Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in strong support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025. This bill is not just another piece of legislation; it is a vital step in protecting and strengthening Medicare, the backbone of our health system and one of the proudest achievements of Labor governments past and present.

The contribution that we just had from the good senator from the other side, Senator Kovacic, neglected to talk about the almost 11 years that the coalition were in government and what they did while they were in power. They neglected the health system in this country and did everything they could to run down Medicare, and they failed to train enough GPs. You've had a Labor government for one term, and we have very clearly put health back on the agenda. The Australian people overwhelmingly voted in support of the policies that we put forward around Medicare and in strengthening Medicare. They supported the urgent care clinics that we had already established. They supported the 50 additional urgent care clinics.

The point was made previously by the senator about people choosing to go to accident and emergency. She is right about that, because they were doing that for the 11 long years that they were in power. What we have now are the urgent care clinics. I would like to talk about the urgent care clinic in Launceston where I live. Knowing that Tasmanians have some of the worst health outcomes in the country, thanks to those people opposite, it has overwhelmingly had great success, with over 33,000 northern Tasmanians visiting that one urgent care clinic. It's one of the most successful urgent care clinics in the country, if not the most successful. There is stability around the GPs that are there and the services that they are providing, so much so that they have extended their hours from 8 am till 8 pm and also over the weekend. It has been a great success.

Australians, as I said, have made it very clear that they want a health care system that is fair, accessible and built on the principle that no-one should be denied care because of their bank balance. They voted for Medicare. They voted for better health outcomes. They voted for a government that puts patients first and that puts patients before profit. The Liberals and the Greens need to get out of the way and let us deliver for the Australian people. We want to deliver what they need and what they deserve. Labor has listened not just during the last term of parliament but over the previous 11 years, because we actually have lived the experience and seen our family, our friends, our community members who were denied access to the medical treatment that they needed.

Labor has listened; we've acted. We have tripled the bulk-billing incentive, making it easier for families, pensioners and concession cardholders to see a GP without paying out-of-pocket. That is nearly 12 million Australians who now have better access to care. Specifically, in my home state of Tasmania—where cost-of-living pressures have bitten hard and access to GPs can be limited—this has made a real difference, an immeasurable difference, to those people's health outcomes and their lives.

We in Labor have also made medicines cheaper. Australians can now get two months worth of medicines for the price of one prescription. Those same people on the other side, when they were in government, bowed to the pharmaceutical guild when they were advised by the department to do exactly that—to make it easier, so that you go to the GP less often and it costs you less money. Now they come in here and want to rewrite history and pretend that they actually care about Australians' health. But Australians always see through the fakeness.

We know, as the Australian people do, that it is in the DNA of those on the other side to destroy Medicare. They don't believe in universal care. If they believed in universal care and Medicare, they would have done more when they were in government for 11 long years. But what did we see during the election campaign, from Mr Dutton and those opposite? They wanted to bring American politics—the Trump philosophy—here to Australia. It's another reason why they were rejected, because Australians know that Americans have to pay for their own medications, have to pay to see a doctor and do not have universal healthcare. We don't want it. The Australian people said no.

Now, the fact that you can actually get two months worth of your medication on one prescription is actually saving Australians money; $1.5 billion will be saved over four years. For people managing chronic conditions, like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis, this means fewer trips to the pharmacy, fewer gaps in treatment and more money in your pocket. Again, in Tasmania, where we have one of the oldest and fastest-ageing populations with some of the highest rates of chronic illness in this country, this reform is not just helpful; it is essential. And we have not stopped there.

We have rolled out urgent care clinics across the country, including in Tasmania. These clinics, as I said before, take pressure off emergency departments and give people somewhere to go when they need care fast but don't need to be in hospital. When your child or grandchild falls off their bike and breaks their arm, now you can go to an urgent care clinic; you don't have to spend five or six hours in an emergency department to get an X-ray and then get a cast put on. This is less stressful for the child and certainly less stressful for their parent or carer.

These are practical things that have real impacts on people's quality of life, and Australians were crying out for them. That's why they voted for Labor.

This bill builds on that record. It strengthens Medicare and its integrity by cracking down on fraud and misuse. It streamlines processes so our doctors and nurses can spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients. It gives the department the tools it needs to manage shortages of essential medicines and therapeutic goods. And it supports our vaping reforms to protect young people from harmful, unregulated products. These are not abstract reforms. They are real, tangible improvements that will help real people—especially in communities like mine, in Tasmania, but right around our country.

But let's be very clear. We cannot take Medicare for granted. We have seen what happened when the Liberals were in charge. There was a decade of neglect; bulk billing rates plummeted; out-of-pocket costs soared; regional health services were gutted; mental health services were left to languish. And every time they had the chance to invest in Medicare, they chose not to. Why? Because destroying Medicare is in their DNA. It's what they believe in, in their heart of hearts. They do not believe in universal health care. They do not believe in equality. They do not believe in equity. They believe in a system where the size of your wallet determines the quality of your care. That is not the Australia I believe in and it is not the Tasmania I fight for.

While this bill enjoys broad support, I want to send a clear message to the Greens and others in this chamber: don't stand in the way of progress. We have seen them block or delay reforms in housing, energy, migration and more. While they may do so in the name of principle, the result is the same—Australians are left waiting. We cannot afford delays here. This bill is about protecting Medicare. Blocking it or dragging out debate will mean leaving our health system exposed, letting inefficiencies persist and failing the millions of Australians who rely on Medicare every single day.

I've just been upstairs at a function, talking about chronic pain and the fact that we still don't have enough people in the medical fraternity who actually recognise and support those who live with chronic pain. Anyone who has any form of arthritis, for instance, lives—as I do—with pain every single day. The fact that you can go and get two months worth of scripts for the cost of one makes a big difference, not only to your hip pocket. For too many people who put off getting their scripts refilled and don't have the pain medication that they need, this will change lives.

This is what a Labor government does. This is why people on this side of the chamber fight every day, and we'll continue to fight every day to protect Medicare. We know the high rates of chronic illness. We know that regional communities need this bill as much as every Tasmanian does. They need a government that will listen to them, that will then take the action that is needed, and that won't dither around the edges.

Labor is acting. We are investing in people, in infrastructure and in innovation. We are listening to healthcare professionals and acting on expert advice. We are delivering reforms that will make a difference to the lives of everyday Australians. This bill responds to the Philip review recommendations to protect the integrity of our health benefit schemes. These include the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. It shortens the timeframe for lodging bulk-billed claims, strengthens investigation powers and ensures consistency across the system.

Let's be clear: under the US President's free trade agreement, one of the areas that he wants to attack the most is our PBS. Why? Because we deliver through that system. A Labor government has ensured that Australians can have access to affordable medication, and we will defend that. The Minister for Trade and Tourism, Minister Farrell, who sits in this chamber, will fight—just as the Prime Minister will and just as everyone else on this side of the chamber will—to protect the PBS.

This bill improves pharmacy approval processes, helping Australians access medicines faster, and it gives the department the flexibility it needs to respond to shortages and public health emergencies. We know that during COVID there was a real issue with not having access to all the medications that people suffering from chronic illness needed, because of demand. We have learnt from that. We're about protecting Australians' access to the medications that they need when they need them.

This is what good government looks like. It's practical, it's compassionate, it's kind and it's focused on outcomes. Australians know the value of Medicare—specifically, as I said, in my home state of Tasmania, which I am here to represent alongside my new colleague Senator Dowling, who joins us as a new senator in this place. We will always stand up and fight for Tasmania because that's what we're sent here to do. That's why the Senate is made up of state and territory representatives. So I am unashamedly speaking for Tasmanians, who need this bill and need Medicare. That's why they voted overwhelmingly for a Labor government.

As for the criticism of the Prime Minister standing up and using the Medicare card, we know it worked, because that's what they complain about all the time. They were complaining about a little card that he was holding up that represented health access for all Australians, not a credit card, which is what they preach about all the time. It shouldn't matter where you live, what your postcode is. It shouldn't matter how much money you have in your wallet. It shouldn't matter how big your credit card is. You just need that little green and gold card, because that's a right of every Australian. It's certainly the right of every Tasmanian to have access to good health care, because at the end of the day it affects everyone. If you can't work because you're in chronic pain or you can't get medication or you can't get in to see a specialist or a GP, then you aren't able to enter and stay in the workforce. It affects the economy, and that impacts everyone. I'm urging people to get behind this bill and support this bill because it's good legislation. As I said—and I'll say it again—we will always stand up for Medicare and strengthen it.