Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to talk about one element of this very unfair budget brought down by the coalition, and that is the continued refusal to reverse the Medicare indexation freeze. Residents in my electorate have been raising this as an issue for some time. They are telling me—and this is backed up by facts—that bulk-billing numbers are down in my electorate; out-of-pocket costs are up; it costs more to go and see a specialist; it costs more for vital tests and scans; and it costs more to visit allied health professionals. Unfortunately, these cuts to Medicare that Tony Abbott held in and Malcolm Turnbull has continued are leading to significant issues around accessing medical care in our community. Residents in their thousands have contacted me through our Medicare petition, saying that they absolutely want to see action.

Despite what the government and the Prime Minister have said about ending the freeze on medical services, this is absolutely not the case. It is not the case, because the impact is still happening. Only last month I was contacted by a staff member at a local medical centre. This particular medical centre services a large number of disadvantaged people within the community and bulk-bills 80 per cent. It prides itself on providing affordable and accessible health care for vulnerable people and their families. This rebate freeze has now left the centre in a position where it must charge higher fees and reduce bulk-billing. The staff member said that many other centres in the networking group are in the exact same position. They are concerned that these cuts are making quality health care out of reach for so many Australians. They are concerned that it will stop people going to see a GP.

We know that going to see a GP is effective preventative health care. We know that it costs a whole lot less in the system to go and see a GP than it does to end up in hospital. While the Prime Minister and the government may not care about the impact they are having on state governments and hospital systems, I do, because this is not just about cost-shifting. This is not about who pays for what. This is about ensuring that my community and communities like this right around Australia have the best quality health care. It starts with early intervention. It starts with good primary health care. With this Medicare freeze continuing, out-of-pocket costs and access to GPs and other specialists are only going to get worse.