Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

A very important milestone was celebrated on 1 February this year. The event that it celebrated occurred 40 years ago and it has shaped modern Australia for the better. Further, it was an event that has placed Australia head and shoulders above almost every other country in the world. I am of course referring to Medicare. To mark the 40th anniversary of Medicare, a special commemorative green card was produced, and, along with the Prime Minister, I was pleased to attend a small morning tea in the building.

Commemorative cards and cakes are wonderful and they certainly have their place, but an even better way to celebrate Medicare is to strengthen it. Let me recount a personal story that could be replicated all over the country by people of my vintage. It highlights why bulk-billing and the 40th anniversary of Medicare are so important. When I was about eight, my sister and I were both unwell. There was no Medicare, no bulk-billing and only enough money in my household for one doctor's visit. Suffice to say, my laryngitis lost out to my sister 's inability to breathe. I recount this story because the choice my parents made all those years ago was a choice that no parent should ever have to make. Thankfully, as members can attest, my voice survived the ordeal, my sister is still well and my family did not have to become bankrupt because of the medical costs.

Labor has always had Medicare's back. We thought of it, built it, added to it and we are always defending it. Few government programs are as widely loved or respected as Medicare. The program makes dilemmas of the type that my parents faced all those years ago a thing of the past. Perhaps it's the universality of Medicare that appeals—that is, regardless of position or status or where one went to school, Medicare applies to all without discrimination. The green card we have in our pocket or wallet is the envy of the rest of the world, and we intend to keep it that way. After years of neglect by the former government, the Albanese government is always looking for opportunities to make Medicare fit for purpose, and our record in just two years is impressive.

On the large scale, we've bolstered the backbone of Medicare: bulk-billing. We did this last year by tripling the bulk-billing incentive. This was one of the signature announcements of last year's budget, and it's worked. Even today we see another increase in the bulk-billing rate across the country. Every state and territory has seen an increase in bulk-billing since last year's budget. But it does not end there, which brings me to the legislation before us today. The previous government neglected Medicare. The heart, ideology and, importantly, budget dollars just weren't there. But all good ideas, even in practice, need to keep going and mature. This bill modernises bulk-billing and makes it easier to be bulk-billed. The bill addresses two things that were not addressed by the previous government: making bulk-billing arrangements easier and safeguarding Medicare from fraud. The result was that, when we came back to office two years ago, Medicare was open to fraud and bulk-billing arrangements were archaic.

The legislation before us will make reforms easier, particularly for patients and their practitioners. Under current arrangements, the Health Insurance Act sets out a complex method by which a patient can assign their Medicare benefit to either their insurer or their practitioner. This involves paper forms requiring two signatures. This bill will bring the assignment of benefit process into the 21st century. The proposed amendments before us will enable electronic and digital solutions to be used when seeking agreements to assign benefits for Medicare services. The end result will be a simpler process for both patients and practitioners and a stronger Medicare. There is still some work to be done regarding the forms and the systems that will be used in the new processes, and I know the appropriate practitioner representative organisations will be consulted in this process. We need to get it right the first time. But the bill is an important step after years of neglect by the previous government.

A stronger and fairer, fit-for-purpose Medicare is the aim of this bill and of this government. It's something that all Australians can agree on and it's something that Labor governments will always strive for. I commend the bill to the House.

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