Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (12:35) 

I rise to speak on the Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025. Can I start with the member for Macarthur and his good, fine words and thank him for all the work he has done in the healthcare system over the years. People like him who come into this place make a real difference. Thank you.

This bill does two very important things. It strengthens enforcement of Medicare integrity measures and it makes sensible practical changes that have come out of our vaping and tobacco reforms. At its core, this bill is about trust: trust in our health system; trust that when you walk into the doctor's office the system is working for you, not against you; trust that the billions of taxpayer dollars that Australians work hard to put in are being spent on health care and not being siphoned away by rorts or loopholes; and trust that we as a parliament are doing everything we can to protect the next generation from avoidable harm.

Let me start with Medicare. As a proud Labor member, I cannot overstate this. Medicare is at the very heart of who we are and what we stand for, because when you walk into a GP's office or a hospital the only thing that should matter is your health, not your bank balance. Whether you are a minimum-wage worker pulling a nightshift, a pensioner living on a fixed income or a millionaire CEO, you deserve the same access to high-quality care. That is what Medicare is about, that is why we, the Labor Party, created it, and that is why we will always fight to protect it.

Now, strengthening Medicare is not just about doctors and nurses; it's about community. In the Hunter, we see how much people really rely on it. In places like Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Singleton and Toronto, bulk-billing is not just a nice thing to have; it's a lifeline. Families who are already stretched with the cost of living do not have hundreds of dollars to spare when a child gets sick or when somebody needs regular care for a chronic condition. Medicare is there for them, and this bill helps to make sure that it stays that way.

I also want to acknowledge the work of our healthcare workers. The overwhelming majority of doctors, nurses and health professionals are doing the right thing. They are honest and hardworking, and they care deeply about their patients. Medicare integrity is not about punishing them. It's about backing them in. It's about making sure they have a system that works properly so that they can focus on treating patients, not chasing paperwork or competing with those who are, unfortunately, doing the wrong thing.

But, if we are serious about strengthening Medicare, we also have to be serious about protecting the taxpayer dollars that fund it. Every cent wasted on fraud or on mistakes is a cent that does not go to somebody in real need. And let me tell you: the people of the Hunter expect their taxpayer dollars to be spent very wisely. They expect that, when they put in, they can count on Medicare to be there when they need it. That is why integrity measures matter.

In 2022, Minister Butler commissioned a respected health economist Dr Philip to do an independent review of Medicare integrity and compliance. This was about taking a good hard look into the system. The Philip review was clear. It found that, while the system is strong, there are areas where it can be gamed. It found that claims were sometimes being made wrongly, sometimes by accident and sometimes deliberately. It found that we need stronger checks to make sure the system is robust and it reminded us that patient safety must always come first. Out of that review came the Medicare Integrity Taskforce. We set it up with serious funding, and we backed it again in the following budget, because this government is not about a bandaid fix; we are about long-term reform that keeps Medicare strong for the future. This bill takes up those recommendations and makes five important changes. Let me expand on each of them.

First, it tightens the timeframe for lodging bulk-billing claims from two years down to one. At the moment, claims can sit there for years before being checked. It makes it harder to catch mistakes, and it makes it easier for dodgy claims to slip through. By tightening the timeframe, we are making the system sharper, cleaner and more reliable. Patients will get more timely outcomes, and taxpayers will know the money is being spent properly.

Second, it updates and broadens investigative powers so they are effective and consistent across all our health benefit schemes. Right now there are gaps and inconsistencies, which means regulators cannot always act when they should. This bill fixes that. It gives regulators the right tools, no matter what part of the health system they are dealing with. That means that if somebody is gaming the system, whether in the MBS, the PBS or the child dental benefit scheme, regulators can crack down on them.

Third, it improves pharmacy approval processes. Everyone in the House knows how important timely access to medicine is. If you are waiting for a script for your child or for life-saving cancer treatment, delays are not just inconvenient; they can also be devastating. Right now, approval processes can be clunky and extremely slow. This bill cuts through the red tape, speeds things up and makes sure that medicines get to where they are needed. That is good for patients, and it's also good for pharmacists, who spend far too much time buried in paperwork instead of serving the community, which they all do so well.

Fourth, it strengthens the powers to investigate fraud, recover money that should never have been paid and keep the system honest. I'll put it simply: if you rip off Medicare, you are ripping off every single Australian taxpayer, and shame on you. You are ripping off the pensioner in Singleton, the young family in Lake Macquarie and the apprentice in Cessnock. Every dollar wrongly claimed is a dollar that should be spent on them, not be in your pocket. This bill makes sure the government can get that money back and put it where it belongs.

Fifth, it boosts the ability for regulators to protect patient safety by allowing key information to be used in professional misconduct proceedings. Patient safety is not negotiable. If somebody is putting patients at risk, regulators need to act fast and they need to know the full picture straightaway. This bill helps them do exactly that.

This bill also strengthens the Therapeutic Goods Act. That matters because it is making sure that people get the medicines they need when they need them. We've all seen what happens when there are medicine shortages. Whether it's antibiotics for kids, pain relief for older Australians or life-saving treatments for cancer patients, empty shelves cause stress, anxiety and real harm. These amendments give the department more flexibility to respond to shortages, to move medicines to where they are needed and to act quickly in the interest of public health and safety. They also sharpen compliance powers, modernise search and seizure powers and ensure state and territory officers can play their role effectively. This is practical reform that makes sure that regulators have the tools they need to keep Australians safe.

Then there is vaping. I will be blunt on this: vaping is a national health emergency. We all know the story with cigarettes. Decades ago, young people were hooked on nicotine through smoking. For many, that addiction lasted a lifetime. For too many, it unfortunately ended with them being in an early grave. Now the same thing is happening with vapes. I see it in schools across the Hunter. I hear about it from parents who are worried about their kids. I see young tradies in pubs with a vape in their hand. The marketing is slick, the flavours are appealing and the addiction is just as powerful as smoking ever was. The scary thing is that we don't even know what the full-term and long-term consequences are yet. Vapes have not been around long enough for us to fully understand what they do to us, but we know enough to know that they are dangerous—extremely dangerous. If we do nothing, we risk creating another generation of nicotine addicts.

That's why the Albanese Labor government has acted. We have already made big reforms in tackling vaping. This bill strengthens them further. It makes sure our laws keep up. It gives regulators the power to shut down dodgy suppliers, crack down on illegal advertising and stop vapes being pushed into the hands of young people around this country. It also makes practical fixes to the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act. It tightens advertising rules, clarifies who can enforce the law and ensures that tobacco companies and vape sellers cannot exploit loopholes.

Let's be clear. Smoking kills. We all know that in this country and we have known that for a very long time. But vaping also kills. If this legislation helps even one person kick the habit then that's one more child who gets to spend precious years with their grandparents, and that's a win in my books.

We know this approach works. Australia's world-leading tobacco reforms under the Gillard government saved lives. Smoking rates fell, and thousands of families were spared the grief of losing a loved one too soon. Now we face a new challenge, and it's our responsibility to act just as decisively to protect the next generation from nicotine addiction. This bill strengthens Medicare. It protects taxpayer dollars. It protects patients. It helps families and continues our fight against tobacco and vaping. When Medicare is strong, Australia is strong as well. That is why I am proud to commend this bill to the House.