My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator McAllister. Delivering affordable health care for Australians who need it most has been a key priority of the Albanese Labor government, because when Australians are sick they shouldn't have to worry about whether they can afford the health care they need. That includes delivering the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS and continuing to list more medicines every month. How is the government making more medicines cheaper and delivering real change for Australians who need it?

I thank Senator Ananda-Rajah for her continuing interest in Australia's public health system. There is a simple principle at the heart of what we are doing, and it is this: when you are sick, you shouldn't have to worry about whether you can afford your medicine. It's why our government did deliver the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS. Medicines on the PBS now cost no more than $25—and we haven't stopped there. Every month we are listing more cheaper medicines on the PBS so that Australians with serious and chronic conditions can access the treatments that they need. From next month, that will include Australians living with a particular genetic form of motor neurone disease.

Luke Edmondson is one of the Australians that will benefit from this cheaper medicine. Luke's story is that he was 28 when he was diagnosed with MND. He had a new baby. He had just spent five years going through tests before genetic testing confirmed that he had the particular mutation in the SOD1 gene, and he described that diagnosis as 'a cloud hanging not over just my head, but my loved ones as well'. No government could ever take away exactly how hard a diagnosis like that is, but a government can make sure that, when a new treatment becomes available, the cost doesn't put it out of reach.

From 1 October, Qalsody will be listed on the PBS for Australians living with this particular genetic form. Without the PBS, it could cost up to $28,600 per script. With the PBS, eligible patients will pay no more than $25. It's the second treatment for MND that's been listed on the PBS under our government. For Luke, and other Australians living with MND, we want to make sure that there are more treatments within reach. This is the difference that cheaper medicines can make, and this is what the Albanese Labor government will continue to deliver.

Senator Ananda-Rajah, first supplementary?

Personalised treatments are a game changer. At the heart of a strong Medicare is a simple principle: when you need to see a doctor, you shouldn't have to worry about the cost. How is the Albanese Labor government making it easier for Australians to see a bulk billed GP and investing in the workforce to provide that care?

When you're sick, you shouldn't have to worry about seeing a GP and paying a bill. That is why the Albanese government made the single largest investment in Medicare history. It was necessary because, after a decade of cuts and neglect, bulk billing was in freefall. Today, it is back on the rise. Today, more than eight out of 10 visits to the GP are free. Of course, bulk billing only works if there is a doctor available to see you. The decade of cuts put more than pressure on the family budget; it also saw doctors leave the system in droves. We are rebuilding that workforce. We're expanding GP training and we're expanding Commonwealth supported places. More doctors joined our system in the last two years than at any time in the past decade under those opposite. In 2026, around 2,100 doctors will begin government funded GP training. That is the largest cohort on record.

Senator Ananda-Rajah, second supplementary?

General practice is the backbone of Medicare. We on this side of the chamber know that Medicare is one of the great Australian institutions. It means being able to see a GP with your Medicare card and getting the medicines you need without worrying about whether you can afford them. Minister, how is the Albanese Labor government strengthening Medicare to deliver real change for Australians, and are there any risks to this approach?

We do know the difference that a stronger Medicare makes in people's lives. We hear from parents who can take a sick child to the doctor without worrying about the bill. We hear from Australians who can see a doctor early, before a small health problem becomes something that is much more serious. That is what bulk billing is all about. But it is worth remembering that those opposite—the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation—take a very different view. When those opposite were last in government, they wanted Australians to pay a GP co-payment. They had to walk that back, and you might have thought they'd learnt from that, but the following year the current Leader of the Opposition, Mr Taylor, argued that the coalition's approach in fact should go further. He said it should 'extend across the health system'. That is not a vision for Medicare. That is not a vision for public health. That is not the Medicare that Australians deserve. Those opposite have never valued Medicare since its inception. We will, on this side of the chamber, always protect— (Time expired)