Portfolio — 9 April 2026

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Disability and the NDIS, and Deputy Leader of the House, Mr Butler, used media appearances on 9 April to declare a significant milestone in the government's bulk billing program: over 3,700 Medicare bulk billing practices are now registered nationally, surpassing the original target of 3,600 and arriving nearly two years ahead of the projected late-2027 deadline [TA-260410-health-4e70d779180b].

The bulk billing rate for all Australians reached 81.4 per cent for the three months to 1 November 2025, and approximately 97 per cent of Australians now live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk billing doctor [TA-260410-health-4e70d779180b]. Notably, 1,400 of the 3,700-plus fully bulk billing practices were previously mixed billing, signalling a durable structural shift in how GP practices charge patients rather than a marginal increment — an outcome the Minister attributed to the government's $8.5 billion investment announced in November 2025.

On pharmaceutical policy, Mr Butler announced the PBS listing of IncobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®) for moderate to severe spasticity of the upper limb and dynamic equinus foot deformity in patients with cerebral palsy, effective this month [TA-260410-health-5b9a7b991283]. The listing cuts patient cost from an unsubsidised price exceeding $1,400 per script to a maximum of $25, or $7.70 with a concession card.

The Xeomin® listing is the 431st new or amended PBS listing approved since July 2022, reinforcing the Minister's consistent framing of PBS expansion as a portfolio-wide strategy to reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients managing chronic and rare conditions [TA-260410-health-5b9a7b991283].

The most politically significant thread across the day's appearances concerned NDIS sustainability. Mr Butler stated directly that NDIS expenditure growth is unsustainable — describing the scheme as now growing faster than Medicare, aged care, and the PBS combined — and confirmed that National Cabinet has committed to reducing the growth rate to 5–6 per cent per year [TA-260410-health-70b8de8ed34e].

Asked specifically about means testing and co-contributions for participants, the Minister acknowledged means testing as one option under consideration but declined to rule any reform measure in or out, committing instead to disability community co-design as a precondition for any significant change [TA-260410-health-70b8de8ed34e]. The combination of explicit sustainability language and an open-but-guarded posture on structural reform options marks a careful calibration: the Minister is signalling fiscal urgency without pre-committing to any specific mechanism ahead of community consultation.

Mr Butler also fielded questions on fuel supply — a cross-portfolio matter sitting primarily with the energy portfolio — noting that Australia holds more fuel reserves than at any point in the past 15 years and that the government has provided underwriting guarantees for private companies to secure additional supply from Mexico and North America during the Strait of Hormuz crisis [TA-260410-health-796520d2c06b].

He acknowledged that diesel prices remain elevated nationwide despite the excise cut, while reporting that petrol prices have fallen 30–35 cents per litre from their peak, with the excise reduction saving households approximately $20 per tank against what prices would otherwise be [TA-260410-health-796520d2c06b]. The Minister's willingness to address fuel and cost-of-living questions in the same appearances as health and NDIS announcements reflects the breadth of the day's media engagements rather than a formal cross-portfolio role.