Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

Since coming to office, our Labor government has been focused on strengthening Medicare. After a decade of cuts and neglect under the former Liberal government, we've seen a stabilisation in bulk-billing—we've seen a big increase of nearly eight per cent in communities like mine—and we've seen the opening of new services like urgent care clinics and Medicare mental health centres. As a pharmacist, as a regional MP and as the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Regional and Rural Health, I know there is more to do but I also know that, after a decade of cuts and neglect, we have made progress.

I note, Deputy Speaker Chesters, the big increase in bulk-billing that we've seen in your community in Bendigo since tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. As I said, as a registered pharmacist, someone who was the chief pharmacist at our local hospital and someone who's worked in health care their whole life, I know there is more to do but I'm so pleased to see what we've been able to achieve so far. I also know what's at risk if we aren't re-elected.

I think it's important to remember it was the Hawke Labor government that established Medicare 41 years ago, and it was opposed at every point. We've gone to elections about Medicare. We've been taken to court about Medicare. Only Labor believes in Medicare, believes universal health care and believes in health care for all Australians, wherever they live and whatever they can afford.

At the last election, we committed to two Medicare urgent care clinics on the Central Coast. In late 2023, the Umina and Lake Haven Medicare urgent care clinics opened, offering free walk-in urgent care seven days a week over extended hours. I am so pleased to update the House that, since opening, the Lake Haven Medicare Urgent Care Clinic has seen more than 15,000 people. That's 15,000 local people who've been able to have walk-in free quality care. It's also important to let the House know that almost a third of those people are children under 15. It's become a trusted alternative to the emergency department, particularly for families. Almost a third of those visits are out of hours. People would otherwise have been forced to go to an already stretched emergency department. This is making such a big difference in the community that I live in and represent.

Recently, I was pleased to officially launch the Medicare mental health centre in Tuggerah Business Park. It is offering free walk-in mental health support and care for everyone. I note my colleague, the member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, is here. She's a really strong and passionate advocate for mental health services and she was delighted to also have the opportunity to be at the official opening of the service in her community, as well. This is making such a big difference to people in communities right across the country. This is free walk-in care for people, and they don't need a referral or have to wait for an appointment. They are able to access psychologists, counsellors and social workers.

As the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, I was so pleased to be able to secure nearly $30 million in additional funding to establish a virtual network that means psychologists and psychiatrists are available in every centre. If someone walks into a centre in Richmond, in Macquarie, or they walk into the centre in Tuggerah on the Central Coast, they will be connected to a network of specialist psychiatrists and psychologists who are able to meet their needs. It's making such a big difference.

I've worked in mental health and health for all of my working life. We have worked collaboratively with the states and territories, with service providers and with clinicians to be able to reform mental health and suicide prevention in Australia. Soon, we will have a new national early intervention service where anyone in distress who needs support can call up over the phone or video and be given that earlier intervention. We know the earlier the intervention, the less the impact and duration of their distress.

We're also, as I mentioned, rolling out Medicare mental health centres where someone can walk in without an appointment and without a referral to get free wraparound support and care because we know that sometimes the support that someone needs is holistic wraparound support and care. As I mentioned, as someone who has worked in acute mental health inpatient units in Wyong Hospital in my electorate, I cannot express the profound difference that putting mental health in the heart of Medicare and putting services in the heart of communities is making to people right around the country.

I want to finish with the story of Ken from Gladstone— (Time expired)

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