Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. After a decade of cuts and neglect, how is the Albanese Labor government strengthening Medicare and bulk-billing? Are there any threats that would make it harder for Australians to see a bulk-billed doctor?

Mr BUTLER (Hindmarsh—Minister for Health and Aged Care and Deputy Leader of the House) (14:49): I
thank the member for Gilmore for her question. During the break we visited the urgent care clinic and new headspace service at Batemans Bay, as well as a terrific endometriosis clinic in Milton. I thank her for that. She is an absolutely terrific advocate for better health care, particularly in regional Australia. She knows that when we came to government general practice, in particular, was under huge pressure after this decade of cuts and neglect to Medicare, and bulk-billing in particular was in freefall. The member for Gilmore, along with the rest of the Labor
team, promised to turn this around, and we've been busy delivering on that promise.

This Treasurer has delivered the two biggest increases to the Medicare rebate in 30 years. In just two budgets,
this Treasurer delivered a bigger increase to Medicare than those opposite managed in nine budgets. In addition,
we've tripled the bulk-billing incentive for GP visits. In the member for Gilmore's electorate, for example, that's
lifted the Medicare rebate paid to a GP for a standard consult by 50 per cent—by half.

And, in the eight months since that record investment took effect, we've seen bulk-billing increase in every single
state and territory. A system that under those opposite was in freefall has finally started to turn around. Since
November, that has delivered an additional three million free visits to the doctor—900,000 in June alone and more
than 900,000 in May alone. And the biggest increases to bulk-billing have been in regional and rural Australia. I'm
pleased to report that in the member for Gilmore's electorate bulk-billing is up by more than five per cent in just
eight months. Now, well over four out of every five GP visits in the member for Gilmore's electorate is fully bulkbilled, in no small effort due to her advocacy for better health care. Along with urgent care clinics and cheaper
medicines, more bulk-billing is a crucial part of our plan to strengthen Medicare, to make it easier to see a doctor
and to help Australians with the rising cost of health care.

These measures are making a real difference to ordinary Australians, but we know it's still tough out there, and
we know we need to do more. We're determined to do more, but we also know that this progress is under real threat from those opposite. The shadow Treasurer confirmed again this week he doesn't support our record investment in bulk-billing.

As for the Leader of the Opposition, you just have to look at his record to get a hint of what he would
do if he got his hands on Medicare again. He famously said that there were too many free Medicare services before
he tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether and cut $50 billion from hospitals. No wonder Australia's doctors voted
this man the worst health minister in the history of Medicare.