Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026
Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (11:19): Australians have really had enough of this Albanese Labor government's misleading rhetoric on health and aged care. The government went to the last election with a dishonest campaign on health and Medicare. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waved around his Medicare card in front of the Australian public and promised Australians that all you need is your Medicare card, not a credit card and that it would be free to see a GP.
He made this promise at least 71 times. But the Albanese Labor government have already broken these promises. Labor promised to strengthen Medicare, but it has never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor.
The bulk-billing rate has plummeted by 11 per cent since they came into government—from 88 per cent under the coalition to 77 per cent under this Albanese Labor government. They promised to put the care back into aged care, and to release an additional 83,000 new home-care packages, but they have withheld new home-care packages from older Australians who need them, causing the waitlist to skyrocket by more than 400 per cent in just two years.
The Prime Minister promised to have a new hospital funding agreement in place by July this year and to fund 42.5 per cent of hospital costs by 2030, but he has failed to negotiate with the states and territories, leaving our hospital systems to languish. Worse, he now appears to be planning to cut billions from our hospitals at a time when they are faced with unprecedented pressure.
Despite all of the Prime Minister's promises and campaign slogans, more Australians are now having to use their credit cards to see a doctor under this government. Australians are being charged the highest out-of-pocket costs on record. In fact, Australians paid a combined $2 billion in out-of-pocket costs to see a GP in the last year alone.
This is the Prime Minister's $2 billion lie. This means that, under this government, Australians are now paying 75 per cent more from their own pocket to see their GP. This is having a real impact on families at a time when they can least afford it.
More than 1½ million Australians avoided seeing their GP last year owing to cost. Instead of being honest with Australians about this crisis, the Prime Minister has been waving his Medicare card around, doing his stunt to try to distract from his government's failure. This Prime Minister is completely out of touch with the rising costs Australians are facing every single day under this government.
Minister, will you finally acknowledge that fewer Australians can rely on only their Medicare card to see a doctor since your government came into power? I want to use my remaining time to speak about women's health. The coalition and government made a significant bipartisan commitment at the last election to invest $573.3 million in important women's health initiatives.
This included enhancing menopause care for women through a new Medicare rebate, expanding health professional training and increasing funding for endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. This package built on the important work started under the coalition government, including the launch of the National Women's Health Strategy. For women experiencing menopause and living with conditions like endo, access to affordable GPs and specialist care is critical.
These new initiatives must be delivered without delay. Too many women are missing out. It has never been harder or more expensive for women to access critical primary care.
The Albanese government must do more to ensure women can access the health advice and checkups they need without record high costs acting as a barrier. I also urge the Albanese government to urgently deliver on its broken promise to protect Australians from genetic discrimination like what they are experiencing in life insurance. The government committed to addressing this in the last term of parliament.
This broken promise has denied hope to Australians at risk of genetic conditions and discourages many from seeking genetic testing. This genetic testing could lead to life-saving information and treatment. Whether it is supporting women with chronic health conditions, helping women manage endo or menopause or assisting families on their fertility journey, we all need to be focused on getting the policy settings right.