Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ananda-Rajah for this question and for your advocacy for public health. The Albanese government is investing so that all Australians can get the help that they need when they need it. This budget furthers that work to strengthen Medicare and deliver real cost-of-living relief to families all around Australia. We're making Medicare urgent care clinics permanent, locking in access to public health care right around the country. It takes the pressure of emergency rooms and public hospitals, and it makes it so much easier for families. Senator O'Neill would be pleased to know that we will deliver up to six new fully bulk billing GP clinics in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Lower Hunter and Central Coast areas. Now, these communities have historically had low bulk-billing rates, and so we are bringing bulk-billed, accessible healthcare directly to them, and all they will need is a Medicare card.

We're going to deliver more upgrades to My Health Record so patients and health professionals can access health data in better ways. We're protecting older Australians from higher out-of-pocket costs for intravitreal eye injections, and we are stepping up our efforts to close the gap, improving health infrastructure across Aboriginal community controlled health services and increasing investment in culturally safe mental health support and for birthing on country.

Free public hospitals are a cornerstone of Medicare, and that is why we are delivering $25 billion in additional Commonwealth funding. That is $25 billion in additional funding for our public hospitals and the doctors and nurses who are the backbone of our public health system. It is three times more additional funding than under the last five-year agreement of Commonwealth funding for state-run hospitals, and it will reach a record $220 billion in the period— (Time expired)