Defence Portfolio

Ms WHITE (Lyons—Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health) (19:21): When we came to government in 2022, we had a situation where it had never been harder or more expensive to find a doctor. Bulk-billing was in freefall after a decade of cuts and neglect, and that's why strengthening Medicare was such a key focus for our government.

Today, we've heard members opposite give an impression that they don't support Labor's investment in the Medicare urgent care clinic network. It's staggering to hear this, given how successful and how important they've been, but also not surprising to notice their lack of enthusiasm when you look at their history and realise that it shouldn't be difficult for us to understand why they're coming at it the way they are.

When this coalition were in government, they froze the Medicare rebate for several years, ripping billions of dollars from primary health care, and proposed a co-payment to go and see your GP. That was under former prime minister Tony Abbott, the same person the Liberal Party has now appointed as their president. If that doesn't speak to their priorities, then I don't know what does.

Then, of course, we had a period during the last election where, certainly in my electorate, the candidate for the Liberal Party couldn't say whether Medicare urgent care clinics would remain open, let alone remain free. Those opposite don't value Medicare. They never have.

They don't understand the importance of access to affordable health care. The Labor Party does. We build it.

We invest in strengthening Medicare, and what we have been able to deliver for Australians has made their lives easier. More than three million Australians have been able to visit a Medicare urgent care clinic, getting free access to urgent care. We've seen a significant increase in the number of bulk-billing GP practices right around the country.

There are over 3,800 GP practices that have now moved to fully bulk-billing, and that number continues to grow every week. On 1 November last year, 1,400 of those 3,800 were mixed billing, so we have seen a significant number of them move to fully bulk-billing, and that is improving access to health care not just in metro and urban areas but in our regions and in our rural communities.

We know that what this means now is that approximately 97 per cent of the population are within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice. This is helping more Australians afford the health care that they deserve. We've also seen improvements in people being able to access cheaper medicines, with millions of Australians being able to access medicines capped at $7.70 if you hold a concession card or $25 for other medicines listed on the PBS.

We've also invested in the workforce. We value our staff and those who contribute to the Australian health sector. We've invested over $662 million, and that workforce package is supporting people right across regional parts of our country to participate in GP training.

By 2028 we will fund 2,000 new GP trainees every year, and we are delivering these courses from regional universities. In my own home state of Tasmania, you can now do end-to-end training at campuses in Burnie, Hobart and Launceston, and that is really important for us to be able to grow our own workforce and for them to remain working in our regional communities in particular.

I'm also really proud of the work we've done in women's health. This has been a significant commitment—nearly $800 million—that has supported women right around our country to be able to afford the medicines that previously were not listed on the PBS and to be able to access the care they need through our endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain clinics. All 33 of those clinics that we promised are now open.

We've also been able to launch a menopause and perimenopause public awareness campaign, which is destigmatising a thing that happens to every single Australian woman and is improving access to good, accurate information about where they can access the help that they need. We are investing in aged care by providing dignity to older Australians and making sure that they are able to access the care that they need as they get older in their own community.

The funding of $3 billion that we've provided in this budget is on top of other commitments that we've made in previous budgets. There has also been a significant investment in reforming the NDIS. We know that the system has not been working for Australians, and that is why we are working very hard to improve it to make sure that it is, and that it remains, one of Australia's greatest human rights achievements.

It is great reform, and we are committed to strengthening it to make sure that Australians who rely on it can continue to access it. The budget investment that we have been able to deliver in health for our community is good not only for the individual Australians who rely on it but for our entire economy. It improves access to participation, and I feel very proud to be part of a government that values health in the way that ours does.

Proposed expenditure agreed to. Ordered that consideration in detail of the bill be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:27