QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:25): Thank you, Senator Cox. In May the Australian people voted for a government that would stand up for the principle of universal health care. The Albanese government made that commitment to the Australian people, and we are keeping it.

On Saturday, the Albanese Labor government's largest ever investment in the history of Medicare, an $8½ billion investment, will start to kick in, and that will expand bulk-billing over time and create a new additional incentive payment for practices that bulk-bill every payment. It will mean that nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030, and fully bulk-billed practices will grow in number to around 4,800 across Australia, tripling the number of bulk-billing practices.

That is what delivering for the Australian people looks like. We've already heard from hundreds and hundreds of practices, and they said that this week they're charging a gap fee and next week they'll be moving to a fully bulk-billed service. Senator Ayres: Heads down over there.

Senator McALLISTER: Heads down over there. That's how you rebuild Medicare, because the only card you should need when you go to the doctor is your Medicare card. In our first term, the Albanese government delivered $3½ billion in 2023 to restore access to bulk-billing for the 11 million patients that it covered.

Those over there are quiet about that one too, because that vital investment was necessary to start to rebuild bulk-billing after a decade of coalition neglect. This Saturday we're taking the next step by delivering the largest ever investment in Medicare to back in universal health care for Australians. The PRESIDENT: Senator Cox, first supplementary?