QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (14:51): When you're sick, you shouldn't have to worry about seeing a GP and paying a bill. That is why the Albanese government made the single largest investment in Medicare history. It was necessary because, after a decade of cuts and neglect, bulk billing was in freefall.

Today, it is back on the rise. Today, more than eight out of 10 visits to the GP are free. Of course, bulk billing only works if there is a doctor available to see you.

The decade of cuts put more than pressure on the family budget; it also saw doctors leave the system in droves. We are rebuilding that workforce. We're expanding GP training and we're expanding Commonwealth supported places.

More doctors joined our system in the last two years than at any time in the past decade under those opposite. In 2026, around 2,100 doctors will begin government funded GP training. That is the largest cohort on record.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Ananda-Rajah, second supplementary?