Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. How will Labor's tax cuts make sure health workers keep more of what they earn, and how does this build on the government's actions to make health care more affordable and strengthen Medicare after 10 years of cuts and neglect?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question—this talented, young emergency physician whom we are so fortunate to have as part of our government and part of this parliament. He is part of a growing team of qualified health professionals right across the parliament that are adding real value to our debate around health. I also noticed the member for Robertson up just before question time, speaking in strong support of our laws that are designed to deliver every single one of the 66,000 taxpayers in his electorate a tax cut on 1 July. Many of those workers, just like him, work in the health sector—like the third-year nurse at the Gosford Hospital who, under our laws, will receive a tax cut on 1 July of more than $1,600, around double what they would have received under the old plan from five years ago.

As well as bigger, better tax cuts, the member for Robertson has also relentlessly campaigned for better and cheaper health care on the Central Coast. Indeed, that's why he ran for parliament in the first place. He saw the results of 10 years of cuts and neglect to Medicare every day he went to work as a doctor. His support for bulk-billing investments saw more than 10,000 additional free visits to the doctor on the Central Coast in just the two months of November and December last year.

His delivery of the Umina Medicare urgent care clinic is already making a huge difference to his community. One of his constituents, Greg, wrote this to the member: 'Brilliant service, doc. Used this service last week. Was assessed, had X-rays, procedure done, wound cleaned and antibiotics in hand, all in the time it would have taken to find a parking spot at the Gosford Hospital. Get around it, people. A hundred per cent recommended.'

After the former government ripped away the right of general practices on the Central Coast to recruit overseas trained GPs, the member for Robertson promised to reverse that decision. We've delivered on that commitment as well. The member for Robertson understands it's not easy to turn around 10 years of cuts and neglect to Medicare that were begun by the Leader of the Opposition during his disastrous period as health minister. The member for Robertson is working so hard to deliver for his community, and is delivering more doctors; delivering more free visits to the GP; delivering cheaper medicines; and, on 1 July, delivering tax cuts for every single taxpayer in his electorate.