Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025. I do not agree with the amendment that was moved by the member for Brisbane, and I support the amendment that was moved by the member for Farrer.

This entire legislation is essentially an omnibus of health measures following legislative changes in the course of this parliament. The provisions relate to the effective administration of health benefit schemes—in particular, the power to detect, respond to, investigate, disclose and deter misconduct, fraud and noncompliance. It is intended that this bill will amend a number of acts, including the Health Insurance Act, the National Health Act, the Human Services (Medicare) Act, the Dental Benefits Act, the Therapeutic Goods Act and the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act.

In view of the title of this legislation and the fact that the Minister for Health and Aged Care today in question time referred to the fact that Medicare has recently turned 41, I think it is entirely appropriate that we look at how Medicare is performing, and I want to draw attention to some of the issues that I am confronting and my electorate of Hughes is confronting within southern Sydney and south-west Sydney.

First of all, we hear over and over again from those in government, particularly the health minister, that bulk-billing rates have improved and that there are more GPs now than there were under the former government. It did not take me very long to do a tiny little bit of research to understand that that is certainly not the case in most parts of the country and not the case in my electorate.

Only four practices in my electorate now bulk bill in their entirety. Sixteen per cent of general practices in Hughes bulk bill in some instances, usually for children 16 years and under and for those with a health services card. But, most tellingly, during the lifetime of this Albanese Labor government more than 20 general practices in my electorate have changed the way that they bill. Over two years and nine months, most of the GPs in my electorate have found that they can no longer bulk bill. I found that, overall, bulk-billing services have plummeted by 11 per cent since the Albanese Labor government came to office. That is 2.4 million fewer GP services being provided to Australians. Out-of-pocket costs overall have risen by 5.5 per cent during the term of this government.

So, when those in government, particularly the minister for health, stand there and say that we have more GPs than ever, that health services have increased and that the cost of health has decreased—we hear about cheaper health care—that is simply not true. It is disingenuous for the Albanese Labor government and a very senior minister to be floating that particular line.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recently published data—this was at the end of last year, so it is very current—showing the Medicare bulk billing of GP attendances by month. What that has shown in my electorate particularly is that the rates have declined from about 80 per cent in 2022 to 68 per cent. Again, this is more evidence, not from our side but from other organisations, to say that Medicare bulk-billing under this government has failed. The Australian Medical Association announced just this week that it is putting forward a $4.5 billion plan to modernise Medicare and lift bulk-billing. So not even the Australian Medical Association supports the government's—and, particularly, the health minister's—proposition that it has provided cheaper health care and that Medicare is a success under it. I would certainly consider that if the government intends to continue with the line that Medicare is safe in its hands and that it has boosted our public health system. Again, that is simply, completely disingenuous. We've now got three reports from three different organisations that support that position.

If I can turn now to another couple of issues that the government, those on that side, have championed and called their own, we'll start first of all with endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. Endometriosis is a debilitating chronic condition that can be very hard to diagnose. Often, those suffering wait an average of seven years before diagnosis. It can lead to infertility in women, and it is extremely, extremely painful. It is pleasing to see that the government and the health minister have opened some endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across the country. However, this was done on the back of the initial inquiry that commenced under the former coalition government and came about as recommendations from that report.

I've written to the minister on this issue. I notice that the assistant minister is here in the chamber; I have also met with her, and I thank the assistant minister for her time on this issue. For women in my electorate of Hughes to access one of those clinics, it is at least an hour and a half's drive. I'm in southern Sydney, in the Sutherland Shire, and our nearest clinic, which the health minister very helpfully directed me to, is the Women's Health Centre in the Southern Highlands. That's in Mittagong. From Sutherland, it would take close to two hours to drive there, and the minister thought that that was acceptable for the women in my electorate. It's simply not acceptable. When I look through the list of where those clinics have been located, it appears that this has been Labor very carefully, very strategically choosing to locate those clinics in areas that are either very marginal or that supported Labor coming into power in 2022. There has been no help here for the women in my electorate, for women of southern Sydney and for women of south-western Sydney.

Then, while we're on the issue of female health, last week I was doing a mobile office, and a lady called Jodie Treuil came to me. She said that I could mention her in parliament. She said, 'If there is one thing that I could ask you to do, Jenny, it is to look at female health particularly.' I said, 'Yes, I've got a particular interest in it.' She raised a couple of things. She said first of all that, only a couple of months ago, one of her very close friends took her own life as a result of depression caused by symptoms of menopause. She said, 'We are not doing enough for menopause.' I said, 'There has been a Senate inquiry into menopause, and so far the health minister has not acted on all of those recommendations that were made.' Again, that is saying to me that this health minister and this Albanese Labor government do not care about women's health. Jodie also said to me, 'Jenny, why is it that hormone replacement therapy is generally not covered on the PBS and yet Viagra is?' She said, 'I don't want to take Viagra off the PBS, but I want women's hormone replacement therapy put on there.' She said maybe it could have saved her girlfriend's life.

That is also a very serious issue, and, again, although there are some menopause clinics that have been established throughout Sydney and throughout the country, there are none available in my electorate. My electorate stretches across Sutherland Hospital, Liverpool Hospital and Campbelltown Hospital in the south-west of Sydney, which is one of the areas growing fastest in population. There are no menopause clinics available to women in my electorate. Again, I see this as a massive failure by the Albanese Labor government, a massive failure for women, showing that the noise that they make about caring about women's health is simply not borne out by their actions. They do not seem to want to put any money into women's health in my electorate or in southern Sydney overall.

I will now talk to one other issue that I have been battling the health minister about. I have a practice in my electorate at Holsworthy. It's called Wattle Grove Family Medical Practice. It has over 3,000 patients on its books. There are currently three GPs only. Many of the patients are veterans' families because of the location at Holsworthy. Dr John Stanford, who runs that practice, has been trying now for close to a year to get another GP registrar into that practice. He said that the failure to have that other registrar is providing much longer wait times for patients, and he's also concerned about the mental health of his other GPs because of their workload with this.

I have written to Minister Butler. He doesn't reply; his chief of staff does—'a matter for the minister'. I wrote to Minister Butler on this. He kicked the can down the road and said, 'Oh, it's not me; it's the RACGP.' I went to them. I met with the president, who is in my electorate, and she said: 'No, no, no. This is firmly in the hands of the minister.' After 12 months I am still unable to get any assistance from the minister to help the men, women and children of Holsworthy and of my electorate with an extra GP registrar. Again I say that this shows that this minister and this Labor government do not care about the health of my electorate. They do not care about the health of women, men and children in southern and south-western Sydney.

When I have to sit here in question time or at other times and hear the Minister for Health and Aged Care talking about great announcements and how they've produced cheaper Medicare and more bulk-billing, that is simply not borne out by the evidence. When I have to hear him saying that Labor is the party for women, that is simply not borne out by the evidence that I have seen in my electorate. I would like the health minister to answer this: why is it that he does not care about the health of women, the health of men and the health of children in my electorate of Hughes?

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