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

I thank Senator Smith for her second supplementary question. We're absolutely determined to strengthen Medicare. The coalition only ever supports Medicare through gritted teeth. We remember John Howard describing bulk-billing as a complete rort. Peter Dutton tried to strangle it, first by attempting to introduce a GP tax and then by freezing Medicare rebates for six long years.

This government is committed to a strong Medicare. Our actions to strengthen Medicare have been described as 'a game changer' by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. The president of the college, Dr Nicole Higgins, said:

This … funding … puts patients first.

It will help to stem the bleeding, relieve pressure on our entire healthcare system including our hospitals, and ease pressures on people struggling to afford the care that they need.