Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (11:17):
Labor is the party of Medicare. We will always protect Medicare, and we will always do what we can to strengthen it. As an Australian, one of the things that I am most proud of is that, no matter how much money you make, you can have access to world-class health care. This is because Medicare is fundamentally about universal health care. It means that anyone and everyone can get access to the care they need when they need it—using their Medicare card, not their credit card. This is something that should always be protected, and that's why we have made historic investments in Medicare throughout our first term of government.
Medicare went through some tough and scary times under the former coalition government, especially under the reign of the current Leader of the Opposition, who was at the time labelled as the worst health minister in living memory. What a reference to have on your CV when applying for the job of Prime Minister! The Leader of the Opposition will say he cares about everyday hard-working Australians, but he will make it harder for you to see a doctor when you're sick, just like he did when he was the king of cuts to Medicare. He doesn't care about how hard you work; he cares about how much money you make—if you don't make enough money, you don't get to see a doctor.
This is why strengthening Medicare has been one of our top priorities. In 2023 we delivered the biggest indexation boost for Medicare in 30 years. This year we delivered the second largest increase, with almost $900 million in additional funding for Medicare. This is where the difference between our approach to Medicare and that of the coalition sticks out like a sore thumb. This government has delivered more than double the amount of indexation to Medicare, compared to what the previous government did in almost a decade.
We are also focused on making it easier to see a doctor. Peter Dutton, doing Peter Dutton things, froze Medicare rebates when he was health minister. This is a trend that lasted for six years under the coalition government. As a consequence, it left the financial viability of general practice in serious trouble. That's why we have tripled the bulk-billing incentive, from 1 November last year, in the largest investment to bulk-billing in history. This has been a national increase of 1.7 percentage points in the first year and 5.4 million additional visits. We have opened 77 Medicare urgent care clinics across Australia. I know for a fact that the people of Cessnock and surrounds are forever grateful for the urgent care clinic in my electorate, which has helped thousands of people who need access to health care. Unfortunately, the opposition wants to cut these two.
We have also committed to reforming the mental health and suicide prevention systems, ensuring that Australians receive equitable access to the care they need, providing free mental health services through a network of 61 walk-in Medicare mental health centres. Two of these are in my electorate, in Muswellbrook and Cessnock, and the impacts they are having are clear to see.
There are always improvements that can be made to Medicare, and perhaps including dental is one of those improvements. I know that the Greens as a party has never and will never come close to forming government. They think you can sprinkle some fairy dust and click your fingers, but, unfortunately, that's not how this world works, and that's not how governments work, and including dental in Medicare isn't something that can be done overnight. However, we are committed to the long-term goal of expanding Medicare to dental health services, and that work is currently ongoing.
Labor will always be the party that prioritises issues that have real impact on people's lives. The Albanese Labor government are party who made the largest ever investment to Medicare, and the coalition are the party who made the largest ever cuts to Medicare. They just don't care about Aussies being able to afford to go and see a doctor. So, when you cast your vote, look at our track record and the things that matter, like Medicare, and then look at the track record of the Leader of the Opposition and the coalition team. This will make clear who really looks after you and who really stands up for the things that matter in your life. An Albanese Labor government cares about Medicare and cares about you, so please make sure you cast your vote wisely when it comes to having that choice.
