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

When we came to government, bulk-billing was falling off a cliff because of their six-year freeze on Medicare rebates. We have a different approach. On 1 November last year, Labor tripled the bulk-billing incentive, the largest investment in bulk-billing in Medicare's history, with 103,000 additional bulk-billed appointments per week. Senator Ruston said at the time, she claimed, that this 'would not result in a single additional patient being bulk-billed'. That's what she said. Sorry, you're wrong. In fact, in South Australia, in the home state that you and I share, there have been 460,000 additional visits.

Let's talk about Medicare urgent care clinics. Of the 900,000 visits to these clinics, every single visit is completely bulk-billed. Mr Dutton didn't want any of those visits. Senator Ruston, you can yell 'wrong' all you like but you voted against cheaper medicines and you are against bulk-billing—demonstrated by your record.