Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. On 7 August 1974, the Whitlam Labor government passed laws to establish universal health care in Australia. Fifty years on, can the minister please tell the Senate: how is the Albanese government continuing Labor's proud tradition of fair and affordable health care for all Australians, and, in particular, how is the government helping Australians access cheaper medicines and more bulk-billing as Australians deal with cost-of-living challenges?

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

Thank you to Senator Smith, who, like all Labor people, understands that making health care affordable—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan!

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

is central to cost-of-living relief, and of course making health care affordable is in Labor's DNA. So we are delivering cost-of-living relief for Australians who are doing it tough: tax cuts, getting wages moving, $300 in energy bill relief for every household. We are working to ensure that all Australians have access to affordable, quality health care; reducing the price of PBS medicines; adding hundreds of medicines to that list; introducing 60-day prescriptions, to help save patients time and money.

But of course we know, on the other side, what their attitude is, and that is demonstrated by Mr Dutton's record and by their record. When they were voted out of office, bulk-billing was falling off a cliff, and the rot began when Mr Dutton was health minister. He tried to do away with bulk-billing by introducing a fee on every single visit to the GP, and then he started a six-year freeze on Medicare rebates.

Well, our government, the Albanese government, has made the largest investment in bulk-billing in Medicare in 40 years, tripling the bulk-billing incentive from 1 November.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Canavan!

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

I can see the interjections. They really hate Medicare, don't they! They really hate a government that invests in Medicare. They really hate the fact that we have millions more Australians seeing a doctor, bulk-billed: three million free visits more, to the doctor—increasing in your state of South Australia by 4.6 per cent. This is because we care about bulk-billing and we care about Medicare, unlike those opposite.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Senator Smith, first supplementary?

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MARIELLE SMITH () (): Can the minister—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, resume your seat. Senator Canavan, I've called you a number of times. I expect you to listen in silence. Senator Smith.

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister please outline to the Senate some of the recent announcements from the health portfolio that will make a practical difference to the lives of people in my home state of South Australia and right around Australia?

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, you have may have noticed I'm waiting for silence before I call the minister. Minister Wong.

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

The Albanese Labor government, supported by all of the caucus, is working to ease the cost-of-living pressures, including by adding more medicines to the PBS and making medicines cheaper. The most recent budget froze the price of PBS medicines, and it will stay that way until the end of 2025 for general patients, and for concession patients that price freeze is locked in until the end of 2029. This is on top of our 60-day prescriptions which, as I said, are saving Australians time and money.

Don't we remember, colleagues, how many times they voted against cheaper medicines? Was it six times? It was six times! So, when they come in here and talk about health, when they come in here and pretend to care so much about public health, let's all remember that six times they voted to ensure Australians had more expensive prescriptions. You're very quiet now, aren't you? Because this is your record, and this is what you really stand for. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Smith, second supplementary?

Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, after a decade of waste, mismanagement, cuts and neglect under the Liberals and Nationals, how is the Albanese Labor government strengthening Medicare?

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

The fact is those opposite left Australia's healthcare system in a mess. In just two budgets, the Albanese Labor government has delivered a bigger increase to Medicare than those opposite managed in nine budgets. In two budgets, we have invested more in Medicare than you did in nine budgets. Of course, we all know why that is. You only have to look at Mr Dutton's record to know how risky he really is. Do you know what he actually said? He said, 'There are too many free Medicare services.' He tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether, and he cut $50 billion from Australia's hospitals. No wonder he was voted the worst health minister in the history of Medicare—by who? By Australia's doctors—the ones you want us to listen to, Senator Cash! They voted him the worst health minister in Australian history. (Time expired)