Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. Can the minister provide an update on how the Albanese government is delivering on its commitment to introduce Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia? How are these clinics helping Australians access affordable health care when they need it, and how are they helping to alleviate pressure on hospital emergency departments?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bilyk for the question. It's an important question about Medicare and about new models of care, with the Medicare urgent care clinics that we promised during the election. We are delivering on that promise. The first 30 of the 58 Medicare urgent care clinics have opened their doors and are helping Australians to get timely and affordable access to the health care they need. We have committed $493 million over five years to establish these Medicare urgent care clinics. This is a new approach to providing care for people who require medical treatment urgently but don't need an ambulance or a hospital stay. The Medicare urgent care clinic provides another option for people to seek the medical care that they need. These clinics are open extended hours, seven days a week. They're being established in existing general practices and community health centres, to make the best use of existing facilities and leverage the existing workforce. All of the services provided by the Medicare urgent care clinics are bulk-billed, with highly trained doctors and nurses to provide care at the Medicare urgent care clinics with no need for an appointment. The urgent care clinics deliver service from the time people walk in right through to fixing people up, so that the people then leave without putting pressure on emergency departments.

This morning I joined with the ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, to announce that from today Medicare urgent care clinics will be integrated across the very successful Canberra Health Services walk-in centres across Canberra Health Services' five locations at Gungahlin, Belconnen, Dickson, Weston and Tuggeranong. Funding to integrate the walk-in centres with the urgent care clinic network will increase the number of nurses and allied health professionals to increase coverage at all centres. Open seven days a week across extended hours, all services will be fully bulk-billed. The clinics are jointly funded, with the Commonwealth providing $7.1 million over three years to the ACT government for this purpose.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, first supplementary?

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the Minister outline how the Albanese Labor government is working with states and territories to make sure local health needs are reflected in the planning and delivery of this new model of care? How are the Medicare urgent care clinics being integrated with existing health and hospital services, including general practice and hospital emergency departments?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bilyk for the supplementary. It's really important that the Medicare urgent care clinics are integrated with the services provided by GPs and by hospital EDs. Through working closely with the states and territories, we're ensuring that services provided from the Medicare urgent care clinics are responsive to the needs of local communities. We're also working with GPs and PHNs to ensure the urgent care clinics are set up to deliver the end-to-end care that people need. By working to ensure quality of services provided by the urgent care clinics, we will help ease pressure on hospital emergency departments, which we know that we have to do. In New South Wales, for example, it's estimated that almost half of emergency departments to New South Wales—

President, I can't even hear myself think because of Senator Ruston. I can't.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Scarr.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just resume your seat for a moment.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I do a point of order for myself—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

which is that Senator Ruston has not stopped. I started speaking and she started speaking, and I would ask you to draw her to order.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Gallagher. I'll wait for silence in the chamber. I have asked you repeatedly, Senator Ruston, to listen in respectful silence. I was about to ask Senator Ruston again to listen in respectful silence. Your constant interjections are disorderly, and I ask you to stop. Minister, please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. We know that they've got a sore point on Medicare, because we know what they did to Medicare. They cut Medicare, and they can't stand the fact that there's a government in town that's investing in Medicare and actually delivering the health services that people need, something that Senator Ruston failed to do when she— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, second supplementary?

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

():  How do the Medicare urgent care clinics complement other actions that the Albanese government is taking to strengthen Medicare and improve Australia's primary healthcare system for the benefit of communities? Why are these actions vital to ensuring Australians continue to have access to affordable, high-quality health services?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Would you like to start, Senator Ruston? Your time starts now. Tell us about the cuts you made to Medicare. Tell us about the GP tax that Peter Dutton brought in. Tell us about the failure index the Medicare bulk-billing rates and the MBS items. Tell us about that. I'll give you an extension of time to do that—to actually front up and be honest about what you did to Medicare and the fact that we are now investing billions of dollars into the workforce, into the support for services and into new ways of doing things through the Medicare urgent care clinics, right across this country, that you have never supported and have always criticised. And what do we see now? Thousands and thousands of people, out of hours or on weekends, with their kids, when they get sick, being able to access fully bulk-billed services, something that you never dealt with and that we have dealt with in the first 18 months. We have 30 centres across the country providing this service to the Australian community, at no charge, to make sure they can access the health services they need when they need them. (Time expired)