Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that the Government is working for Australia by delivering our commitment to strengthen Medicare and making it easier to see a doctor by:

(a) tripling the bulk billing incentive, the largest increase to the incentive in the 40-year history of Medicare;

(b) delivering cheaper medicines by cutting the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme co-payment for the first time in 75 years and allowing 60-day prescriptions, saving patients time and money due to less visits to the doctors and the chemist;

(c) establishing bulk-billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across the country where patients receive urgent but not life-threatening care and freeing up overstretched GPs, take pressure off hospitals and improve access to affordable care; and

(d) growing our health workforce and supporting our trusted health workers to do what they are trained to do by investing in the work force and supporting our local GP practices through the Strengthening Medicare General Practice Grants; and

(2) notes the mess the health system was left in after a decade of neglect, including under the stewardship of the now Leader of the Opposition who during his time as Minister:

(a) tried to tax every single visit Australians made to their GP;

(b) tried to jack up the price of medicines by $5 for each and every script;

(c) cut $50 billion from hospitals;

(d) started six years of a Medicare rebate freeze; and

(e) was voted the worst Health Minister in 40 years by the Australian Medical Association.

I'm pleased today to rise to move this private member's motion that acknowledges the Albanese government working for Australia by delivering our commitment to strengthen Medicare and make it easier to see a doctor after a decade of cuts and undermining of Medicare. We all know how much that has been hurting in our communities. I am pleased to stand here to say that, in the community that I represent, we have been supported by this Albanese Labor government to support our local members accessing the health care that they need.

The first thing I want to point out here, purely from a local perspective, is the reversing of the Liberal Party's local Medicare cuts. Unbeknownst to many, whilst in power in 2019 Scott Morrison's Liberal government made cuts that meant some regions of Australia, including Wyndham, were banned from hosting the overseas-trained doctors and doctors in the Bonded Medical Program that served our communities. This saw a depletion of GPs by 30 per cent in my community. That was 30 per cent fewer GPs on the ground. It saw cuts to long hours, where people could drop into the doctor on their way home from work. It saw cuts across the board. The Albanese Labor government has reversed that decision, and Wyndham is now part of the distribution priority area, recognising that shortage. Over time we'll build back that 30 per cent of GPs, and we'll be part of the process of training overseas-trained GPs. They told me, when I visited Utopia, one of our local GP clinics, recently, that it is already having the effect that we thought it would, and that they are able to have more GPs on their books. You can't get much better than that: as a member of a government, to go and visit a GP clinic and hear that good news that we have doctors coming back into our community, a community that needs access to general practitioners.

But it's not just that. We've also tripled the bulk-billing incentive—the largest increase to the incentive in the 40-year history of Medicare. This will be supporting people in my community. We're also delivering the Medicare urgent care clinics across the country. There are many of these in Victoria, and I'm proud to say that there is one in Werribee. Having visited the Medicare urgent care clinic, I'm pleased to say that they are reporting that the community is becoming very aware of their existence, and rather than heading to emergency they are now able to be treated for non-life-threatening but very important things. On the ground, importantly, X-rays are available. Kids fall off the double bunk, kids have an accident at sport and break an arm with a greenstick fracture, and they can now go to that urgent care clinic and avoid long delays and avoid putting pressure on our hospital emergency.

We're also strengthening the Medicare GP grant. The Australian government is investing $220 million in grants over two years through the Strengthening Medicare GP Grants Program. I'm pleased to say that in 2023, 6,820 grants have been awarded Australia-wide. In Lalor, 41 of our GP clinics have collectively received over $1.1 million in funding in 2023. So we're supporting our GP practices. This government is about ensuring that they are supported so that we maintain the level of care that we already have to ensure people can access it.

We're increasing the bulk-billing payment incentives. This is important. From 1 November 2023 we're increasing Medicare Benefits Schedule bulk-billing incentive payments for Commonwealth concession card holders and children under 16 years of age for a range of MBS consultation items. This is an historic $3.5 billion investment across Australia and will triple the bulk-billing incentive. It's the largest-ever increase to the bulk-billing incentive in the history of Medicare and will provide an immediate benefit to 97,000 Australians in my community.

Deputy Speaker, this government is serious about rebuilding Medicare, about fixing Medicare after 10 years of disaster under the previous government. I'm proud to stand here as the member for Lalor and speak on behalf of my community to say that they appreciate their government's actions. They need to see their doctors easily; they need access to good-quality health care; and this government's going to do it for them.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government is bold in claiming their health policies are improving outcomes for patients, because nothing could be further from the truth, notably in regional Australia. In fact, I want to take this opportunity to call out what seems like a severe case of absenteeism on the part of the health minister. I meet with healthcare providers, peak bodies, pharmaceutical companies every week. They tell me time and again that the minister simply refuses to meet with them. What is going on? They might get a meeting with an adviser, but seldom with the minister in person. I met with one of the medical colleges recently, and they told me that, of the 16 medical colleges in Australia, Minister Butler has so far only met with one of them. In their experience that is unprecedented. What health minister worth his salt won't even sit down and listen to the key organisations who contribute to policy in his portfolio?

What exactly has this government been doing on health for the last 16 months? I can tell you one thing they have done. They have jeopardised the viability of hundreds of pharmacies right across this country, especially regional pharmacies, with the 60-day dispensing policy. One regional pharmacist has done the calculations and told me he will suffer a net loss of $141,000 this financial year, despite the minister introducing a regional pharmacy transition allowance, which actually doesn't impact those in Modified Monash 3 to 7 in many cases. While the government modelling purports a $300 million annual saving for patients, it will actually result in a collective loss of $1.4 billion for pharmacies each year.

You know what that means? It means we will see more regional pharmacies close or reduce their services because they cannot afford to pay their staff and their rent. That in turn puts more pressure on already beleaguered regional GPs and other health services. But does the government care? If their response to the advocacy of the pharmacy industry is anything to go by, then apparently not. True to form, they announced this policy without consulting the industry—shock—and have only been dragged to the negotiating table kicking and screaming after the fact.

I feel like a broken record repeating over and over again the catastrophic policies enacted under this health minister, but since they're wreaking such havoc, especially in regional areas, I'm compelled to do so. The same can be said of this government's policies on regional GP distribution. In what was nothing more than a cynical political move to appeal to metropolitan Labor voters, shockingly they expanded the priority areas to include, as we heard from the member for Lalor, MMM areas 2 and parts of 1. This has seen a 56 increased percentage of international medical graduate doctor going to urban centre clinics from regional areas where communities are crying out for them. So while the member for Lalor is shouting hallelujah, I'm saying this has been a terrible policy for regional Australians, on top of the data showing that upwards of 200 GP clinics have closed their doors over the past year. Yet the Labor government asks us to acknowledge they're making it easier for patients to see a doctor. I don't think so.

As for the urgent care clinics, where are they? They've opened nine in Victoria so far and not one of them is in my rural electorate of Mallee. My area covers over a third of the geographical space of Victoria, and there is not one. You might be okay in Melbourne, Shepparton or Ballarat, but if you're in Mildura or Horsham forget it. There's no help there. Of course if we ever do get one of their clinics in Mildura, they will just rebadge the existing primary care clinic, as they've done everywhere else. No extra services will be provided. That doesn't matter. No extra doctors will arrive. In fact, in the case of the state clinic in Mildura we haven't seen any material increase in health care services at all, because GPs and nurses have just been pulled from their current practices in to staff the new clinic. It's just a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul so that Labor can look good. But they don't, and regional people know it. There is nothing to celebrate about the performance of this government on health. Certainly not if you live in regional Australia.

Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm always happy to stand and speak in this House about the Albanese government's record when it comes to health care. We haven't been in government long, but when it comes to health care we've managed to get a lot of reform done. Of all the policy differences between us on this side of the House and those opposite, I think the biggest contrast can be seen in health care. The difference is stark between what we are already doing on this side of the House and the record left by the Leader of the Opposition during his time as health minister.

The government is tackling the bulk-billing challenge left by those opposite head on. We have allocated $3.5 billion to triple the Medicare bulk-billing incentive, helping over 11 million Australians to see a doctor without having to pay out-of-pocket costs. Bulk-billing incentive payments in metro areas will grow from $6.60 to $20.65 with indexation, and payments in the most remote areas of the country will go from $12.70 to $39.65. These are massive increases that will make a material difference to the ability of families and pensioners to see a GP.

Why is this investment so vital? It's about addressing the fundamental principle that health care should never be a privilege but should be a right for all Australians. It's about making sure that you rely on your Medicare card, not your credit card, when it comes to seeing a doctor. By making primary health care more affordable and accessible, we are reducing unnecessary emergency department presentations and hospital admissions, because we know that the cost to the taxpayer is far greater when someone has to go to the emergency department than when they are in a GP setting.

This is smart healthcare policy and smart fiscal policy, and it's exactly the sort of policy that was required after a decade of neglect under the Liberal Party—a decade of neglect of bulk-billing combined with $50 billion of cuts to our hospitals. There could never be a greater contrast between the record of this government and the record of the now Leader of the Opposition from when he was health minister. He oversaw freezes to the Medicare rebate, the crippling of bulk billing, GP taxes, and cuts to hospitals, so it's no surprise that the now Leader of the Opposition was crowned the worst health minister in 40 years by the AMA. So, while we have to acknowledge that we're coming from a very long way behind when it comes to rebuilding Medicare and our healthcare system, we are determined to get on with it.

In my electorate, I was thrilled that 60 GP clinics across Reid were awarded a combined $1.7 million in funding through the Albanese Labor government's Strengthening Medicare—General Practice Grants Program. These grants will allow participants to invest in innovation, training, equipment and capital works and will help GPs to improve the health of my community. And we're not stopping there, because we understand there's a lot more to do when it comes to making sure that more people can see a doctor without being charged a gap fee. Part of that is making sure that every part of our health system is working to its full scope of practice. That means doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals—all of them—working to the limits of their professional capability so that we can get better outcomes for patients.

I thank the Minister for Health and Aged Care for his work on the independent review being led by Professor Mark McCormack in this space. This is the hard work of government—the consultation, the listening—and this is the vision required to reform our health system so that it is fit for purpose in the 21st century. Frankly, this is the work that should have been done long ago, because there are few responsibilities a government has which are greater than ensuring that its people can get access to affordable health care.

Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very happy to rise and speak on this important motion about health. It's a big issue in my community, an outer suburban region of Melbourne. I had a look at the list of those speaking today. I've spoken quite a bit on these motions on health and I thought that the member for Macarthur, who is a doctor well respected across the aisle, would be speaking on this motion. Normally he would speak on a motion around health, but I noticed he wasn't on the list. I wasn't sure why until I happened to read the paper today and saw his quotes from the weekend criticising the government and their lack of action on health. I don't want to verbal the member, because I respect him greatly, so I'm going to quote exactly what he said:

We need to focus on people's quality of life and issues like housing and health.

… there's been a deteriorating quality of life in the outer suburbs …

Those are direct quotes from the member for Macarthur, who is well respected by everyone in this House, about the lack of action and the lack of focus from this government on health, particularly in the outer suburbs.

We know those opposite will stand up and repeat the talking points that they have been given by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, and I understand that's what they want to do, but I commend the member for Macarthur for saying publicly what we all know many of those opposite are thinking. They know that this government has let down the Australian people when it comes to health, particularly in outer suburbs, like my electorate of Casey. Many people in my community know that they've been let down because, every time they try and get an extra doctor's appointment, they can't.

The facts also support the member for Macarthur's position that this government is failing when it comes to bulk-billing, because bulk-billing rates have dropped every single month since Labor came to government. The latest data reveals that bulk-billing rates are at their lowest since 2013, with residents out of pocket an average of $40.10 for every visit to the GP. Again, with this government, it's not what they say; look at what they do and what the facts are.

This motion talks about tax, which is interesting from a federal Victorian member. I know the member for Hawke will be up next. I'm looking forward to seeing whether he wants to criticise the new Premier, Jacinta Allan, and the state Labor government for their new payroll tax on independent GPs in Victoria. This new tax is estimated to increase the price of your visit to the GP by $40 to $60. That's a tax that the state Labor government are implementing in Victoria, including in my community, and there's not been a word from federal Labor criticising that tax.

That's what we know about this government. They have lots of spin but they won't deliver. They won't mention that they've cut 70 telehealth items from Medicare. Telehealth is crucial to an electorate like mine of Casey. It's 2,500 square kilometres with not one hospital and not one urgent care clinic either. There are no hospitals in this regional, rural, outer-suburban area and not one urgent care clinic. Now they're cutting 70 telehealth items which are crucial to people in my community up in Warburton, Woori Yallock and Healesville when they can't get to see the doctor. They won't talk about those cuts that they're making. Bulk-billing is down.

When they talk about the urgent air clinics, they'll talk about how many they're implementing. In Victoria they'll talk about 10 new clinics. Again, the devil is in the detail. Eight of those 10 clinics already exist and were funded by the state government. They're literally moving the funding from state government to federal government with not one extra place delivered and not one extra GP for the communities that need them. It is all spin from this government.

The final cut that I want to talk about today is significant, and some of those opposite, including the member for Macnamara, have spoken out about this. They cut Medicare funded mental health visits from 20 to 10 at a time when there is a cost-of-living crisis and the report stated that those 20 sessions should continue. This government will spin, but it continues to cut, cut, cut. (Time expired)

Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government has wasted no time in getting Medicare back on track after a decade of cuts and neglect under the Liberals. Over their nearly 10 years in government, the Liberals destroyed the equitable access that was once the pride of our public healthcare system. They showed utter contempt for Medicare and the Australians who need it most. Slowly but surely the Liberals sought to systematically disassemble our public healthcare system and lock more and more people out.

The contrast between the Liberals and Labor on health care could not be starker. As then Liberal health minister, Peter Dutton tried to introduce a GP tax on working Australians every time they needed to see a doctor. The Liberals wanted to make it harder and more expensive for people to visit the doctor and get the health care they need. When Labor managed to block the changes, the Liberals simply froze the Medicare rebate for six long years and ripped billions of dollars out of general practice.

In contrast, the Albanese Labor government is tripling the bulk-billing incentive and making it easier for millions of Australians to get the medical attention that they need. That includes the 83,000 people in my electorate of Hawke. Starting from 1 November, this $3.5 billion investment represents the largest increase to the incentive in history. I know it will make a huge difference to my community.

People will also have access to higher quality care at their local clinics thanks to the federal government's Strengthening Medicare—General Practice Grants Program. I was delighted to recently visit the Grant Street Medical Centre in Bacchus Marsh. It's one of 28 clinics in my electorate to receive funding from the Labor government that will enhance digital health capability, upgrade infection prevention and control and help achieve and maintain accreditation.

When the Liberals were in government and the opposition leader was the health minister, they also cut $50 billion from our public hospitals, causing more crowding and longer wait times. Meanwhile, the Albanese Labor government is establishing 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics across the country to ease the pressure on busy emergency departments and reduce wait times for patients. These urgent-care clinics provide care for serious but non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses and are open from 8 am until 10 pm every single day. The Sunbury urgent-care clinic in our community has already seen thousands of patients receive the urgent care they need without waiting for an appointment or visiting an emergency department.

The Liberals didn't just make it harder to see a doctor; they also tried to make medicines more expensive by cutting $1.3 billion from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and forcing patients to pay $5 more for every single script. The Albanese Labor government is doing the exact opposite. We've already made medicines cheaper by reducing the general co-payment by $12.50 per script and are further reducing the cost by introducing 60-day dispensing for certain medications, which started in September and is rolling out over the coming months. Although this reform was recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, an independent committee, back in 2018, the former Liberal government chose never to implement it, and this cost Australians billions of dollars. Now, thanks to the Albanese Labor government, patients whose medicine is available for 60-day dispensing will save $180 a year on each of those medicines, easing the significant financial burden that so many people with chronic health conditions face.

Labor built Medicare, which started almost 40 years ago under the Hawke government. Since then, the Liberals have sought to erode and undermine the system at every single opportunity. Now, led by a man once voted 'the worst health minister in 40 years' by the AMA—those left-wing bastions!—the Liberals are desperately attempting to undermine the measures that are successfully cleaning up their mess. Only Labor governments, like this one, can be trusted to deliver the changes and reforms required to ensure that Australians can affordably and more easily access the health care they need. We're investing in primary health, we're taking pressure off our hospitals and we're making it easier and cheaper to get the treatment and medicines that people in our communities need.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity this motion gives me to talk about the policy implementation of promises the Labor government took to the last election. This motion was moved by a member whose electorate is in New South Wales, I think. So, regrettably, if you're a South Australian you'd be quite humiliated and embarrassed to be serving in a government that, according to this motion, has established bulk billing Medicare urgent-care clinics across the country. Well, I wasn't aware of this; I didn't think any had been established in South Australia. I assumed that I was wrong, so I checked. I went on the website and typed in 'South Australia' in the search function, and it said that no results matched. That's because no urgent-care clinics have been opened in my home state of South Australia, despite the promise that by 1 July 2023 these 58 Medicare urgent-care clinics across the nation would all be open. Now, I believe it is October; I believe it is four months past—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 13: 19 to 16 : 00