CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (16:32): There is nothing quite like the FIFA World Cup for bringing people together, and, for six unforgettable weeks, that is exactly what we saw across Australia. Alarm clocks were set, lounge rooms lit up before sunrise and pubs filled across the country. Millions shared the same nerves, the same hope and the same roar, and SBS made it possible.

For 40 years, SBS has been the home of the FIFA World Cup in Australia, and this year all 104 matches were once again broadcast live and free. The statistics are staggering: a record 18 million Australians, 64 per cent of our population, tuned in, consuming more than 209 million hours of coverage. We saw 4.87 million people cheering on the Socceroos against Paraguay, while 5.26 million watched the final between Spain and Argentina.

This is public broadcasting at its absolute best. The true measure of this tournament was never about the stats; it was about Australians from every corner of life coming together to cheer for the green and gold. We celebrated every Socceroos moment, and we shared the collective heartbreak when our campaign ended against Egypt in a penalty shoot out.

On the pitch, we saw a team that reflected the nation cheering them on: different backgrounds, different journeys; one jersey and one proud Aussie team. As co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of SBS group, I want to thank the presenters, commentators, crew and everyone behind the scenes who brought the world game into our homes. Last month I visited Botanic Ridge Doctors, a fantastic local practice providing quality health care to families across Botanic Ridge and surrounding communities.

I met with Dr Faisal, Dr Khawaja, practice manager Tenille and their dedicated team of GPs—allied health professionals who have been serving our community since 2022. Botanic Ridge Doctors is one of 28 practices in Holt offering bulk-billing, helping to ensure that cost is never a barrier to seeing a doctor. Thanks to this Albanese Labor government's record investment in Medicare, Australians can now see a GP for free at more than 3,800 clinics across the country.

I'm incredibly proud to say that, in Holt, our bulk-billing rate has now reached 94.8 per cent. For our local families that means better access to health care closer to home without financial stress—because, when you need to see a doctor, you should only need your Medicare card and not your credit card.