STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms KARA COOK (Bonner) (13:55): When Medicare works, people notice, not of because a headline or an announcement but because they can see a doctor when they need one close to home and don't have to worry about the cost. I recently welcomed the Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, to Bonner, where we visited two local healthcare services that are doing exactly that: the Carina-Carindale urgent care clinic and Yulu-Burri-Ba, one of our wonderful fully bulk-billed clinics.

Both of these services are making a real difference to our local community. The Carina-Carindale Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is helping locals access free health care seven days a week, with no appointment necessary. It's one of the 137 clinics Labor has delivered nationally.

It's already had over 5,000 patients through the door. We also visited Yulu-Burri-Ba, where staff are delivering high-quality, culturally safe health care for our community and helping ensure people can access fully bulk-billed care close to home. Labor has doubled the number of bulk-billing GPs in Bonner over the last 12 months.

These visits were a reminder that Medicare is not just about policy; it's about people. When Medicare works, people notice.