Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ciccone for his question. He, like every senator on our side, understands the importance of Medicare. We are the party of Medicare, and Labor is the party of stronger Medicare. That is who we are. Tuesday's budget only reinforces that fact. We on this side understand that Medicare goes to the heart of who we are as Australians. We understand that everyone deserves access to affordable health care, to accessible health care, to quality health care. This is why we have announced we will be funding 29 more Medicare urgent care clinics across the country.

Earlier this year, in South Australia, I visited the Marion urgent care clinic with the fantastic member for Boothby from the other place. I saw firsthand the role of these clinics in taking pressure off our emergency departments and in making care more affordable and more accessible to more Australians. This is a good thing. This is another good policy those opposite don't support. Not only have we established more than 50 of these clinics; there are more on the way. In this budget and in previous budgets you've seen Labor's commitment to stronger Medicare, tripling the bulk-billing incentive. We've made medicines cheaper, also opposed by those opposite, and we are freezing the cost of PBS medicines.

Those opposite might remember that Tuesday's budget was 10 years on from the infamous 2014 budget—10 years on from what might have been Mr Dutton's only real idea when it comes to health care. His one idea as health minister? Make Australians pay more, tax medicines, tax patients going to hospitals and impose a GP tax. That's what Mr Dutton really thinks about Medicare. No surprise that this bloke was voted by Australia's doctors as the worst health minister in a decade. (Time expired)