Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Stewart for that final question. Building on the tripling of the bulk-billing incentive, in terms of the extra clinics that we're opening in the Medicare urgent care clinics, 48 are open and 10 more will open by the end of this year. We have also introduced important changes to make sure that medicines are cheaper for Australians. Already this year, around two million pensioners and concession card holders have benefited from the decision last year to cut the maximum amount they would pay for all their medicines by 25 per cent, which was the first wave of our cheaper medicines policy. That means a lot of people are paying less. General patients are getting cheaper medicines through the biggest cut to the price of medicines in the 75-year history of the PBS from 1 January, which is the second wave of our cheaper medicines reform. From 1 September, four million Australians were able to go to their doctor and ask for a 60-day script for around a hundred common medicines, which was the third wave of our cheaper medicines reform.