PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms SITOU (Reid) (11:00): I move: That this House: (1) notes the latest bulk billing data for the March quarter 2025-26 shows bulk billing has increased in every state and territory; (2) commends the Government's record $8.5 billion investment to strengthen Medicare with more bulk billing and doctors and nurses which is delivering free health care for Australians; and (3) acknowledges there are now more than 3,800 bulk billing practices across the country, with over 1,400 of these switching from mixed billing thanks to the Government's investments.
Medicare is one of the most precious of Australian promises—that the health care you receive should depend on your Medicare card, not your credit card. It speaks to who we are as a country that, when you're unwell, you get the care you need no matter who you are and what your circumstances are. It's a proud Australian tradition and a proud Labor legacy.
Labor created Medicare, Labor will always protect Medicare and Labor is strengthening Medicare for the future. But that promise hasn't universally been supported by all sides of politics. When the coalition were last in government, they weakened and undermined Medicare every chance they got.
When we came into government in 2022, it had never been harder or more expensive to find a doctor, because the coalition had frozen Medicare rebates for six long years. Every year that the freeze stayed in place Medicare covered less and less of the real cost of seeing a doctor. That meant more pressure on GPs, more pressure on clinics and more pressure on patients.
And let's not forget they tried to introduce an infamous GP co-payment. They wanted Australians to pay more just to see a doctor. Bulk-billing was in freefall after a decade of cuts and neglect.
That should tell you everything about the coalition's approach to Medicare. They cut, they froze and they tried to force Australians to pay more for health care every single chance they got. Then there is One Nation.
On Medicare, like everything else, One Nation is all slogan and no solution. They say they support bulk-billing, but, when it comes to the serious work of strengthening primary care, supporting GPs, training more doctors and nurses and making it easier for Australians to see a GP for free, they have nothing serious to offer. Medicare and bulk-billing aren't strengthened by a press release or a dog whistle slogan.
Neither One Nation nor the coalition have any plans to strengthen Medicare. They've only got grievance and noise. Australians don't need Medicare turned into another culture war.
What they need is a government that truly believes in Medicare and wants to strengthen it, and that's exactly what we get with the Albanese Labor government. Our government has made the single largest investment into Medicare ever—$8.5 billion to deliver more bulk-billing practices, GPs and nurses to help ensure all Australians have access to free and quality health care.
We have the numbers to back it up, because it's working. From March 2025 to March 2026, bulk-billing increased in every single state and territory. It's now up to 81.9 per cent nationally, up more than 4.6 per cent in a year, with more than 3,600 practices fully bulk-billing.
Bulk-billing rates in my electorate are now up to 88 per cent, with a total of 39 Medicare bulk-billing practices which fully bulk-bill every patient with a Medicare card. That is 59 per cent of all GP clinics in my community. When it comes to strengthening Medicare, bulk-billing is just the tip of the iceberg.
We promised to deliver 137 fully bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinics for free, urgent health care. They're open until late, open seven days and accessible without appointment so that we are able to free up our emergency hospital rooms. We have kept our promise; we have established all 137 Medicare urgent care clinics, including one in my electorate, in Burwood, at 8 Elsie Street.
It opened in December last year and has already treated thousands and thousands of patients. In this year's budget we made Medicare urgent care clinics a permanent part of Medicare. We've made medicines cheaper, with PBS medications to cost no more than $25 for the first time since 2004.
Labor is the only party that is delivering on Medicare. We are the only party that will protect and strengthen Medicare. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Mascarenhas ): Is there a seconder for the motion?
Ms Berry: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.