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

Universal health care is critical to a progressive and productive society. It ensures that everyone has access to the health care they need when they need it, without fear of spiralling costs forcing a choice between health and any other essential. In my electorate of Brisbane, it has become almost impossible to find a GP who bulk-bills. Over the past decade, the number of bulk-billing GPs has dropped to just over three per cent. I have met many people in the community who no longer have access to bulk-billing services because of policy choices made by previous governments. Unfortunately, it doesn't come as a shock. As handouts to multinationals and the super wealthy increase, austerity and cuts to public services always follow. We should be real about this. For every dollar given as a subsidy to a fossil fuel company, that is a dollar missing from our healthcare services.

The Greens have recently announced a plan to triple the bulk-billing incentive for everyone with a Medicare card to enable all Australians to go a GP for free as well as to get free GP appointments with other primary healthcare professionals. It is absolutely vital that we pressure the government to recommit to truly universal health care. Living through the United States healthcare system is what made me get into politics. We cannot go down that path. We must ensure that every community has access to bulk-billing GPs. Anything less is to give up on universal health care.