Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been 12 months since the Cessnock Medicare urgent care clinic opened. That's 12 months of free, accessible healthcare. It's one year of the people of Cessnock being able to get the health care they need when they need it. Already this clinic has had more than 10,000 patients through the doors. It's not just that. We also have a Medicare mental health clinic in Cessnock and one in Muswellbrook. This clinic has been just as busy providing the people of Muswellbrook with affordable and accessible health care.

But let me remind you: if those opposite were in government, this would never have happened. As with everything else that has gone through this parliament, they oppose these urgent care clinics. In their opinion, if you can't afford health care, you don't deserve health care. They don't care how hard you work or how sick you are. To those opposite, how much money you have in your wallet decides whether you have or don't have access to health care when you need it. This is where the Labor Party is different. We believe in universal health care. We believe that in this country, if you are sick, you should be able to get the same high-quality, affordable, accessible health care, regardless of how much you make. That's what we've delivered in Cessnock and Muswellbrook with the Medicare urgent care clinic and the Medicare mental health clinics.