Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Urquhart. When we came to government in 2022 it had never been harder or more expensive to find a doctor. Bulk-billing was in freefall after a decade of cuts and neglect to Medicare, and that's why strengthening Medicare was a key focus of our election platform. In just three years, we have delivered more doctors, more bulk-billing, cheaper medicines and opened 87 Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in Darwin. There are actually nine in the Northern Territory.

At this election Australia faces a choice of a stronger Medicare with more bulk-billing for all Australians under Labor or more cuts to Medicare under Peter Dutton's Liberals. A re-elected Albanese Labor government will make the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago. We're investing $7.9 billion so all Australians can see a GP for free. Australian patients and families will save hundreds of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs, and, for the first time, Labor will expand bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk-bill every patient. Seeing a GP regularly helps to catch health issues early before they worsen and escalate to needing more intensive and more costly care. That's why we're investing $662.6 million in a workforce package to deliver more doctors and nurses than ever before. By 2028, we will fund 2,000 new GP trainees every year.