Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government. I refer to his previous answer, in which he claimed that there have been no cuts to bulk-billing incentives. Can the minister explain to the House what the financial incentive for bulk-billing was in affected areas in dollar terms before the government's change and what it is now?

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to add to my last answer. The changes that were made were geographic. It was not changed by electorate; it was changed by geographical area from the Bureau of Statistics. I think it's important to note that rural bulk-billing incentives go to rural areas. That's the idea. The idea of rural and regional incentives is to support—

Mr Conroy interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will pause. The member for Shortland will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Shortland then left the chamber.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All doctors who bulk-bill, regardless of their location, will continue to be eligible for bulk-billing incentives. These changes relate to the higher rural bulk-billing incentive. The government delayed the implementation from 1 July 2019 until 1 January 2020 to allow practices to come to terms with these changes. I can inform members that if doctors want to find out more about this they can check their Modified Monash Model classification on the DoctorConnect website.