Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026

Ms COFFEY (Griffith) (19:23): When people think about health care they often think about hospitals, doctors and emergency departments first. Those parts of our health system are vital. In Griffith, we know that all too well.

We are home to major health institutions including the Princess Alexandra Hospital, the Mater and the Queensland Children's Hospital. But the health of the community is supported by a much wider network than that. It is supported by GPs and nurses, pharmacists and psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, speech pathologists and social workers, counsellors and dietitians, community health workers, carers, volunteers and other hardworking local organisations.

It is supported by people who help us stay well, recover well and live with dignity. In speaking on the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026, I thought it would be worthwhile, given the few minutes that I have, to talk about some of our local organisations working in this space. One of the things I value most about representing Griffith is the extraordinary network of health organisations, allied health professionals, charities and not-for-profits that support our community every day.

Some of that work happens in large hospitals and health precincts. Some of it happens in small rooms, on the phone, around a table, in schools, in workplaces, in community centres and in quiet conversations that may never make the news but can change the course of someone's life. In Morningside in my community of Griffith, the Sunlight Centre is a local mental health charity delivering free crisis-counselling services, prevention programs and expert training across schools, workplaces and the community.

Ken and the team respond to crisis, strengthen prevention and build mental health capacity across our community. Their work reminds us that mental health support must be accessible, compassionate and available early. In South Brisbane, the Youth Advocacy Centre works with some of the most vulnerable young people in our community and beyond.

Katherine and the team support young people to increase their access to justice, both legal and social. When the Special Envoy for Men's Health, the member for Hunter, and I visited the centre, we spoke about the health and psychosocial needs of the young people that they work with, many of whom are boys and young men. That conversation stayed with me because it was a reminder that health policy must understand the whole person.

A young person who is couch surfing, disconnected from school, dealing with trauma or facing legal issues does not experience health in neat categories. They need wraparound support, trusted workers and services that see them, listen to them and stay with them. I want to thank Katherine and the entire team at YAC for the incredible work they do with our young people.

Thinkwell Psychology Hawthorne is supporting families through the unique mental health needs associated with family planning, fertility and conception, pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. Perinatal mental health can be a lonely and frightening experience, and we know our government is doing so much work in that space. I spoke before about my own experience more than a decade ago with a little baby and what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Many parents know that feeling. They know the exhaustion, the anxiety, the isolation and the pressure to pretend everything is fine. Services like Thinkwell Psychology in my community help families understand that they are not alone and that getting support is not a failure; it is an act of care.

The Carnelian Foundation is also doing important work empowering children and young people affected by family violence and mental health challenges. Through its Empowering Futures Scholarship, the foundation supports children and young people to access positive programs including sports, music and art. For a child who has been through trauma, those opportunities can mean stability, confidence, connection and joy at a time when they need it most.

I also want to acknowledge the Foundation for Social Health and its CEO, Melanie Wilde, who has spoken powerfully about loneliness and social connection. One-third of Australians feel lonely at least once a week, and loneliness is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia. The Foundation for Social Health was born from a simple but urgent idea that rebuilding human connection is vital for our mental and physical health, because connection is a form of prevention.

These organisations may not all be named in the text of this bill, but they are all central to the health of our community. They are part of the broader health ecosystem that Medicare supports. When a GP can bulk bill, when a practice can employ a nurse, when a patient can afford a script, when a young person can be referred to the right service, when a parent can access psychological support and when a community organisation can intervene early, the whole system works better.

I also think I might have a few seconds to mention 1800MEDICARE. We've also launched 1800MEDICARE, a free, nationwide, 24/7 urgent care health line for after-hours GP telehealth service. Life is not nine to five and neither is healthcare.

A parent with a sick child at night, a shift worker who cannot get to a doctor during business hours or someone who needs advice after hours should not be left with no option except waiting or going to the emergency department. For mental health, the Medicare Mental Health Check In gives people a free way to access online tools and to speak with a trained practitioner, with no referral or diagnosis needed.

For someone who is struggling but not sure where to start, that early support can make a real difference. This is what strengthening Medicare looks like in practice. It's cheaper medicines.

It's more bulk billing. It's Urgent care clinics. It's support for general practice.

It's training for doctors and nurses. It's strengthening mental health supports. It's recognising the role of Adelaide health community organisations and social connections in keeping people well.

This bill is one part of that broader work.