QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:19): Thank you, Senator Whiteaker, for your advocacy for your own state and for public health. Thanks to the Albanese Labor government's historic investment in Medicare, the number of bulk-billing practices in this country gets bigger every week. The numbers from right across the country tell us exactly how effective the government's policy of strengthening bulk-billing really is.

In just three months, we have seen the bulk-billing rate for all Australians rise to 81.4 per cent across the country. Aside from the pandemic, this is the largest quarterly jump in bulk-billing in 20 years. We have seen the largest quarterly increase in bulk-billing ever—6.9 per cent—for 16 to 64-year-olds, and we have seen the bulk-billing rate go up in every state and territory.

Western Australia—your home state, Senator Whiteaker—has gone from 117 practices to 214. That is 102 more fully bulk-billed practices. New South Wales has gone from 990 to more than 1,300—418 more fully bulk-billed practices.

Senator Walsh, Victoria has gone from 624 to 967. That is 379 more fully bulk-billed practices. Queensland has gone from 375 to 618.

That is 250 more practices that are fully bulk-billing. South Australia has gone from 88 to 190. That is 104 more fully bulk-billed practices.

Tasmania has gone from 25 to 64, Senator Polley. In the ACT, there are eight more fully bulk-billed practices, and in the Northern Territory over 80 per cent of GP practices are now fully bulk-billing. The numbers do not lie.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Whiteaker, first supplementary?