Josh Dolega (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to contribute to this debate on Senator Ruston's motion, and I'd like to start off by echoing the words of my colleague Senator Ananda-Rajah and thank her for her very intelligent and considered approach and her expertise in this field. It goes to show that on this side we have a caucus with people of all walks, who have all sorts of information from their backgrounds, and from the medical profession we've got an absolute gem with us.

We know that as people get older their needs change and trips to the doctor become more frequent, medicines become part of their daily life, and the healthcare system becomes something they rely on even more. For older Australians in particular, that reliance comes down to one simple question: can I access the care when I need it? The truth is, not long ago, too many Australians were asking exactly that. When we came to government in 2022 it had never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor. Bulk-billing was in freefall after a decade of cuts and neglect of Medicare. For pensioners and retirees in particular, that mattered.

That's why the Albanese Labor government has been investing in Medicare, because Medicare is built on that simple principle: health care should be accessible, regardless of your income, your age or where you live—and that matters more, not less, as Australians get older. That's why strengthening Medicare has been the Albanese Labor government's priority. We're not just maintaining a system; we're rebuilding it, we're strengthening it and we're making sure it works for everybody, especially those who rely on it the most.

In our first term, we got to work. We delivered more bulk-billing, more doctors and cheaper medicines. We opened 87 Medicare urgent care clinics across the country. For older Australians, that has meant something practical. It means being able to see a doctor without worrying about the cost. It means having somewhere to go for urgent care without sitting for hours in a hospital emergency department. It means knowing the system is there when you need it. But we do know that there's more to do. That's why we've been making the largest investments in Medicare in over 40 years. We've put in over $8.5 billion to rebuild access to care. We've restored bulk-billing to ensure Australians and older Australians can see a doctor when they need to.

Again, I'll echo the words of my colleague, Senator Ananda-Rajah: keeping people out of hospital and preventing the need to go to hospital matters—having care where people can access it and where they need it at an affordable level with just their Medicare card. We're already seeing more practices move to fully bulk-billing. Who would have thought? These things don't just happen by accident; they happen because Labor governments implement the policies to give people access to the essential services that they need. We are investing in the GP workforce that supports that care. We're training more GPs, and we're bringing more doctors into the healthcare systems because access isn't just about affordability; it's making sure that healthcare providers are available for every Australian.

Our Medicare urgent care clinics are also making a real difference. In Tassie, we have got fantastic clinics across Burnie, Devonport and Launceston and around the greater Hobart area. They are making a difference. They are accessible. People can get to them within 20 minutes. It's incredible. Medicare urgent care clinics have been taking the pressure off the hospital system. They've been reducing the demand on emergency departments so hospitals can focus on that critical care. At urgent care clinics, people can go in and get that care that they need, whether they've fallen off their bike and they need to get patched up or they've been bitten by an insect and had a reaction. Urgent care clinics are there for you. They have extended hours, and you can just walk in.

And then there's medicine, and older Australians know a lot about having medicines. My nan in particular used to have quite a lot. Under the PBS, scripts are frozen at $25. But, for seniors and concession card holders, that's $7.70 until the end of the decade. Australians have saved more than $2.6 billion on the costs of their scripts thanks to Labor and our commitment to making medicines cheaper. That makes a difference, and it means that people aren't forced to choose between paying a bill and filling a script. It means that they can stick to the treatment plans and achieve better health. Labor is taking action to keep people healthy and have the care that they need.