Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in strong support of the Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) (Repeal) Bill 2025. This is not just a technical adjustment to the Medicare schedule. This is about strengthening one of the cornerstones of our health system and making sure that it continues to deliver affordable and high quality care for Australians today but also for generations to come.

Pathology is the quiet achiever of modern medicine. It is often invisible to patients, but it's also absolutely critical to the decisions that doctors and specialists make every single day. Around 70 per cent of clinical decisions depend on pathology. That is in fact a staggering figure—seven out of 10 people. Whether it's confirming a diagnosis, managing a chronic condition or ruling out something more serious, pathology underpins the trust that we place, as Australians, in our health system. Think about the blood tests that guide diabetes management. Think about the cancer screenings that allow us to act early, when treatment is most effective. Think about the diagnostic tests that help us fight infections or respond quickly to outbreaks. Pathology is central to prevention, to early detection and to treatment. Without it, modern health care simply does not function.

Yet, for too long, the funding arrangements that support this essential work have been frozen in time. Some of the schedules that dictate the pathology services that are funded are decades old. They reflect models of care that absolutely do not exist anymore. They lock in inefficiencies. They create unnecessary red tape. And they place financial pressures on providers, and, ultimately, those pressures don't just sit with the providers; they land on patients, through delays, reduced access and the creeping fear that there may be, in fact, extra costs. This bill tackles that problem head-on. It repeals outdated schedules. It brings funding arrangements into line with modern clinical practices. And, most importantly, it ensures that Medicare is financially sustainable, so that patients can continue to access affordable care without the fear of being left behind.

I want to be very, very clear on this point. This legislation doesn't take services away. It does not make pathology less accessible. It does not undermine Medicare. In fact, it does the opposite. It protects access by making the system simpler, fairer and much more transparent. By removing outdated structures, we are making it easier for providers to navigate the system—one less prone to administrative confusion and far more capable of supporting high-quality patient care. And that's good for doctors, it's good for nurses and, most of all, it's good for all patients.

The timing of this reform matters. Our population is growing, and it's also ageing. More Australians are living longer with multiple chronic conditions that now require ongoing monitoring and management. The burden of chronic disease is rising, and, with that, so is the need for consistent, reliable and affordable pathology services. At the same time, Australians are facing increasing pressures on the cost of living and the complexity of health care. The reforms in this bill mean Medicare can continue to rise to meet those challenges. They allow us to direct resources where they are most effective, in prevention and early diagnosis. We all know that it's not just about good health policy; it's about good economic policy. Every dollar we spend preventing diseases saves much more down the track in hospital admissions, emergency care and lost productivity.

I want to acknowledge the process that has led to this legislation. This is not reform for reform's sake; it has been carefully considered and informed by extensive consultation. This has been led by providers, medical colleges, professional associations and patient advocates. They have all been at the table. Their expertise has shaped these changes, ensuring that what we legislate here is practical, evidence based and workable on the ground. That is how reform should be done—with respect, with rigour and with a focus on the outcomes that make a real difference to people's lives. At its heart, this isn't just about balance sheets or technical schedules; it's about people. It's about the mother who can get her test results quickly enough to start treatment early. It's about an older Australian whose chronic condition is managed so that they can remain independent and well in their own home. It's about a family that doesn't have to worry about whether they can afford a test that a doctor has ordered because Medicare is there to back them in. That is what this bill is protecting. That is what modernising Medicare means.

Medicare is one of the greatest achievements of our nation. It is built on the principle of fairness. Your access to health care should depend not on the size of your wallet but on your needs. It's about universality, it's about dignity and it's about knowing that when you or your loved ones need care, it will be there. Labor built Medicare, Labor has always defended Medicare and Labor will continue to strengthen Medicare because we believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. This bill is another chapter in that story, and it shows that we are not content to let Medicare stand still. We are making sure that it evolves with the times. We are making sure that it remains strong enough to face the challenges of the 21st century. We are making sure that it stays true to its founding principles of fairness, universality and access for all.

The choice before us is clear. If we fail to act, outdated funding structures will continue to waste resources and create inefficiencies. Patients will pay the price through longer waiting periods, reduced availability or creeping costs. But if we support this bill, we deliver a stronger Medicare—one that is simpler, fairer and better prepared to meet the health needs of all Australians. This is about practical reform. It's about commonsense reform. It is reform that is guided by our values here in Labor. I commend the Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) (Repeal) Bill 2025 to the Senate. It is the right step at the right time, and it is reform that strengthens Medicare for us today, for tomorrow and for the generations who will rely upon it after us.