Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Macarthur for moving this very important motion. As we all know, the member for Macarthur is a medical practitioner and paediatrician, and what he said in his speech is absolutely correct. It is evident that only a government led by Labor can be relied upon to prioritise and reinforce Medicare and ensure the safety of Medicare for the public. Only under a Labor administration will the pricing of essential medications remain stable.

Our commitment extends beyond mere rhetoric. We genuinely care about the health and accessibility of our healthcare system for all Australians—an Australia where your Medicare card counts and not your credit card. Our health minister wouldn't even consider taxing visits to the doctor, as we saw done by the previous health minister in the previous government, but that's exactly what the opposition leader was pushing for when he was minister. The proposal to slash $50 billion from Australian hospitals as advocated by the opposition leader defies common sense.

Under this Albanese Labor government, we've rolled out 87 Medicare urgent care clinics, including five in South Australia at Elizabeth, Marion, Morphett Vale, the western region of Royal Park, near my electorate, and Mount Gambier. Of course, many people are accessing these urgent care clinics, including those from my electorate at the one in the western region of Royal Park. The difference they've made is absolutely remarkable. It's evident that Australia benefits immensely from having more urgent Medicare clinics available, and expanding access to these urgent care centres improves our healthcare system for everyone. Of course, we'll continue to advocate for the possibility of extending this benefit to communities in the Adelaide electorate as well.

As I mentioned earlier, this government places a high priority on ensuring that people have access to the help and support that they need, including essential healthcare services and products. That's why we've also taken steps to expand the availability of free mental health services. We understand that mental health is a significant issue that can have a profound impact on individual lives. Our goal is to improve people's wellbeing and provide them with the support that they need to overcome mental health challenges, rather than limiting their options for treatment and recovery. We're ensuring that Australians can afford the medication and treatment that they require and are making sure it is a key priority for us.

It's concerning to think that anyone in Adelaide or elsewhere might feel unable to book a doctor's appointment or follow their prescribed medication regimen due to financial constraints. That's why we're working very hard to address these concerns. Our Minister for Health and Aged Care is actively working to ensure that more Australians don't have to face these tough choices, and I congratulate the member for Hindmarsh, the minister, for the absolutely brilliant work that he's done in this area.

We're increasing the availability of healthcare services in areas where there is a shortage and making medicines more affordable by reducing patient costs and improving access to them, as we've seen. One way we're doing this is by listing new medicines on the PBS. This initiative will help to ease the financial burden on Australians and ensure that they can access the medications that they need to stay healthy. All of these efforts are driven by our genuine concern for the wellbeing of every Australian. We care deeply about ensuring that everyone has access to the health care that they need, regardless of their financial circumstances and regardless of their credit card. The only card that should count is the Medicare card that all Australians have access to.

This is unlike the previous government. When they came into government in 2013, the health minister came in and chopped and changed the entire system. They took billions out of the healthcare service. That's why we need to restore that money and restore the services that we've always taken pride in as a nation: our Medicare system. It is so important that everyone has access to a doctor when they need one, and they will have access under this government.

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