I rise today in support of this motion moved by my dear friend and colleague the Chief Government Whip, the member for Lalor. I'm supporting both her motion and Labor's determination to strengthen Medicare, because no matter your age, no matter your income, no matter who you are or where you come from, all Australians deserve quality, affordable health care. The Australian people value Medicare, and so does Labor. We always have and always will. That's why the Albanese Labor government has made record investments into strengthening Medicare since coming into office in 2022. The Liberals left Medicare in a mess. They had bulk-billing in a rapid decline, they slashed funding and they froze rebates. Novocastrians told me just how hard it was to find a GP, let alone one that bulk-billed their patients.

But, in the last term of parliament, the Albanese Labor government did what Labor governments do best. We made record investments into Medicare to help stop that bulk-billing freefall, we lifted the six-year freeze on Medicare rebates and we reinstated funding to Newcastle's GP Access After Hours service to take the pressure off emergency departments and help ensure access to bulk-billing GPs. We rolled out 87 urgent care clinics across the country, ensuring that, when Australians need their health care most, they can get it free of charge. But that's not all. From 1 July this year, we boosted hospital funding by $1.8 billion. We've made more contraceptives, endometriosis treatments and IVF therapies accessible and affordable for women across Australia, and we expanded access to Medicare funded MRI scans. But we're not finished. We have committed to the single-largest ever investment in Medicare to deliver more bulk-billing services. We're opening an additional 50 urgent care clinics on top of the existing 87, and we're cutting the maximum cost of PBS medicines to just $25. We're investing $662 million in a workforce package that will expand the largest GP training program in Australian history, funding 2,000 new GP trainees every year. And, on top of this, all Australians will soon be able to access free 24-hour telehealth services, with the launch of 1800MEDICARE. That might seem a lot, because it is, but we know that investing in Medicare makes a real difference to the lives of all Australians, so we make no apology for our ambitious plans for a stronger Medicare.
Novocastrians have certainly been making use of Labor's urgent care clinic, and my office has received a lot of positive feedback from people who have used the clinic up at Charlestown. Eighty-year-old Colleen got my community information magnet in the mail with details about the urgent care clinic and the GP Access After Hours service. She stuck it on the fridge and thought she'd never have to use it, but shortly afterwards she fell and injured her knee. Luckily, she was able to grab that magnet off the fridge, and she got the health care she needed. She told me that the service, the staff and the treatment were fantastic, and, most importantly, it was all bulk-billed.

After attending Labor's urgent Medicare clinic at Charlestown, another constituent, Kevin, contacted my office with a very simple message. He said, 'Medicare just saved my life.' Let that sink in. Kevin attended the clinic with some abdominal issues, and his GP identified the problem and immediately called an ambulance. Kevin underwent emergency surgery at the John Hunter Hospital shortly afterwards. As a result of that surgery, they discovered Kevin had bowel cancer, which has now been treated. Kevin said that without the urgent care clinic he wouldn't have known about his cancer. That's what affordable, accessible health care does: it saves lives.

But we're not finished. As I said, we've committed to these additional funds, and it is really exciting to see some big work and investment into women's health. We are making sure that health care is equitable for women. I was at the University of Newcastle orientation week recently. Young women were very excited to find out they can finally afford an IUD or access their preferred oral contraceptives, like Yaz, Yasmin or Slinda, thanks to Labor's investments. For the first time in 30 years, new oral contraceptives have been added to the PBS. Most of these young women weren't even born the last time a pill was added to that list. And women undergoing IVF are going to get the support they need.

I will conclude by saying Labor created Medicare. We will always fight to protect and strengthen it. In Australia, we know that the only card you need for quality health care is your Medicare card.