STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator DOWLING (Tasmania) (13:50): There's some very good news for the people of Risdon Vale just outside of Hobart on Tasmania's eastern shore. The Tasmanian government is opening a new GP clinic that will provide 20,000 fully bulk-billed appointments every year. I welcome it, but it's worth explaining what makes those appointments possible.

The state government, yes, is providing the clinic, but the appointments are powered by Medicare. When someone walks through the door, sees a GP, shows their Medicare card and leaves without a bill, Medicare pays for that consultation. Our government has substantially increased support for bulk-billing.

Since November last year, we have expanded the bulk-billing incentive to every Medicare eligible Australian. Practices that fully bulk-bill can also receive additional incentives worth 12½ per cent of eligible Medicare benefits. The results in Tasmania are clear.

The number of fully bulk-billing GP practices has risen from 26 to 72—that is 72 fully bulk-billed GP practices in Tasmania. Forty-five practices have switched from mixed billing to fully bulk-billing, and Tasmania's GP bulk-billing rate has climbed by more than seven per cent to almost 81 per cent. That is GP bulk-billing rates of 81 per cent.

There is a certain irony here. If you think back to the last state election, TassieDoc was originally developed by Tasmanian Labor and described as 'powered by Medicare'. The Tasmanian Liberals liked the idea so much they adopted it and now Risdon Vale will benefit.

I'm happy to give the Rockliff government credit for establishing the clinic, but you cannot build a model powered by Medicare and pretend Commonwealth investment has nothing to do with it. The state is putting a roof over the doctors' heads. Medicare is making sure patients walk out the door without a bill.

That is federal Labor government investment working exactly as intended.