Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Hansard source

Many of us wouldn't live anywhere but in the bush. But the fact is that the further you live away from the cities then the more challenging access to health services becomes. If you live in regional, rural or remote Australia, you are likely to be: firstly, older; secondly, sicker; and thirdly, poorer health outcomes are in line for you than your city cousins. If we're ever going to turn these damning statistics around then access to your local GP means everything.

Medicare is the foundation of our primary healthcare system. I have to agree with Minister Butler when he said 'Bulk billing is the beating heart of Medicare.' But despite those words, Medicare has been significantly weakened since Labor came to government two long years ago. Under Labor it's never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor. Since July last year, the GP bulk-billing rate has decreased by four per cent. That is despite this government pumping millions of taxpayer dollars into bulk-billing incentives. That has obviously failed. Bulk billing has plummeted by 11 per cent since this government came into power. It's fallen from 88.5 per cent under the former Liberal National government to just 77 per cent under Minister Butler.

Over the same period, we've also seen 3.1 million fewer GP attendances. That's because it's never been harder or more expensive to see that doctor. It's hurting Australians. It is hurting them in their hip pockets at a time when they are already struggling under serious rising cost-of-living pressures. Due to cost concerns alone, 1.2 million Australians avoided seeing a GP last year. We already know the flow-on effects that has: more patients are being pushed into our overflowing emergency departments. Therefore, I ask the minister: is the government concerned about patients being pushed towards our overburdened hospital system because of increasing costs and the difficulties accessing a GP?

It's not rocket science when we start talking about workforce challenges. The key issue that everyone faces when they need to see a GP is there just aren't GPs available in the bush or in the regions. You don't need another inquiry to work that out; all you need to do is listen to local communities and they'll tell you loud and clear. It's obvious to me that Minister Butler hasn't listened because he has not addressed this in this budget. There is nothing to incentivise new locally-trained GPs. There is nothing to implement a comprehensive national workforce strategy, which is so desperately needed. This is simply bad oversight as far as I'm concerned. It's bad for patients and preventative health outcomes, it is bad for the hip pockets of struggling Australians and it is bad for our already under pressure hospital systems.

According to the Royal Australian College of GPs, the Australian GP shortfall is expected to approach 11,000 by 2031. This is because fewer medical graduates are choosing general practice as a speciality. Why? Why would a junior doctor become a GP when they're paid about three-quarters of the salary of their counterparts in hospitals? Why would you do it? This pay gap is one of biggest disincentives to choosing a career in general practice, along with the loss of paid leave. That's why the Liberal Nationals government announced a $400 million plan to incentivise more junior doctors to enter GP practice. It should be re-implemented. This will provide junior doctors with the direct financial incentive payments, assistance with leave entitlements and support for prevocational training.

I've also seen firsthand, through the Burnie Rural Clinic School, the impact of home-trained GP graduates and the effect that has on a region. They train locally. They come from the local region, and they stay and work locally. Therefore, they're more likely to remain in those regional areas. It's critical to delivering the essential health care that every Australian would expect no matter where they live. Our initiative will address Labor's primary care crisis. Therefore I ask the minister— (Time expired)

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