Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

. I rise to speak on what is an important week for many Australians. On 1 February 1984, the Hawke Labor government introduced Medicare, building on the foundations of the Medibank system established by the Whitlam Labor government in 1975, and we have defended and strengthened it ever since. Before Medicare, two million Australians had no health cover at all. That's one in seven people who lived with the daily risk and worry that health care might see them lose their house or bankrupt them altogether.

Thanks to Labor, today that is no longer the case. Today every Australian has access to Medicare, and Medicare belongs to all Australians. We've got more doctors, more bulk-billing and urgent care clinics that have already seen more than one million patients nationwide, all fully bulk-billed. Of these presentations, over 65,000 of them have been at the five urgent care clinics in my state of Tasmania. That's 75,000 patients who would have attended an emergency department or GP, putting less pressure on our hardworking health professionals and emergency departments.

It's not just the patients who love Labor's urgent care clinics. Doctors also love the clinics, with a recent poll finding that over 70 per cent of GPs support the work of Medicare urgent care clinics and over 80 per cent of GPs think the clinics are having a positive impact on hospital emergency departments. Medicare urgent care clinics are a key part of the Albanese government's reforms to strengthen Medicare to deliver a better, fairer, stronger health system and to deliver cost-of-living relief.

Now, while it is great to look at the initiatives the Albanese government is undertaking in this space, it's also important to reflect on what those opposite think of Medicare. So come along with me. Let's have a look back at the coalition's record on Medicare—and I must warn everyone listening that you may want to sit down for the next bit.

Under Mr Tony Abbott and Mr Malcolm Turnbull, the coalition implemented a Medicare rebate freeze. This led to rising gap fees for everyday hardworking Australians as doctors passed on higher costs to their patients. In 2014, Mr Dutton, as the health minister, proposed a $7 GP co-payment, which would have forced patients to pay for previously free bulk-billed services. The Turnbull government in 2016 explored privatising the Medicare payment system, raising concerns that outsourcing would erode public healthcare accessibility and quality. The coalition have repeatedly reduced funding increases to state-run public hospitals, shifting more costs onto state governments and patients. And who could forget Mr Dutton stating, 'Medicare is dead.' That's right: the man claiming to be in touch with working Australians would happily see bulk-billing abolished and our public hospitals overflowing. It's really no wonder that doctors voted him the worst health minister in 40 years. And how could you blame them?

I would like to now share just a small selection of the many success stories coming from the Medicare urgent care clinics in Hobart. Laurence, who visited one of the Medicare urgent care clinics in Hobart due to unbearable shoulder pain whilst on holiday, said he witnessed 'the highest level of training, experience and professionalism from staff' in what was, he said, 'one of the best medical experiences of my life'. Brenda, who presented with severe pain and difficulty breathing, left in under an hour after receiving treatment and pain medication—all completely bulk-billed—and said: 'I was so happy being treated here. The doctor and nurse were amazing.' I'll leave you with one more, from Sophie, who speaks of her fantastic experience with the staff at one of Hobart's urgent care clinics. Sophie said: 'They were all so lovely and friendly. I can't thank them enough for the care my son received.' These stories aren't isolated. They are happening in every state across Australia, because each of these clinics is making a genuine difference to our communities.

Labor will always fight for Medicare, because we know how much of a difference it makes to everyday Australians. You will never hear this government or our Prime Minister threaten Australians with cuts to bulk-billing or hospitals.

If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that you can't trust Peter Dutton and the coalition with Medicare.