Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When it comes to Medicare the choice is clear. Labor will always work to strengthen it, while the Liberals will do their best to dismantle it. I'm pleased to report that our efforts to strengthen Medicare are working in Bennelong. Labor federally funded the Top Ryde Medicare urgent care clinic, and since 1 July it has delivered world-class medical care to 2,152 patients. Importantly, every one of those 2,152 visits was fully bulk billed. The Top Ryde Medicare urgent care clinic is open seven days a week, from 8 am to 8 pm, and is a huge part of our plan to strengthen Medicare.

We will strengthen Medicare because we believe that Aussies should always be able to access affordable health care when they need it. Four out of five visits in Bennelong are now bulk billed, and, in the last year alone, Bennelong has had an additional 39,515 bulk-billed visits. People have saved over $6.3 million thanks to our cheaper medicines policies, and, from 1 July 2025, Eastwood and Macquarie Park will have public MRI licences, delivering bulk-billed access to MRI machines for the first time in Bennelong.

Under the Liberals, bulk-billing rates plummeted, and medicines became more expensive. The Leader of the Opposition said there were too many free Medicare services. Under Labor, that's totally different.