PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms BERRY (Whitlam) (11:10): I am proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which is investing $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare and deliver more free health care for Australians. This free access to a GP is life-changing for many Australians because it means they can go to the doctor when they need to, not just when they can afford to. Labor has made it easier for Australians to see a GP for free by expanding bulk-billing incentives and boosting payments to GP clinics that bulk-bill every patient.
Our most recent reform came into effect on 1 November last year. From that date, and for the first time, bulk-billing incentives are paid to GPs for every patient they bulk-bill. Previously, these incentives were only available to children under the age of 16 and concession card holders.
This investment means that patients will save hundreds of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. I'm delighted to say that the latest data shows Labor's bulk-billing policies are delivering excellent results. The national GP bulk-billing rate was 81.9 per cent for the January-to-March quarter, a 4.6 percentage point increase on the same period last year.
Bulk-billing has increased in every state and territory due to our reforms, including a rise of four percentage points to 85 per cent in my state of New South Wales. In my electorate of Whitlam in 2023, bulk-billing rates were at 73 per cent. In 2026, due to our government's incentives, bulk-billing rates are close to 90 per cent.
The bulk-billing rate has risen for every age group as a result of Labor's reforms, including a particularly strong increase of almost eight per cent to 76 per cent for patients aged between 16 to 64 years. There are now over 3,800 Medicare bulk-billing practices across Australia, and I note that more that 1,400 of these were previously mixed billing clinics.
In my electorate of Whitlam, the number of fully bulk-billing practices has jumped from nine to 28 due to Labor's incentives. Approximately 97 per cent of the Australian population is now within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice, which is a wonderful outcome. Another major bulk-billing reform implemented by this government is the rollout of Medicare urgent care clinics which are open for extended hours seven days a week with no appointment needed.
Patients can walk in and see a trained doctor or nurse, and the services are bulk-billed, and they do not pay a cent. A network of 137 Medicare urgent care clinics has opened over the past three years, including two in my electorate of Whitlam—one in Dapto and one in Shellharbour. Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia have seen over three million presentations since the first sites opened in 2023, and there have been over 33,000 visits to urgent care clinics in my electorate of Whitlam.
A significant benefit that flows from opening an urgent care clinic is that it takes pressure off local hospitals. In my electorate, that includes Shellharbour and Wollongong hospitals, where more than half the presentations are non-urgent or semi-urgent presentations. Labor has also cut the cost of everyday medicines on the PBS to $25, the lowest co-payments since 2004, and it's just $7.70 for concession card holders to get their medicines.
This is helping millions of Australians afford the medicines they need. Over three million cheaper PBS scripts have been filled in my electorate alone, and that's delivering over $19 million of savings to people in my community. Labor built Medicare, and the Albanese government is strengthening it after a decade of neglect under the coalition.
When Labor came to government in 2022, bulk-billing was in decline, GP clinics were under pressure and people were putting off seeing a doctor because they simply couldn't afford it. The Albanese Labor government has stepped up and reversed that trend, recognising that health care must be based on need, not wealth. Bulk-billing is the beating heart of Medicare, and the Albanese government is successfully delivering more bulk-billing for more Australians.
By strengthening Medicare, expanding bulk-billing and making essential medicines cheaper, the Albanese Labor government is restoring confidence in a vital system that defines who we are as a country.