ADJOURNMENT

Mr NG (Menzies) (13:24): I rise today to talk about the Albanese Labor government's commitment to health. During the election campaign, one of our signature policies was a record investment in Medicare so that we could triple the GP bulk-billing incentive, making health care more accessible and affordable, and so that nine out of 10 GP visits would be bulk-billed by 2030.

We know that this policy will work because we tripled the bulk-billing incentive for minors and for seniors and we've seen a significant uptake in bulk-billing rates for those cohorts. Last week I was fortunate to have the Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, visit my electorate of Menzies. We visited St Andrew's Clinic, a fully bulk-billing clinic that opened six months ago which provides some fantastic services to the community in Doncaster East.

They're a very dedicated GP clinic. Yes, it's great that they'll be rewarded by the greater financial incentive to bulk-bill, but they also have a strong commitment to delivering accessible and affordable health care. We greatly appreciate the dedication of all of the GPs across the electorate of Menzies in ensuring that primary health care remains accessible to the majority of people.

This month is also National Mental Health Month, and the Albanese Labor government has made an election commitment of a further $1 billion to go towards mental health services. We know that mental health is an essential part of health, as important as physical health, and we want to ensure that it remains similarly accessible and affordable. Like a lot of people, I have family and friends who've been affected by mental health issues.

I know that we have a long way to go before the mental health system provides enough support to address what is, in a lot of ways, a growing issue. We know that diagnosed mental health conditions are rising amongst young people. By looking at inquiries like the royal commission into mental health that occurred in Victoria, we know that there is a missing middle where access to counselling services, counsellors or psychologists takes too long and that there aren't enough acute care beds.

Significant progress has been made in Victoria by the Victorian Labor government because of their commitment to mental health and their commitment to taking on the recommendations of that royal commission. Nonetheless, there is still more work to do, and the Albanese Labor government is committed to that work with our significant investment. This includes in services like headspace, our national youth mental health service.

Of course, today is headspace day, and we acknowledge the really important work that headspace do in addressing the growing rates of youth mental health issues. The Albanese Labor government has recognised that important role, with further investments.