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

I thank the terrific member for Lingiari, because she and the member for Solomon are a formidable team—constantly pressing the case for better health care in the Territory, like the second rescue helicopter and the second plane that we've been able to deliver to CareFlight to ensure year-round coverage for the Northern Territory and finally delivering a medical school at CDU for the Territory, which was pressed for by both members. But I want to acknowledge the relentless advocacy by the member for Solomon for that project, which we delivered in this week's budget.

The member for Lingiari also promised at the last election an urgent care clinic for Alice Springs, and she has delivered that project. It's been operated by the legendary Congress organisation, and it's already seen several thousand patients, all fully bulk-billed. Billy, a young 16-year-old First Nations man, was taken to the clinic by ambulance. He was feverish and he was unsteady on his feet because he had an infection between his shoulder and his neck that had swollen to the size of a tennis ball. He was tested, he had intravenous antibiotics, he had fluids and pain relief, and he was then released home to be brought back in for ongoing wound care. We all know that without that he would have ended up in the Alice Springs Hospital. Across Australia, there have been 400,000 patients seen in clinics right across the country delivering fully bulk-billed urgent care and taking that pressure off the hospital system. This budget, this week, delivered 29 more clinics, which will be rolled out across the country.

Beyond urgent care, as I just said in response to the member for Farrer's question, bulk-billing has started to climb as well by four per cent for GP visits in the member for Lingiari's electorate. For Labor, that's important. For us, that's important. We know that not for everyone is it important. We remember when the Leader of the Opposition said as health minister that there are too many free Medicare services. We remember when he tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether. I'm asked about the decade of cuts and neglect. It started 10 years ago this week when the Leader of the Opposition delivered the worst health budget in Australian history, a very big reason I'm sure why Australia's doctors voted him the worst health minister in the Medicare era.

It wasn't just the doctors; he didn't last 15 months before being punted from the health portfolio by Tony Abbott. Let's be frank; you've got to be going pretty badly before Tony Abbott considers you a political liability.

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