Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Human Services. Would the minister inform the House what action the government is taking to make Medicare rebates easier to claim?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a great question from the member for McPherson, and I appreciate her asking that question and recognise and appreciate her opening the new Medicare office in her electorate recently, at Elanora. The member for McPherson and all Australian families would welcome the announcement made by the Prime Minister and the minister for health yesterday—

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and you!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and myself. Thank you, Prime Minister. I was trying to be humble.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know you’re humble.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Prime Minister. The announcement yesterday was that, from around the middle of next year, all Australians will be able to simply swipe their Medicare cards and swipe a bankcard and they will not have to go to a Medicare office in order to claim their Medicare rebate. Currently 80,000 Australians queue up every day in Medicare offices to claim back their Medicare rebate. There are about 14,000 doctors’ surgeries out there. Most of them already have EFTPOS machines. So commonsense would say that, if they can simply swipe their credit card or their debit card in the machine along with their Medicare card, why can’t we put the money straight into their bank accounts and save them going to a Medicare office?

We listen to the Australian people and we listen to Australian families and we are responding accordingly. It is a great win for people, I must say, not only in the metropolitan areas, where it takes an average of about 25 to 29 days for people to claim back their Medicare rebate. In the bush it can take up to 79 days for people to get their Medicare rebate. Under this new system, as soon as they swipe their bankcard the money will go into their bank account. They will be able to go down the road to their EFTPOS machine and claim the money back or spend it however they wish. So it is a significant step forward; it is a positive step forward for Australian families. The average cost to an Australian family of going and claiming their Medicare rebate is $10, and that does not include parking fees and a range of other charges that people have to put up with—so this is a no-brainer. It is a no-brainer that delivers real benefits to the Australian people, and it illustrates yet again, as my friend the minister for health would say, that the Howard government is the best friend Medicare has ever had.