Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I want to first thank the member for Chifley for his question. We had some good news for patients today: we saw that bulk-billing rates are up to 82 per cent. That puts them at equal historic highs. Indeed, in the member for Chifley's electorate, 99.1 per cent of GP services are bulk-billed—a phenomenal achievement, and a sharp contrast with the 67 per cent rock-bottom rates reached when the Leader of the Opposition was the health minister. We all remember how he slashed training places, leading to doctor shortages.

Sadly, times have not changed—because the party that killed Medibank now wants to kill Medicare Locals. Australians are rightly proud of our universal health system, and Medicare Locals are the logical extension of our universal system. The decisions are made by local doctors, local nurses, local health workers, communities and patients—decisions made by communities themselves rather than a one-size-fits-all approach from Canberra. All of this is helping make a stronger, smarter, fairer Australia.

Last week we had confirmation from those opposite that of those local health workers, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, podiatrists, speech pathologists and pharmacists, thousands will get the sack if Tony Abbott ever becomes Prime Minister—

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