Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm always happy to stand and speak in this House about the Albanese government's record when it comes to health care. We haven't been in government long, but when it comes to health care we've managed to get a lot of reform done. Of all the policy differences between us on this side of the House and those opposite, I think the biggest contrast can be seen in health care. The difference is stark between what we are already doing on this side of the House and the record left by the Leader of the Opposition during his time as health minister.

The government is tackling the bulk-billing challenge left by those opposite head on. We have allocated $3.5 billion to triple the Medicare bulk-billing incentive, helping over 11 million Australians to see a doctor without having to pay out-of-pocket costs. Bulk-billing incentive payments in metro areas will grow from $6.60 to $20.65 with indexation, and payments in the most remote areas of the country will go from $12.70 to $39.65. These are massive increases that will make a material difference to the ability of families and pensioners to see a GP.

Why is this investment so vital? It's about addressing the fundamental principle that health care should never be a privilege but should be a right for all Australians. It's about making sure that you rely on your Medicare card, not your credit card, when it comes to seeing a doctor. By making primary health care more affordable and accessible, we are reducing unnecessary emergency department presentations and hospital admissions, because we know that the cost to the taxpayer is far greater when someone has to go to the emergency department than when they are in a GP setting.

This is smart healthcare policy and smart fiscal policy, and it's exactly the sort of policy that was required after a decade of neglect under the Liberal Party—a decade of neglect of bulk-billing combined with $50 billion of cuts to our hospitals. There could never be a greater contrast between the record of this government and the record of the now Leader of the Opposition from when he was health minister. He oversaw freezes to the Medicare rebate, the crippling of bulk billing, GP taxes, and cuts to hospitals, so it's no surprise that the now Leader of the Opposition was crowned the worst health minister in 40 years by the AMA. So, while we have to acknowledge that we're coming from a very long way behind when it comes to rebuilding Medicare and our healthcare system, we are determined to get on with it.

In my electorate, I was thrilled that 60 GP clinics across Reid were awarded a combined $1.7 million in funding through the Albanese Labor government's Strengthening Medicare—General Practice Grants Program. These grants will allow participants to invest in innovation, training, equipment and capital works and will help GPs to improve the health of my community. And we're not stopping there, because we understand there's a lot more to do when it comes to making sure that more people can see a doctor without being charged a gap fee. Part of that is making sure that every part of our health system is working to its full scope of practice. That means doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals—all of them—working to the limits of their professional capability so that we can get better outcomes for patients.

I thank the Minister for Health and Aged Care for his work on the independent review being led by Professor Mark McCormack in this space. This is the hard work of government—the consultation, the listening—and this is the vision required to reform our health system so that it is fit for purpose in the 21st century. Frankly, this is the work that should have been done long ago, because there are few responsibilities a government has which are greater than ensuring that its people can get access to affordable health care.

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