Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for her question and for the great work that she does as a senator for South Australia. Bulk-billing is the beating heart of Medicare, and Labor will always strengthen it. The May budget provided an historic $6.1 billion investment in Medicare to lay the foundations for significant reforms to general practice and primary care for all Australians. We have boosted indexation of Medicare payments, with boosts in July and November delivering the largest increase to Medicare payments since Paul Keating was prime minister. In fact, the Albanese government has delivered a larger increase in one year than the former government delivered over seven years. From 1 November the incentives that general practitioners receive to bulk-bill children under 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders will be tripled for most common GP consults. It will be easier to find—