Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question, my last in this place, is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. How is the Albanese Labor government building Australia's future and strengthening Medicare by delivering more bulk-billing, more doctors and cheaper medicines? Why is urgent action needed to strengthen Medicare after a decade 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 Lyons not only for his question but also for his friendship over nine years. He's been a terrific representative of his electorate and a terrific advocate for a stronger Medicare in Tasmania, in particular. He was also a fierce advocate for a Medicare urgent care clinic in Bridgewater, north of Hobart, and I was delighted to visit it after it opened very late last year.

It's already seen more than 1,200 patients in only several weeks, and every single one of them has been fully bulk-billed. That is so important for Labor, because for Labor, bulk-billing has always been the beating heart of Medicare. It was from its very first day. But it has also always been very hard-fought. It was opposed by the AMA. Bulk-billing was opposed by the Liberal Party. Famously, John Howard called bulk-billing 'an absolute rort' and, of course, the Leader of the Opposition tried to abolish it altogether. Today, the latest data says that around four in five visits to the GP are bulk-billed. For me, that is too low. For Labor, that is too low. We would like to see it higher. But it must be said not everyone in this chamber shares that view.

Back when he was the health minister, the Leader of the Opposition did a radio interview on Radio National in August 2014—

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. That question referred to 'why is more action needed?' It didn't have a request for a comparison against alternative policies. I don't think the question invited a compare and contrast in any way that would mean that this is relevant.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It did, only because the minister was asked about the importance of strengthening Medicare after a decade of neglect. That was in the question.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was your decade!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Moreton then left the chamber.

The manager is entitled to raise his point of order, and no-one will interject on him before or after, as a matter of respect. The minister, in continuation.

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

Poor Graham! As I was saying, about four in five visits are currently bulk-billed, which we think is too low. We'd like to see it higher. But, in 2014, a decade ago, when the cuts started, the Leader of the Opposition said this on Radio National: 'About four out of five services by GPs are performed for free, which is too high.' That explains why, of course, he then tried to impose a GP tax, and, when he couldn't do that, he imposed a six-year-long freeze to the Medicare rebate.

We're about protecting Medicare. We're about strengthening Medicare, and at the heart of that is our effort around bulk-billing. We've delivered, in this term of parliament, the three biggest increases to the Medicare rebate in 30 years—the first biggest, the second biggest and the third biggest. In three years we've increased the Medicare rebate by much more than they managed in nine long years. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive. In Tasmania that means bulk-billing is up seven per cent—the biggest increase in the country—meaning more Tasmanians can afford to be going to the doctor—and they are. GP services are up in the last 12 months by four per cent in Tasmania—again, the biggest increase in the country. But, unlike for the Leader of the Opposition, that's not good enough for us. We know there's more we need to do.

The Leader of the Opposition has different priorities. He's going to prioritise long lunches on the taxpayer's dime and $600 billion for a nuclear power plant. That's why no-one trusts him with Medicare. (Time expired)