Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the honourable member for Macarthur for bringing this motion to the House. I welcome any opportunity to talk about that proud Australian and Labor institution that is Medicare. It's universal caring—something that is actually in my DNA.

Medicare celebrated its 40th birthday on 1 February this year, and doesn't it look good. Thanks to the Hawke Labor government and the vision of Gough Whitlam before that, Australians have had access to high-quality universal health care ever since. There have been a few hiccups, obviously, but Medicare guarantees every Australian access to a wide range of health and hospital services at low or no cost, because all Australians make a contribution. In the last financial year alone, over 26.5 million Medicare customers put in close to 460 million claims.

So we know that Medicare is certainly going strong—and I say this proudly—in spite of the efforts of successive coalition governments to weaken it. We all remember Malcolm Fraser and John Howard having a crack at Medibank and Medicare. That was followed by further attacks during the dismal Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison wandering wilderness years. The now Leader of the Opposition, in his time as the Minister for Health, froze the Medicare rebate, which has meant a substantial decline in the number of GPs that are bulk-billing—something that, as our health minister says, is the beating heart of our health system. I remember that he also tried to establish the GP tax; he tried adding $5 to the cost of every script; and he ripped up the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services, denying that crucial plank in the health system $200 million. The member for Dickson also cut $50 billion from public hospitals. He even abolished Health Workforce Australia, leaving the nation exposed to medical workforce shortages—something that nearly every previous speaker on this motion has spoken about. I understand the member for Riverina saying that the country is having problems. Even the city is having trouble recruiting doctors at the moment.

In opposition, the member for Dickson led the blocking of legislation for 60-day prescriptions. He just said no. Cheaper prescriptions have saved Australians more than $370 million since January last year. It's good for people organising their lives, and it helps us contain inflation, obviously.

The Albanese Labor government has Medicare's back, and we're committed to strengthening it even further. We're investing nearly $3 billion in this year's budget on a range of crucial measures, such as funding a further 29 urgent care clinics across the nation—bringing the total to 87. I recently had the pleasure of visiting the urgent care clinic service in Brisbane's southside, and I heard firsthand from the staff there how they're taking the pressure off the nearby emergency departments and making it easier for people to see a doctor or nurse—all bulk-billed, of course.

Speaking of bulk-billing, the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive in November 2023 has enabled an additional 950,000 bulk-billed trips to the GP. As the Minister for Health and Aged Care has said, bulk-billing is the beating heart of Medicare, and, at a time of cost-of-living pressures, bulk-billing means that going to the doctor does not impact on the family budget.

Labor understands that mental health supports are vital, which is why we are investing $360 million over four years to expand the free services available. These include a new national early-intervention service, as well as funding Primary Health Networks to employ skilled mental health staff to support patients with complex needs. We're also providing free direct help through psychiatrists and psychologists at 61 Medicare mental health centres.

Labor is also implementing targeted support to women suffering from pelvic pain and endometriosis. From July next year, the Medicare Benefits Schedule will have two new items, to enable extended consults of 45 minutes and increased rebates. This $49 million investment will support approximately 430,000 more services to women across the country.

Strengthening Medicare also directly helps Australians with cost-of-living pressures. Labor has already made medicines cheaper with the 60-day prescriptions, and we have now frozen the maximum cost of a PBS medicine to $31.60—a reduction of 29 per cent. Pensioners and concession card holders will pay a maximum of $7.70. All of this is part of making sure that we've got health professionals who can work with all of the challenges of Australia. You can trust only a Labor government to continue investing in and strengthening Medicare.

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