Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyons not only for his question but also for his friendship over nine years. He's been a terrific representative of his electorate and a terrific advocate for a stronger Medicare in Tasmania, in particular. He was also a fierce advocate for a Medicare urgent care clinic in Bridgewater, north of Hobart, and I was delighted to visit it after it opened very late last year.

It's already seen more than 1,200 patients in only several weeks, and every single one of them has been fully bulk-billed. That is so important for Labor, because for Labor, bulk-billing has always been the beating heart of Medicare. It was from its very first day. But it has also always been very hard-fought. It was opposed by the AMA. Bulk-billing was opposed by the Liberal Party. Famously, John Howard called bulk-billing 'an absolute rort' and, of course, the Leader of the Opposition tried to abolish it altogether. Today, the latest data says that around four in five visits to the GP are bulk-billed. For me, that is too low. For Labor, that is too low. We would like to see it higher. But it must be said not everyone in this chamber shares that view.

Back when he was the health minister, the Leader of the Opposition did a radio interview on Radio National in August 2014—

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