Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to my mate the member for Hawke for bringing the motion forward. Health care should be accessible to everyone regardless of their income, but the sad reality is that too often people find it too hard to find a doctor who bulk-bills. This means that people are choosing between paying to see a doctor and covering other essential costs. We know that, when we are unwell, we want to see a doctor as soon as we possibly can, but too often people are finding it hard to get in to their GP. This means that people are left to suffer while waiting days before getting a medical opinion. I strongly believe in two things when it comes to health care: when you need help, you should be able to get it, and your Medicare, not your credit card, should be your ticket to high-quality, world-class health care. That should just be part of the privilege of being an Australian, and once upon a time this was the case. Somewhere along the way, we lost our way and became a country where health care is more accessible and more affordable for some than it is for others. This is wrong. Someone earning a healthy wage is not more deserving of quality health care quickly available to them than someone who is struggling to put food on the table.

That's why I am proud to be a member of this government, which actually is strengthening Medicare, not cutting it. This government is delivering 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics. These clinics are so important. When you go to the emergency department of a hospital, you're having a bad day. Too often someone's bad day is made even worse by having to wait hours to be seen by a doctor. This is because our emergency departments are under too much pressure, but the 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics will play a major role in taking away some of this pressure. These clinics are a way to make it easier for Australian families to see doctor when they need to. Some things are urgent but not life threatening, but sometimes the only option is to go to the emergency department, especially when it can take days to get to a GP. This adds to the pressure facing our hospitals. Having a Medicare urgent-care clinic near you means that, if you need medical attention urgently but are not in a position which is life threatening, you won't be stuck waiting in an emergency room for hours and hours. You won't be left hanging, waiting for the next available appointment for your GP.

Not only will these clinics relieve the pressure on emergency departments; they will also bulk-bill. All you need when attending one of these clinics is your Medicare card. Regardless of your financial situation, you will have the care available to you when you need it. This is the way it should be, and my electorate is lucky enough to be receiving one of these new Medicare urgent-care clinics in Cessnock. I'm excited to say that this clinic is scheduled to be opened next month. It was an honour to have the Prime Minister come to my electorate during the federal election campaign and announce that Cessnock would be receiving one of these clinics. I know from speaking to people around Cessnock that this clinic will be well received and will definitely be used by many who need it.

Cessnock is a perfect case study for why these clinics are so desperately needed. Cessnock is rapidly growing, with a population edging over 60,000, but the hospital has not kept up with the population growth. This is not a reflection on the staff; they are all amazing and do a great job. To them I say: thank you for the hard work that you all put in and the hours you do and efforts you make to keep us all safe and well. But the emergency department is just under too much pressure. Making matters worse, there are limited GPs which do have bulk-billing available, and the ones which do are under lots and lots of pressure right now as well. The urgent-care clinic will mean that Cessnock's growing population will not have to wait hours in the emergency room at the Cessnock Hospital or be forced to make the half-hour drive to Maitland Hospital to be seen by a doctor.

My electorate and the community of Cessnock need this clinic, and I want to thank the Prime Minister and Minister for Health for looking out for the health of the people in the Hunter.

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