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

I thank Senator Lambie for the question. It's a really important question on how we can continue to strengthen Medicare, particularly in states where there have historically been issues around bulk-billing. We have the same issues here in the ACT as Tasmania around bulk-billing, with GP shortages and shortages for specialists as well. It is something that small jurisdictions have always struggled with because a large number of medical professionals tend to move to some of the bigger cities.

But I think when you look back on the last 18 months of what we've tried to do—and, yes, the health system is massive and it often takes time for investments to show results—what we've seen with the urgent care clinics and with the bulk-billing rates across the nation in just the few months since we provided that tripling of the incentive for bulk-billing are good results. They are early results, but they are good results. I think the GP bulk-billing rate rose by 2.1 percentage points in the first two months since that tripling of the bulk-billing incentive was introduced through the budget.

I know the Minister for Health and Aged Care has been working with the Premier of Tasmania around models of care that work for Tasmania, including, I think, partnerships between the hospitals and primary health care, acknowledging some of the particular issues that Tasmania has. I know that the urgent care clinics are up and running and are incredibly popular.

But there is more to be done. We've got to encourage more people into general practice. We've got to look at incentives to support that. The health minister is doing all of those things. But we inherited a system that was failing. Bulk-billing rates were declining. GPs were under enormous pressure. We have made the investments that those opposite never did to fix it. (Time expired)