Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. The Albanese Labor government was focused on strengthening Medicare and delivering cost-of-living relief in our first term of government. That included record investment in bulk-billing, delivering 87 urgent care clinics across the country and delivering the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. What action is the government taking in this term of parliament to strengthen Medicare and deliver cost-of-living relief to Australians?

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

Thank you, Senator Ananda-Rajah. I acknowledge your advocacy for Medicare and for public health in your time in the other place, and doubtless it will continue here. As your question notes, our government has already slashed the cost of medicines. In 2023, we delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS, with the maximum cost of a script falling to $30 from $42.50 previously. But we want to deliver even cheaper medicines, and that's why the government will make sure that a prescription on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme costs no more than $25. This is a 20 per cent cut in the maximum cost of medicines under the PBS, saving Australians more than $200 million a year. Pensioners and concession card holders will have the cost of their PBS medicines frozen at just $7.70 until 2030.

You'd have to go way back to 2004 for medicines to be this cheap. To remind people, 2004 was when Rove McManus won the Gold Logie. It's the year that Facebook was launched. It's the year Casey Donovan won Australian Idol, and it is the last time that medicines were this cheap. Make no mistake, this is what Labor governments do. This is what real cost-of-living relief looks like. We know that health care should be accessible for everybody—no matter how much you make, no matter where you live—and it's why we will deliver $8.5 billion to expand bulk-billing to every Australian to create a new incentive payment for practices that bulk-bill every patient. This will mean nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030. We will also open another 50 Medicare urgent care clinics, and, once all of these clinics are open, four out of five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of an urgent care clinic.

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

Senator Ananda-Rajah, first supplementary?

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the Albanese Labor government was first elected, the Royal Australian College of GPs described bulk-billing rates as in 'free fall'. What impact have the government's policies had to improve bulk-billing rates, ensuring more Australians can see a GP for free?

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

Medicare billing data shows that our record investment in Medicare saw an additional six million bulk-billed GP visits in the year to December 2024. That is an important achievement, especially because of what we inherited from those opposite. The previous government liked to inflate their bulk-billing figures by relying on the massive number of COVID-related bulk-billing appointments during the pandemic, like PCR swabs and vaccines. The coalition fudged the figures, magically producing a bulk-billing figure of 88 per cent just on the eve of the last election. The vice-president, no less, of the college of GPs called them out and said that 88 per cent figure was 'misleading' and 'significantly skewed'. And other experts described that as 'a great big lie', 'essentially rubbish' and 'completely meaningless'. We are taking a very different approach. (Time expired)

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

Senator Ananda-Rajah, second supplementary?

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government campaigned on making the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago, which will mean nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030. This approach received widespread support in the community and in the parliament. What progress has the government made on our plans to improve bulk-billing rates over this term of parliament and beyond?

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

On 23 February, the Prime Minister announced our policy, the most significant investment in Medicare's history, an investment that will see nine out of 10 GP visits bulk-billed by 2030. The coalition, Mr Dutton and Senator Ruston stood up that day and said quite a few things. They didn't just say that they liked our policy; they liked it so much in fact that they wanted parliament to be recalled to pass it. Do you remember that, Senator Ruston? That wasn't actually everything that Senator Ruston had to say on that day. She also talked about Peter Dutton, a man who has a very strong and proud track record as the Leader of the Opposition but also as the health minister. This was the shadow minister's favourite health minister. What did she like most about Peter Dutton, one wonders? Was it attempting to introduce the GP tax? Was that the favourite thing, Senator Ruston? Was it ripping billions out of public hospitals? We stand by our commitments in the campaign, and the question is: do you stand by yours? (Time expired)