Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Happy birthday, Medicare. That's right, 1 February 1984 is a significant date in the history of our country, and just last week we celebrated 40 years of Medicare in this country. It is a policy which has shaped our country since its inception and a policy which has made our country stronger. As I reflected last week on Medicare's creation, I thought to myself that there is no more powerful action a government could take than to improve the livelihoods of citizens through the creation of Medicare. The primary concern of government is to keep the public safe from harm, and Medicare does just that every day across my home state of Tasmania. The ability of any Tasmanian or Australian to access health care when they need it most could easily be taken for granted, but it saves lives every day and it should never be taken for granted.

The 23rd Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, and Labor created Medicare. It was controversial at the time. It created a new, simpler and fairer health insurance system whereby all Australians were equal when accessing health care. The distinct change was that it didn't matter who you were. You would be equal in accessing health care with the historic reform. It meant the federal government would assist you in paying for your health care regardless of where you lived and how much money you earnt. Without Medicare, can you imagine how much harder it would be for people who have chronic illnesses? Life would be far more difficult and more burdensome without Medicare. Families would be under enormous strain if they didn't have universal access to health care in this country. There's not a dollar figure you can put on that, but we know that those opposite, when they've been on the government benches, have always done everything they could to undermine Medicare in this country.

Every single day in this country, 400 Australians are diagnosed with cancer. This is significant and heart-wrenching, but imagine facing that diagnosis of cancer without Medicare at your back—without reduced costs for treatment of a life-threatening disease. In my home state, we have some of the worst chronic illnesses in the country, and we are so reliant on having Medicare to ensure that we have access to the world's best health care. The Albanese government understands what Medicare means to the Australian way of life. It's a safety net. We could never ever afford to lose it. That's why, every single day while we are in government, we are doing everything we can to ensure we can strengthen it and provide greater access to health care in this country for all Australians.

Last year, we made the decision to triple the bulk-billing incentives so more Tasmanians could access bulk-billing at their doctors. Bass, my duty electorate, has seen an increase of 4.2 per cent in the rate of bulk-billing in the first two months since the Albanese government tripled the GP bulk-billing incentive, amounting to an estimated 3,196 additional bulk-billed service trips to GPs. This has saved patients an estimated $144,000 in gap fees in just two months, delivering cost-of-living relief for families living in Northern Tasmania when they need it most. This means that children, pensioners and healthcare card holders in Bass are finding it easier to see a bulk-billing doctor than they have for decades. It means that our local GPs who bulk-bill are getting more government support for their vital services.

Labor introduced Medicare. We now, as a Labor government, will strengthen Medicare. We're delivering real cost-saving measures. We've provided an urgent-care clinic in Launceston. We've introduced 60-day dispensing of prescriptions and cheaper medicines. We're doing this because we're a government that understands the cost-of-living pressure that our families are under. Our communities deserve nothing less, and they can rely on this government to deliver where we can to assist them in their cost-of-living challenges. (Time expired)