My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. Labor created Medicare because we believe every Australian deserves access to quality and timely health care. Last year, the Albanese Labor government delivered the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago so more Australians could see a GP for free, where and when they need it. How is the government delivering real change by strengthening Medicare and helping Australians get the care that they need?

I thank Senator Dolega for his advocacy for public health and, in particular, for the health of Tasmanians. The senator is right—Labor does believe that Australians should see a doctor when they're sick, not merely when they can afford to, and it is why we're delivering the biggest investment in Medicare in its history. After a decade of neglect by the Liberals and the National Party, we are restoring every dollar that those opposite cut from bulk-billing, and we're seeing results. Since our bulk-billing investment kicked off on 1 November, over 3,800 GP practices are now fully bulk-billing. That is two years ahead of schedule. In Tasmania, Senator Dolega will be interested to know, that means more than eight out of 10 visits to the GP are for free, and that is up 5½ percentage points from last year. But that is not all. We're also making sure that Australians have somewhere to turn when they need urgent care. We've delivered 137 permanent Medicare urgent care clinics nationwide. In Senator Dolega's home state, enough Tasmanians have received care at Medicare urgent care clinics to sell out the UTAS stadium more than 10 times.

But it is more than just the numbers, senators. It means that, if your child wakes up with a high fever on a Sunday, if you get injured at a social sports game or if you need stitches, you do have somewhere to go without paying a bill. It also means you don't have to sit for hours in an emergency department for something that is not life-threatening, and it means that our hospitals can focus on the patients who genuinely need it.

So, when we talk about strengthening Medicare, it's not abstract for us. We are talking about sick children seeing a doctor. We are talking about a family getting urgent care without a bill. Labor will always protect and strengthen Medicare.

Senator Dolega, first supplementary?

When you're sick, the only card you need is your Medicare card, not your credit card. The PBS is a cornerstone of our health system, helping Australians access the medicines they need at an affordable price, because getting sick shouldn't mean having to choose between buying your medicines and paying the bills. Minister, how is the Albanese Labor government making medicines cheaper and more affordable for more Australians?

The senator is right. When you're sick, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether you can afford the medicine that you need. That has been the simple guiding principle of our government to deliver real change for Australians. It is why, in 2023, we delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS. And we didn't stop there. From 1 January this year, we went further, making sure that Australians will pay no more than $25 for a PBS medicine. The last time that medicines were this cheap was in 2004. As a reminder, Shannon Noll was topping the charts. Kath & Kim was on TV and Facebook was created. This is what real cost-of-living relief looks like.

If it were up to those opposite, if it were up to the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation, the maximum PBS payment would in fact be more than $50. Labor made medicines cheaper, and those opposite would actually have you pay more.

Senator Dolega, second supplementary?

It's clear that the Albanese Labor government's investments in Medicare are delivering real change for Australians, making it easier to see a doctor and get the medicines they need. We on this side of the chamber will always protect and strengthen Medicare. Minister, why is it important to protect and strengthen Medicare, and what risks are there to the government's approach?

On this side of the chamber we do know how important Medicare is, because it means Australians seeing a GP for free and cheaper medicines when they need them. But it seems that Medicare is a more mysterious concept for those opposite. Senator Ruston recently wrote to the department, asking, 'What is Medicare?' Well, Senator, Medicare looks after Australians when they need it the most.

Funnily enough, when we look around the chamber today, those opposite are showing some signs of needing Medicare themselves. The Liberal Party is presenting with a textbook and worrying case of policy malaise. The symptoms are very obvious—no aged-care policy taken to the election last time, a bizarre enthusiasm for higher taxes and now the entire party running a fever trying to out 'nation' One Nation. They're well past bulk-billing; this is a case for emergency. (Time expired)