Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. People in my electorate of Brisbane are struggling to see a doctor, as the number of bulk-billing GPs in my community plummets. Treasurer, will you scrap the $250 billion stage-three tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy, including politicians and pretty much everyone in this room, and assist people with real cost-of-living relief, such as boosting GP bulk-billing payments and bringing dental into Medicare?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Brisbane for his question. As the member knows, the government's position on stage three tax cuts hasn't changed, but what we will do is pick up and run with the two other suggestions central to his question.

I want to commend the minister for health for the work that he is doing in our cabinet and in our government to do whatever we can to strengthen Medicare. We understand that primary health care is in the worst nick that it's been in since Medicare came in 40 years ago, and so a lot of the government's efforts, a lot of the government's time and a lot of the government's resources are working—under the leadership of the minister for health—to strengthen Medicare and strengthen health care in this country.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Casey is warned!

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we have said before, we have already set aside substantial funds for that task, and, if there's more that we can responsibly do in this area, obviously we will consider doing it.

When it comes to the rest of the member's question about cost-of-living relief, we understand that Australians, whether it be in Brisbane—in the member's part of the world—or right around the country, are under pressure. That's why a central part of our three-point plan to address inflation is relief, cost-of-living relief, for people doing it tough, whether it be their energy bills, whether it be their medicines, whether it be early childhood education, whether it be fee-free TAFE, whether it gets wages moving again. These are all essential parts of the government's work to try and put downward pressure on inflation because it's very difficult for people, in the economy right now, when we've got these cost-of-living pressures coming at us from around the world but being felt around the kitchen table.

This government will work with anyone in this country and on the crossbench to deliver responsible cost-of-living relief as part of that three-point plan: relieve cost-of-living pressures, repair our supply chains and show restraint in the budget so that we can deliver some of these priorities in the most responsible way.