Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

The increase is even higher in regional Australia, with that standard consult going up by as much as 50 per cent. This is on top of the largest across-the-board increase to the Medicare rebate, that also took effect that day, in more than 30 years, since Paul Keating was prime minister—a bigger increase in this year alone than those opposite managed in six long years in government. We are already receiving reports of practices returning to bulk-billing or reaffirming their commitment to stick with bulk-billing if they were reconsidering it.

The college of general practice called this investment a game changer, and it could not be more different to the approach from those opposite, particularly the approach from their leader—a health minister who said, it must be remembered, that in his view there were too many free Medicare services; a health minister who tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether and make every single patient pay a fee every single time they visited a doctor—every child, every pensioner, every concession card holder.

For Labor, bulk-billing is the beating heart of Medicare. Our historic investment is a huge boost in funding and confidence to the beleaguered general practice sector that was so neglected by the former government. Most importantly, it will make it easier and it will make it more affordable for millions of Australians to see their doctor.

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