it was thought that there was an intrusion in the relationship between the doctor and their patient," AMA president Tony Bartone said.

…   …   …

At the time Medicare was introduced in 1984, the AMA was heavily influenced by developments in the United Kingdom, particularly the National Health Service.

"There was a concern … potentially unintended consequences along the NHS-style system, that we know is struggling and continues to struggle, would eventuate," Dr Bartone said.

Over the years, Dr Bartone said the AMA's position on Medicare had gradually shifted.

"Universality of access is a fundamental right and a fundamental equity issue … from that point of view, the AMA welcomes the history and the evolution that has led to today," he said.

However, it was not just the AMA that was bitterly opposed to Medicare. While the AMA has changed its position over the years, we're not so sure that the coalition has.

I'll look back at some of the things that John Howard said when it came to Medicare. He said:

The Government should have taken a knife to the expensive, failed Medicare system.

He also said:

Enormous savings can be achieved by radical changes in this area … Medicare is one of the great failures of the Hawke Government.

I'm not sure that statement from 1987 aged particularly well. He said that it was a cruel hoax and a fraud on the Australian people. He said that he would not stab Medicare in the back but 'would stab Medicare in the stomach'. He called it a total disaster, a nightmare. While the leopard may have tried to hide its spots, we know that it hasn't changed its spots. Even though they gave up, I think some time after the 1993 election, realising that they couldn't do what John Howard said and stab it in the stomach, they went around and tried to stab it in the back.

So we saw, all through the Abbott, Morrison and Turnbull governments, a freeze of the Medicare rebate, which led to a point where, when I was campaigning for Forde the first time, in 2022, I was coming across a trickle of bulk-billing clinics—like all of us in our electorates were—that were no longer able to bulk-bill because that rebate had been frozen for so long that the costs of running a practice had completely overtaken the rebate. The Abbott government had tried to introduce a co-payment in order to kill Medicare, but they couldn't get away with that. Instead, they froze the rebate. So in 2022 we saw what was a trickle of bulk-billing clinics ceasing to bulk-bill become a flood, and bulk-billing just collapsed. It was a crisis in our health system and it was a crisis in our communities, particularly our working-class communities.

The Albanese government—I think this certainly competes for most amazing public policy—methodically approached the issue by tripling the bulk-billing rate for pensioners and kids, immediately stabilising bulk-billing so that practices who were bulk-billing were at least able to maintain that. But then there was that night in November when we were able to actually bring it back to life. So the great Labor project continues. Bulk-billing under Medicare is something which can't just be achieved on the shop floor. But, because it's achieved through the parliament, it is universal, and it is that universality which is sacred to the Labor project and sacred to Medicare. To that end, I commend the bill to the House.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This bill, the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026, has a simple purpose, but it has a deeply uncomfortable story. The simple purpose is to establish a clear legislative framework for Commonwealth health incentive payment programs. They're programs that have for many years been administered without adequate legislative cover for their administration, for their compliance and for their oversight—programs like the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive, the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, the Practice Incentives Program and the Workforce Incentive Program. Putting these on a sound statutory footing is sensible, it's overdue, and the coalition will not oppose the bill in the House.

But the story of how we arrived here, of what this government has done to the health system it was entrusted to protect—it's that story that demands to be told. This bill was presented by a prime minister who made a promise not once, not twice—not in the fine print of a policy document, buried beneath the footnote—but 71 times. We all remember it. The Prime Minister told the Australian people 71 times that all they needed was their Medicare card, not a credit card. We all remember him holding up and waving around that green card. That promise is in tatters.

Let me first deal with what this legislation actually does and why the coalition supports its intent. For decades, Commonwealth governments, including coalition governments, have used health incentive payments to support quality care, to encourage digital health adoption, to sustain general practice in aged-care settings and to keep doctors working in rural and remote communities, where the economics of medicine are hard and the distances are great. The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive, the Workforce Incentive Program—these are not new inventions of this government. They are tools that my side of politics, that this side of the House, built, refined and expanded, because we understood—the coalition understood—that Medicare rebates alone are not enough. Every election, the Labor Party roll out these old tropes about the coalition not supporting Medicare. It's absolute rubbish. It's Mediscare. They do it every time. The coalition is committed to Medicare. I'm committed to Medicare.

The bill creates consistent processes for program approval and variation. It clarifies decision-making and review. It allows the Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Chief Executive Medicare to take compliance action with respect to providers. In principle, these are sensible housekeeping measures. Doctors and practices deserve a clear and stable legislative framework. The coalition won't oppose the bill, but we have referred it to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for proper scrutiny because you can never trust this government for what little pearls they might sneak into their legislation. We have moved a second reading amendment because this parliament must confront in plain language what this government has presided over.

Average out-of-pocket costs for GP non-referred attendances have hit a record high of $50.77 per service nationally, covering July to December 2025, up from $46.31 the previous year and up from $41.90 the year before—a 21 per cent increase in just two years. For a family with children, for an older Australian managing a chronic condition, for a worker who cannot ignore a symptom any longer—21 per cent more, simply to walk through the door of their family doctor. In the past financial year alone, Australian families paid over $2 billion—that's 'billion' with a 'b'—in combined GP out-of-pocket costs. Two billion dollars—that's money taken from grocery budgets, from mortgage repayments, from school fees, from power bills, redirected to pay the gap at the surgery, because the Prime Minister promised that a Medicare card would be enough though we all know it is not.

The variation across the country is stark, and it's damning. In my own electorate of Fisher, people struggle to find a bulk-billing GP, and money out of pocket means elevated stress for someone already unwell. Yes, we have just opened up an urgent care clinic in Little Mountain. That's great—one urgent care clinic for an electorate that has over 150,000 people! If you include the entire Sunshine Coast, it's 370-odd thousand people. And, when you're paying $60 to see your GP, you do not feel like the only thing you need is your Medicare card. In a growing area like mine, you're not going to get 370,000 people visiting one urgent care clinic. My people feel the calculation forming in the backs of their minds: 'Can I afford these out-of-pocket costs? Is it worth it? Can I wait another week? Can I wait another month?' And we all know what happens when people delay medical treatment.

At my mobile offices across Fisher, the conversations are consistent, and they are heartbreaking. Mothers with young kids are telling me that they've delayed taking a sick child to the doctor because they could not find a bulk-billing practice and could not cover the gap. Elderly constituents, many of them on fixed incomes, are rationing their visits, skipping follow-ups, managing worsening conditions at home, because $60 is $60 when you're on a pension. Some wait; some don't go at all.

Practice owners—people who built their clinics from nothing, who have served their communities for decades—are telling me they cannot hold the line any longer. Many GPs are getting older, like us all, but GPs in particular are. I know many GPs, and many of them are on the wrong side of 60. They've worked damn hard all their lives, and they're tired. They didn't go into medicine to turn patients away, but the economics that this government has created are making that choice for them. If clinics survive, what then? High volume, low continuity, fast throughput—it's a conveyor belt, where the patient is a number and the consultation is just a transaction and where the practice that managed your parents through their final years has been replaced by a corporate clinic that books six-minute slots and measures success in throughput, not outcomes.

That's the future that this prime minister is building, whether he admits it or not. When you drive out the independent family doctor through underfunding, through regulatory pressure, through threatening letters designed to coerce rather than support, you don't get a better system. You get a hollowed-out one. You get medicine that is cheaper to deliver and more expensive for the country to sustain. The continuity, the trust and the prevention that a good family GP, like my doctor in Maroochydore, provides cannot be replicated by a clipboard and a six-minute timer. That is where the human cost begins to accumulate.

Bulk-billing has collapsed under this government, no matter what those opposite say or how they try and spin it. Let's have a look at the facts. When the coalition left office in May 2022, the national bulk-billing rate stood at 88.5 per cent, an all-time record high. Under Labor, it has fallen to as low as 77.9 per cent, a drop of almost 11 percentage points. That is not a fluctuation at the margins or a temporary dip; that is a collapse. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has already conceded that this government will not meet its own bulk-billing targets until after the next election at the earliest. Australians are being asked to absorb years of record costs and declining access. It is simply not good enough.

The Medicare statistics make the human cost impossible to ignore. The number of GP consultations has fallen by more than 1.8 million, compared with the same period the previous year. That's 1.8 million missed opportunities for health care. That is older Australians deferring a check-up, parents putting off a visit for a sick child and workers dismissing chest pain or a mental health concern because they know there's a gap waiting for them and they are not sure if they can cover it. We all know what deferred care becomes. It becomes emergency department presentations. It becomes avoidable hospitalisation. It becomes preventable suffering. It is not good policy and it is certainly not good economics.

There was a time when the promise of Medicare was simple and it was kept. You felt unwell, you went to your doctor and you were seen. Prevention was possible because access was affordable. That chain—that simple chain of cause and care—is broken. It is not fair, and it sits in direct contradiction to a promise made 71 times to the people of this country.

But it is what came next that revealed the true character of this government. Confronted with the wreckage of its broken promise, the Albanese government did not acknowledge reality. It did not course-correct. It reached instead for intimidation. I understand that some Labor MPs have begun sending threatening letters to family-run GP practices. The letters are designed to pressure them, to lean on them, to bully them into bulk-billing so that the government could paper over the gap between its solemn promise and its catastrophic performance. This is a disgrace.

Let's be clear about who runs these practices. They are small businesses. I know this because I speak with them regularly in my own electorate of Fisher. They are bowing under the pressure. They are the backbone of local communities. They are owned and staffed by doctors who have spent a lifetime getting to know their patients, who track a child's development across years, who manage a pensioner's medication regime, who sit with someone while they receive a difficult diagnosis. These doctors, these practices, are already under significant strain from the rising cost of doing business under this government—wages, rent, insurance, equipment and a growing mountain of compliance demands. The last thing they need is political intimidation from their own government.

Instead of sending heavy-handed letters to local doctors, this government should focus on fixing the crisis it created, from record out-of-pocket costs to growing emergency department wait times and workforce shortages spreading through general practice. Those letters also reveal something more troubling about the direction this government intends to take. They are evidence of a plan to drive out independent family doctors and hand the system to corporate interests, running production line six-minute medicine—high volume, low continuity and fast throughput.

As I said earlier, there has been a 21 per cent increase in GP out-of-pocket costs in two years, a bulk-billing rate that's collapsed by almost 11 percentage points, 1.8 million fewer GP consultations and $2 billion paid by Australian families who were told they would only need a Medicare card. The Australian people deserve a health system that is sustainable, that's affordable and that keeps faith with the promises made to earn their trust. We will continue to support Medicare and the health of Australians.

Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in strong support of the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026. This bill goes to the very heart of what Australians expect from their healthcare system and from a strong Labor government. It is about ensuring that every Australian, regardless of where they live and what they earn, can see a doctor when they need one without worrying about the costs. That is what Medicare has always stood for. For more than four decades, Medicare has been one of Australia's greatest achievements. It reflects a simple but powerful belief that access to health care should be determined by your health needs, not by the size of your wallet. It is a principle Australians overwhelmingly support and a principle Labor has always defended.

The Albanese Labor government was elected with a clear commitment to strengthen Medicare after years in which Australians saw bulk-billing rates decline and out-of-pocket costs rise. Families told us that they were finding it harder to get an appointment. Pensioners were delaying visits to the doctor because they were worried about the cost. Parents were making impossible decisions about whether they could afford to take their sick child to the GP. Those are decisions Australians should never have to make.

This government understands that strengthening Medicare means supporting both patients and the doctors who care for them. General practice sits at the centre of Australia's healthcare system. Every day, GPs diagnose illness, manage chronic disease, provide preventative health care and keep people out of hospital. If we want a stronger health system, we must ensure that general practice remains viable and affordable, and this is exactly what this bill helps achieve.

The legislation establishes a clear legislative framework for Commonwealth primary care incentive payment programs, including the Medicare Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program. These payments provide certainty for general practices while encouraging bulk-billing and ensuring Australians continue to have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Importantly, this bill underpins one of the Albanese Labor government's biggest investments in Medicare. Our record $8.5 billion investment is the largest investment in Medicare since it was created. It is helping to restore bulk-billing, strengthen primary care and train the next generation of doctors and nurses, who will care for Australians well into the future. This is not simply about spending money; it is about rebuilding confidence in Medicare. It is about ensuring Australians know that, when they become sick, they can see a doctor without worrying about whether they can afford it.

The Albanese government expanded the bulk-billing incentive from 1 November 2025 so that every Australian is now eligible. At the same time, practices that bulk-bill every patient receive an additional 12.5 per cent Medicare bulk-billing practice incentive payment. That matters because supporting bulk-billing is not simply about asking doctors to bulk-bill more patients; it is about recognising the pressures facing general practice and ensuring clinics have the support they need to continue providing affordable care. Expanding the incentive recognises that every Australian, no matter your situation, deserves the best care possible. It also ensures that the doctors that do that work receive a fair incentive for the often critical work that they do. These reforms are practical and responsible, and most importantly they are already delivering results.

Across Australia, the latest quarterly data shows that the national GP bulk-billing rate has increased to 81.9 per cent, which is up 4.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. In Queensland, the results have also been encouraging. The state's bulk-billing rate has increased to 79½ per cent, which is an increase of four percentage points over the last year. That means hundreds of thousands more Queenslanders are seeing a doctor without paying an out-of-pocket fee. It means families are receiving care sooner, people are managing chronic illnesses before they become more serious and fewer Queenslanders are delaying health care because they are worried about the cost. These outcomes matter because every visit to a GP is an opportunity to detect illnesses earlier, prevent avoidable hospital admissions and improve long-term health outcomes.

Primary health care is not simply the front door of our healthcare system. When we invest in general practice, we strengthen the entire healthcare system. These reforms extend well beyond the national statistics. There are now more than 3,800 fully bulk-billing practices across Australia, with over 1,400 clinics fully bulk-billing after previously operating as a mixed billing practice. As a result, about 97 per cent of Australians now live within a 20-minute drive of a fully bulk-billing practice. That is a remarkable improvement. It reflects a government that understands health care should be available close to home and is prepared to make the investments necessary to rebuild Medicare. Importantly, these improvements have not happened by accident. They are the direct result of deliberate policy decisions.

The Albanese government recognises that, if we want to increase bulk-billing, we need to properly support general practice. That is why we've expanded bulk-billing incentives to every Australian. It is why we introduced an additional 12½ per cent practice incentive payment for clinics that choose to bulk-bill every patient for every visit. These reforms are providing greater financial certainty for practices while ensuring patients receive affordable care. I'd call that a win-win. This bill provides the legislative certainty needed to ensure that these important incentive programs continue supporting Australia's primary healthcare system well into the future. It strengthens Medicare not through slogans but through practical policy. It supports doctors, it supports clinics, and most importantly it supports Australian patients.

As the federal member for Petrie, I measure the success of government policy by one simple question: is it making life better for the people I represent? When I first stood as a Labor candidate for Petrie, health care was one of the issues I heard about the most. Whether I was doorknocking in Deception Bay, speaking with the young families in North Lakes, meeting retirees in Kippa-Ring or talking with the residents in Mango Hill or Carseldine, people consistently raise the same concerns. They told me it was becoming harder to find a bulk-billing doctor. Parents spoke about delaying trips to the GP simply because they could not afford another medical bill. Older Australians told me the rising healthcare costs were placing increasing pressures on fixed incomes. These are not isolated stories; they reflect the reality facing families across our community. I made a commitment that, if I were elected, I would fight for better health care close to home. I promised that strengthening Medicare would be one of my highest priorities, and, today, I am proud that we are delivering on that promise. Since October 2023, the GP bulk-billing rate across Petrie has increased from 72.8 per cent to 78 per cent.

That might seem like a simple statistic, but behind that increase are thousands of local GP appointments where families have been able to receive health care without reaching for their wallet except to grab out their Medicare card. Behind that increase are pensioners who can once again visit their regular doctor with confidence. Behind that increase are parents who can take their sick child to a GP without wondering how they're going to pay the bill.

I'm equally pleased that the number of fully bulk-billing clinics across Petrie has more than doubled. That means local families have more choice, greater confidence and better access to affordable health care close to home. It demonstrates that, when governments properly support general practice, doctors respond by bulk-billing more patients. That is exactly what this legislation is designed to achieve.

Our commitment to health care in Petrie extends well beyond bulk-billing. One of the achievements I am most proud of is opening the Medicare urgent care clinic in Deception Bay. Before the clinic opened, too many local families forced the impossible choice. They could wait days or weeks for a GP appointment, spend hours in a busy emergency department for a non-life-threatening condition or pay hundreds of dollars at a private urgent care clinic. None of these options are good enough. Today, local families have another choice: the Deception Bay Medicare urgent care clinic provides free, bulk-billed urgent care seven days a week with no appointment needed.

Whether it's a child who needs stitches after falling off their bike, a suspected fracture, an ear infection or another urgent-but-non-life-threatening condition, people can now receive the treatment closer to home without worrying about the cost. Since opening, the clinic has already cared for thousands of local patients. That means thousands fewer presentations to busy hospital emergency departments. It means families getting treatment sooner. It means better health outcomes for our community.

The clinic has been such a success that its opening hours have already extended to better meet the local demand. That tells us two things: first, that there was clearly an unmet demand for affordable urgent health care in our community, and second, that when governments invest in healthcare services when people need them, communities respond.

Petrie is one of the fastest-growing parts of Queensland. Every year, more families choose to call our wonderful community home. That growth brings opportunity, but it also brings increased demand for health care. As our population grows, our healthcare system must grow with it. That is why the government's investment into Medicare matters so much. It is ensuring that communities like Petrie receive the healthcare infrastructure and services they deserve, not just today but for many years to come.

For me, this bill is about delivering on the promise I made to the people of Petrie. It is about ensuring local families can access affordable health care when they need it, and it is about building a stronger Medicare that will continue serving our growing community well into the future. The bill is about more than improving the health system today. It is about ensuring Medicare remains strong for generations to come. As Australia's population continues to grow and age, the demand on our healthcare system will only increase. More Australians are living longer, and more Australians are managing chronic conditions. Communities like Petrie continue to grow rapidly, with thousands of new families choosing to call our region home each year. That means we cannot afford to stay still. We need a government that is prepared to invest today so Australians continue to receive world-class health care tomorrow. That is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is doing.

This bill provides certainty for the primary care incentive programs that support general practice. It recognises that strong general practice is the cornerstone of a strong healthcare system. When people can access affordable care early, illnesses are diagnosed sooner, chronic conditions are managed more effectively, and unnecessary hospital admissions are reduced. Every dollar invested into primary care strengthens our entire healthcare system.

This government's record investment into Medicare extends well beyond bulk-billing alone. We are training more doctors and nurses. We are making medicines cheaper through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. We have delivered Medicare urgent care clinics across the country, we are investing in our public hospitals in partnership with the states, and we are ensuring that general practice remains viable and an attractive profession for future generations of healthcare workers. These are not isolated initiatives. They form part of a comprehensive plan to rebuild Medicare after years of decline.

Labor has always believed that health care should never depend on your postcode or your bank balance. That belief led the Whitlam government to begin the journey towards universal healthcare, and it was the Hawke government that delivered Medicare. Today, the Albanese Labor government is ensuring Medicare continues to meet the needs of Australians for the 21st century. We understand that Medicare cannot simply be preserved. It must continue to evolve. It must continue to respond to the changing healthcare needs of Australians, and it must continue to be properly funded. That is why we have made the largest investment in Medicare's history.

Strengthening Medicare is not an expense; it is an investment. It is an investment into healthier communities, preventative care, reduced pressure on hospitals and the confidence that every Australian deserves that health care will be there when they need it most. As the member for Petrie, I've already seen what these investments mean on the ground. I've spoken to parents who no longer have to worry about the cost of taking a sick child to the doctor. I've met older Australians who tell me they can once again see their GP without delaying appointments because of the cost. I've spoken with local doctors who welcomed the government's commitment to supporting general practice and strengthening Medicare. Most importantly, I have seen growing confidence in our healthcare system.

That confidence has not happened by chance. It has been built through action. It has been built through higher bulk-billing rates, more fully bulk-billing clinics and the opening of the Deception Bay Urgent Care Clinic. Above all, it has been built by a government that has made health care one of its defining priorities. The thing about this bill is that the increases in funding don't discriminate based on area, nationality, income or any other factor. This bill ensures that we are able to support any GP practice that wants to go bulk-billed no matter where it is.

This bill ensures that programs all across the country are able to build on the great services they provide. It strengthens the partnership between the Commonwealth and the hardworking general practitioners. It supports clinics to continue bulk-billing, and it helps ensure Australians can continue accessing high-quality healthcare regardless of their circumstances. For my community of Petrie, these reforms are already making a measurable difference. I support this bill and commend it to the House.

Trish Cook (Bullwinkel, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise in strong support of the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026. As federal member for Bullwinkel and as somebody that worked on the frontline as a nurse for decades, I know firsthand just how important a strong, accessible primary care system is to the health and wellbeing of our communities. Speaker, you may know, but, before I came to this place, I was a nurse. I saw the difference that timely access to a GP can make. I also saw what happens if people delay treatment because they can't see a GP because they're worried about the cost. That's problematic. That's why we're strengthening Medicare and making it easier for Australians to see a doctor. For me, it's not just policy; it's personal.

This bill has established a clear and enduring legislative framework for Commonwealth primary care incentive payment programs, including the Medicare Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program. These programs are a vital part of how we support access, affordability and quality in our health system. They provide financial incentives to GPs and clinics through Medicare—our world-class, enviable, universal healthcare system—to ensure that what remains within reach for every Australian continues to do so. It matters completely in communities like mine in Bullwinkel in Western Australia. Bullwinkel covers a diverse mix of suburban, semirural and regional areas, where access to health care can at times be challenging.

Families in my electorate want certainty. They want to know that—if they're sick, have a chronic disease or need ongoing care—they can see a doctor without worrying about the bill at the end of the visit. And that is exactly what this government is focused on delivering.

The Albanese Labor government is proudly committed to strengthening Medicare—a program which, of course, we started—because we believe health care is a right, not a privilege. The Albanese Labor government has made a record investment of $8.5 billion, the largest in Medicare's history, and it's already making a huge difference. We are expanding bulk-billing, training more doctors and nurses, and strengthening primary care right across the country.

Since Labor strengthened Medicare bulk-billing and introduced additional incentives for GPs, we have seen five more GP practices in my electorate of Bullwinkel take up bulk-billing. That is five more practices, and all the doctors within those practices, making the choice to put patients first and ensure care is accessible to everyone.

I want to take this opportunity to recognise the practices in Bullwinkel that are leading the way by offering these bulk-billing services for every patient in their communities. These include Chidlow Family Doctors, Gidgegannup Medical Centre, Gosnells Medical Clinic, Mount Helena Medical Centre, Armadale After Hours GP, Toodyay Medical Group, Wheatbelt Health Network, Gosnells GPs and Specialist Care, and Beverley Medical Practice.

These practices are not just healthcare providers; they're pillars of our community. They are the places that people turn to in real times of need. And, by choosing to bulk-bill, they're removing barriers and making a real difference in people's lives. I want to thank every doctor, every nurse, every practice manager, every accountant and every healthcare worker in these practices. As somebody that's worked in health care, I know the pressures that you face and I know that your decisions are driven by your commitment to patients. And this government is backing you.

The impact of our reforms is being felt right across Australia, not just in Bullwinkel. On 1 November, we expanded the general practice bulk-billing incentive to all Australians, and introduced an additional 12.5 per cent incentive payment for general practices that bulk-bill all of the patients all of the time.

This was a significant and practical reform, one that gives practices the support that they need to maintain and expand bulk-billing, and we are seeing the results. The latest data in the national GP bulk-billing rate has risen to 81.9 per cent, an increase of 4.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

And bulk-billing has increased in every state and territory: New South Wales now sits at 85.6 per cent; Victoria, 83.7 per cent; Queensland, 79.5 per cent; South Australia, 80.4 per cent; Tasmania, 78 per cent; the Northern Territory, 89.8 per cent; the ACT, 54.1 per cent; and Western Australia, 74 per cent.

These are not just numbers. They represent real Australians who can now access care more readily. They represent parents who don't have to choose between paying for a doctor's visit or paying the bills. They represent older Australians who can manage chronic conditions without the financial strain. And they represent communities that are healthier because care is more accessible.

There are now over 3,800 Medicare bulk-billing practices nationwide, and more than 1,400 of these were previously mixed-billing clinics—so 1,400 have converted to bulk-billing all patients all of the time. Importantly, about 97 per cent of Australians now live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice. In electorates like Bullwinkel that increased access is crucially important.

Speaking of Bullwinkel, I was incredibly proud to open the Mundaring Urgent Care Clinic in my electorate just three months ago. In that short space of time since, this clinic has already seen more than 2,000 patients. That is 2,000 people who have been able to access urgent care quickly without needing to go down the hill on the busy Great Eastern Highway to the emergency hospital department. The feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to all those people who have written in to say thank you.

People value the fact that it is fully bulk-billed, open extended hours and does not require an appointment or a referral. It means families can get urgent care when they need it, close to home and without the additional stress of payment. We are seeing similar benefits from other Medicare urgent care clinics which are located just outside of Bullwinkel in Gosnells and North Midland but service the people of Bullwinkel. Together, these clinics are relieving pressure on hospital emergency departments and ensuring that emergency departments can focus on those who truly need emergency care. Primary care, urgent care and emergency care—patients with non-life threatening urgent conditions can be treated quickly and efficiently in the community close to where they live. This is what strong primary care and urgent care systems look like. They are accessible, responsive and centred on the needs of patients. They are supported by the very incentive frameworks that this bill puts on a stronger legislative footing.

The impact of our reforms right across Australia from 1 November when we introduced the expanded general practice bulk-billing incentive and the additional 12.5 per cent for practices that bulk-bill all patients, all the time has been remarkable. This is structural change. In this budget, we have embedded those Medicare urgent care clinics so they'll be with us for the future. They're also relieving pressure on GP practices themselves. As a GP nurse, I know that when something urgent walks through the door, of course the scheduled patients, both on my lists and the doctor's lists, will need to wait so that the urgent case is attended to. But having the urgent cases taken out to the Medicare urgent care clinics means that GPs can get on with doing primary care where it's needed.

Primary care is the front door of our health care system. It is where early intervention happens, where preventative health takes place and where relationships are built. It's where we can prevent more serious injuries and health issues further down the track. This bill strengthens our foundations by providing a clear legislative basis for primary care incentive programs. It gives certainty to providers, strengthens accountability and ensures these programs can continue to evolve to meet the needs of Australians.

This bill is about fairness. It's about ensuring that whether you live in Gosnells, Toodyay, Beverley, Chidlow or Gidgegannup, you can access affordable, high-quality care. It's about backing local practices and healthcare workers, and it's about building a stronger Medicare for the future. As someone who has worked extensively in our health system, I am proud to support this bill. As the member for Bullwinkel, I'm proud to stand up for my communities, the patients, the providers and the families who rely on Medicare every day. I commend this bill to the House.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Can a parent take a sick child to the doctor without first visiting their bank balance? No-one should have to think twice about seeing a GP when they are sick or injured because of what it might cost and no-one should have to wait days for an appointment because the nearest bulk-billing clinic is booked out for a week. The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 gives primary care group programs like the bulk-billing practice incentive a consistent statutory basis to secure its longevity and sustain the progress that this Labor government is already delivering. That is real progress.

Since 2025, the national bulk-billing rate has climbed to over 81 per cent, and about 97 per cent of Australians now live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice. That looks like more people seeing a doctor instead of putting it off. The lingering cough that you keep meaning to get checked out, the blemish on your arm that doesn't look quite right or the stubbed toe that turns out to be properly broken—that is what these incentive programs are really for. It's about free and affordable care that doesn't have you second-guessing whether it's worth a visit or not.

My electorate of Swan is one of the most diverse communities in Western Australia, and bulk-billing matters right across it. It matters to the pensioners in Como, to young families in Cannington and to people working long hours and shiftwork in Belmont and Rivervale. For a lot of them, whether the doctor bulk-bills is what decides if they go at all. When it costs nothing, you go when you need to go. When it costs $80 out of pocket, you wait, and sometimes, while waiting, a small problem becomes a big one. The reassurance of a bulk-billing practice down the road shifts you from the mindset of 'she'll be right' to 'what's the harm in checking'. This shift can sometimes be lifesaving.

I'm sure that there are many people within this House that have had lived experience of a family member visiting the GP because of a small matter that ended up being quite a big matter. For me, there's a particular story that I'd like to share with you, which relates to a phone call I got from my mum when my daughter was three weeks old. My mum said: 'We just went to the GP, and he said that we need to go get an MRI scan for Dad straight away. I'll keep you updated.' Interestingly, sometimes you go to the GP, and they say, 'You should get this scan in the next fortnight,' but this GP said, 'You need to go straight away.'

The reason why my mum made my dad go to the GP was that my mum was annoyed by the way that my dad was walking. He was walking with a limp and wasn't walking in a straight manner. So they did the MRI scan, and it turned out that my dad had bleeding on two different parts of his brain. Then, from the MRI, what ended up happening is they said, 'You need to go to the emergency department straight away.' Dad initially went to Fiona Stanley Hospital, and they said: 'We don't do emergency brain surgery at this hospital. You need to go to Royal Perth Hospital.' Then Dad was at Royal Perth Hospital, and then it was this question of Dad needing this emergency brain surgery.

The surgeon called and told me what was happening. I live very close to Royal Perth Hospital—it's a 15-minute drive—and I'm thinking that I'd love to say good luck to my dad, but he was going in so quickly, and the surgeon wasn't with my dad. I said to the surgeon, 'What's the probability that he'll survive this surgery?' He said, 'It's a 90 per cent probability, but there's a 10 per cent probability that he won't live.' So I ask: 'Could I just wish my dad good luck? Can I do that?' So the surgeon gave me his number. I got to call 15 minutes later and I got to say to Dad: 'Hey, Dad. Good luck for your surgery.'

So that was the beginning of a GP appointment that turned out to be this very large thing. Dad had emergency brain surgery; he lived through the surgery, but then he had to learn to walk again, so he ended up being in hospital for six months. What's fascinating is that the beginning of that story was a GP appointment. The thing I find particularly extraordinary about Australia is: who knows what would have happened to my dad if that GP appointment didn't happen? These are Sliding Doors moments.

My dad migrated from Kenya, but he had six brothers and sisters, and all his brothers and sisters migrated to California. For my cousin, who had emergency heart surgery—basically, when they got to the moment of, 'You have a leaky heart valve; we need to perform emergency surgery on you'—the question was: 'How much will this cost? And can you afford it?' So I'm incredibly grateful for the Australian Medicare system. Universal health care is a phenomenal thing, and this bill is quite incredible.

So, back to the mainstream speech: Aside from bulk-billing, this bill also addresses other primary care incentive programs that make Australia's healthcare system robust and reliable. Together they are worth more than $1.4 billion of this government's investment in primary care every year. The Practice Incentive Program rewards practices for the quality of their care, for opening their doors after hours and for teaching the next generation of doctors. The General Practice Aged Care Incentive helps GPs keep looking after patients once they move into residential aged care so older Australians won't lose the doctor who knows them—and, interestingly, I now have my old man in aged care.

The Workforce Incentive Program helps practices bring nurses, midwives, allied health workers and doctors into rural and remote communities that have always found it hardest to attract them. In the country, one GP can be the only doctor for hundreds of kilometres, covering the clinic, the emergencies and the after-hours calls. This program helps keep a doctor there and helps bring the next one in. These are programs that sustain care in place. It is the hardest to deliver.

This bill sets out clear guidelines to maintain the quality of these programs, and it makes sure they are run properly, with the same safeguards that protect other dollars spent across Medicare. It also gives certainty about how the program works and how decisions affecting them are made, and it gives doctors and practices who rely on them the confidence that their future is secure. In my own community, the bulk-billing incentive program is working. In 2023, the bulk-billing rate in my electorate was 67 per cent. By March this year it had risen to 74.9 per cent. The number of practices bulk-billing every patient has more than doubled. That number was nine when the coalition left office; today it is 22. That's 13 more practices in my electorate where a family can see a doctor and walk out without paying a cent.

The minister for health said that the Labor government has stopped the freefall in bulk-billing rates, and in my community we have done more to stop the slide; we have begun to reverse it. For households in Belmont and Rivervale, that's the difference between a GP visit that costs nothing and one that makes you stop and think about whether or not you're going to do it.

This bill also renames the Health Insurance Act as the Medicare Act. Since Medicare was introduced by the Hawke government more than 40 years ago, it has shaped the lives of millions of Australians. We carry the green-and-gold card in our wallets, and we hand it over to the doctor at the hospital and at the pharmacy. It's one of the few things in this country that belongs to all of us, no matter where we are or what we earn. It reminds me of when the Prime Minister talked about how Kerry Stokes and his mother both got treated at the same hospital.

I think it's extraordinary that that's the healthcare system we have. It's not a healthcare system that is only for some. I'm proud to be part of a government that's protecting it, and we should make sure we never take it for granted, because that's not how every country does things. In fact, I remember having a conversation at dinner in New York and speaking to some of my cousins over there, and one of their friends said, 'Socialist medicine—that sounds gross!' But think about it this way: universal medicine—does that sound sensible? The way that you phrase things is interesting. This is where I think it's important to recognise our system. I remember another one of my friends, who was a lawyer from Melbourne travelling in the US, and he talked about going out hiking. He basically got this massive, deep wound in his leg and he's like, 'I'm not going to see a doctor because it's going to cost me a lot,' so he continued to make sure that he kept it sterile. He let that heal very slowly over a two-month process. There's another story that I remember, which is one of my friends, who's a female engineer. She was working for a big oil and gas company and had a miscarriage when she was overseas. For her, having a miscarriage while she was overseas was like, 'I just don't know if I want to see a health expert, because I don't know how much this will cost,' and we know that, when you have a miscarriage, having medical help is really important.

These are the things that sometimes we don't recognise are really powerful in the Australian healthcare system. We need to make sure that we continue to strengthen it, and we need to make sure that we continue to build it. What I would say is that Australians made a choice on whether we wanted this to be universal. The thing that I see time and time again is that the Australian Labor government wants to do things that last for generations and makes this country so much better compared to any other country in the world. It's interesting because we have so many things to be grateful for, whether that relates to minimum wage, whether that relates to the superannuation guarantee, whether that relates to paid parental leave or, of course, whether it relates to universal Medicare.

I remember a time doorknocking in my electorate where I was having a conversation with a family, and they were talking about how disappointed they were in the bulk-billing rates. They were like: 'We recognise that bulk-billing exists. I've not seen a bulk billing doctor for years.' He felt like he could not trust the government to look after this. The thing that I would say about our government is that what we want to do time and time again is make sure that we listen deeply to our communities and ensure that we understand what they want. We saw the numbers, but we also saw the effects in our community, and we wanted to make sure that we put the investment where it was needed.

The additional thing that I think is useful for us to think about—and I'll put my engineering hat on—is that in the mining industry one of the things that we do intentionally is something called preventive maintenance. We do preventive maintenance because we want to make sure that expensive equipment doesn't break down, because when it breaks down, it costs a lot of money per hour, per minute if it's down. That's what the big companies do, and the thing that I want Australians to make sure that they do is preventive health, because we know that, when we invest in preventive health, it means that we can actually catch those little things initially before they become too big. I see that the general-practice system that we have with our Medicare system and our bulk-billing clinics ensures that we can actually invest in this. I think it's incredibly important that we continue to ensure that we look after this system, because it is something that actually helps people with the quality of their life, but it also means that we can have our family, friends and loved ones in a way that is so much more present.

I anticipate that the life expectancy of Australians probably is a bit longer than other countries, and I think a part of that relates to not just our blue skies and our beautiful beaches and fresh air. I think that a part of it also relates to our healthcare system. It's a healthcare system that we should be very proud of, and I think that this bill continues to strengthen it. I commend the bill to the House.

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

It is an honour to rise in support of the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026, brought forward by the Minister for Health and Ageing, and I commend him for doing so. This bill is an important step in strengthening the integrity, transparency and sustainability of Medicare primary healthcare funding. Australia has one of the best healthcare systems in the entire world. We're regularly compared to our international counterparts, and Medicare is the very best of Australia, and it's a system built and backed by successive Labor governments every step of the way.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Gorton, I'm really sorry. It being 7.30 pm, you can continue your remarks at a later date.