Melissa McIntosh
Lindsay · Liberal Party · Australia
“The working homeless are one of our country's most worrying trends. When a working mother escapes violence only to trade fear inside her home for fear inside a parked car with her children, we should all be asking how Australia has come to this.”
“They told me they have women living in cars while waiting for transitional accommodation, women that are working jobs, women trying to keep their children safe and women doing everything right yet unable to secure a rental property because the market is simply too tight.”
“In my own electorate of Lindsay, the number of people sleeping rough in the Penrith local government area has increased by over 30 per cent in just one year. For every person counted sleeping rough, there are many more living in cars, couch surfing or remaining in unsafe situations because they simply have nowhere else to go.”
“More than four million Australians live in poverty, rents have soared, childcare costs continue to rise, and homeownership is slipping further out of reach. Mortgage arrears have risen by 6.8 per cent over the past year, while credit card arrears among Gen Z have surged by almost 29 per cent.”
“OzHarvest's latest frontline report reveals more than 350,000 people are seeking food relief every month, while more than 74,000 are being turned away because services cannot keep up with demand.”
“It cuts me to the core to hear the Penrith Women's Health Centre say that around 10 per cent of their clients are now working homeless. These are women fleeing violence, often with little more than the clothes on their back. Last year alone, the centre supported 750 women escaping violence in their homes.”
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“Because the government has not provided adequate resources, and the health minister has turned a blind eye. Patients were again left waiting for access to new treatments at an affordable price. We've already seen the consequences of Labor's delays with the PBS—for example, for women living with endometriosis. The government announced a listing of Ryeqo on the PBS before the election, but that medicine had been recommended for listing more than a year earlier—an entire year of avoidable delay for women suffering with chronic pain. That is simply not good enough. The coalition also initiated the health technology assessment review, an important opportunity to look at how we can improve timely access to medicines for Australian patients. The findings of that critical review were released last September by the Albanese Labor government.”
“That investment ensured Australians had affordable access to potentially life-saving or life-changing medicines that would otherwise have cost them thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. We also maintained our commitment to list every medicine recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. This stands in stark contrast to Labor. When last in government, Labor stopped listing new medicines on the PBS because they ran out of money. That despicable decision meant Australians missed out on treatments for severe asthma, chronic pain, schizophrenia, blood clots, IVF, endometriosis and prostate conditions. Sadly, history is repeating itself. Late last year, almost 50 medicines were deferred from consideration because the PBAC imposed a cap on the number of medicines they could review. Why?”
“Labor's cost-of-living crisis has forced families into impossible choices. More and more Australians are delaying or avoiding refilling their scripts because they simply can't afford it. Last year alone, eight per cent of Australians delayed or went without their prescription medication due to cost. No Australian should ever have to make that choice. This bill is a step towards easing that burden that has grown increasingly heavy under the Albanese Labor government. It ensures Australians have more affordable access to the medicines and treatments they need at a time when health care has never been more expensive and it builds on the coalition's proud record of supporting a strong PBS. When in government, the coalition made around 2,900 new or amended listings on the PBS—an investment of $16.5 billion.”
“I rise today to speak on the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is a critical component of Australia's health system. For decades it has ensured that Australians can access affordable medicines and treatments when they need them most. Under the PBS, patients make a copayment towards the cost of their medicine, and the Commonwealth covers the rest. For this year, that patient copayment sits at $31.60 for general patients. This bill seeks to reduce that copayment to $25. It is an important change and one that the coalition supports. In fact, this bill reflects the coalition's commitment at the last election to guarantee cheaper medicines and lower the PBS copayment to $25. Right now, Australians are under extraordinary pressure.”
“As important as each of these issues are, what is more important is that we do not apply a technicolour lens to data and evidence to paint the situation as something more palatable. If it's broke, let's fix it, but we must not sugarcoat it.”
“Despite this seemingly low number, the government's own Workplace Gender Equality Agency reports this data quite differently, because it includes overtime, superannuation and other payments that are received. Their reporting states the gender pay gap is still much higher, at 21.8 per cent. These two datasets far from align, though both show an improvement over the last decade. When this data was first reported in 2015, the gap sat at 28.6 per cent. Year on year, this percentage has fallen by around one percentage point—that is, until the Albanese Labor government was elected. In 2022, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency reported the gap at 22.8 per cent. In the 3½ years since they came to office, this has shifted just 0.4 per cent. That's an average reduction of 0.1 per cent each year.”
“The same number have experienced emotional abuse, and one in five have experienced sexual violence. These issues matter. They are important, and we must do more to stop them now, not later. When it comes to the gender pay gap, as the member for Brisbane highlighted, we are seeing an improvement. Last week, the Minister for Women, Senator Gallagher, said in a media release that Australia's gender pay gap is at the lowest ever level since records began, at 11.5 per cent. I appreciate that this allows a media release to be issued; however, according to the ABS, it reached 11.5 per cent last August, before rising again to 11.9 per cent in February.”
“More and more Australians are accepting that owning their own home may never be a reality while prices remain so high and supply continues to dwindle. Homelessness is a reality for too many. Earlier this month was Homelessness Week, an important week dedicated to highlighting the homelessness crisis here in Australia. Homelessness Australia said that, of the people assisted by specialist services, six in 10 are women, one in three are single parents and nearly 10 per cent are women aged 55 or over. Nearly 40 per cent of clients have experienced family and domestic violence. Family and domestic violence continues to be one of the biggest challenge in our communities. One in four women have experienced violence by an intimate partner. That's around 2.3 million women in this country—your sister, your relative, your friend, your neighbour.”
“Interest rates have gone up 12 times, with families still being punished with extra mortgage repayments of up to $1,800 a month. Let's face it, the cost of everything is up. Electricity bills are up 32 per cent, gas bills are up 30 per cent, rents are up 20 per cent, food is up 14 per cent, health costs are up 15 per cent—and don't get me started on only needing to use your Medicare card, not your credit card. When families are skipping meals to keep the lights and heating on, it is clear this government has got its priorities all wrong. Australia's housing crisis is in freefall. Rents are skyrocketing right across the country, having risen 20 to 80 per cent in our capital cities since 2022, which means they are rising up to five times faster than wages.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion this morning. As the shadow minister for women, I am committed, as we all are in the coalition, to ensuring we are delivering economic equality for women. But, just as importantly, we must deliver essential services and tackle the issues that are hurting so many women and children—indeed, all Australian families. Instead of driving economic growth and bettering our lives, the Albanese Labor government's out-of-control spending spree is actually failing Australians. With nearly 51 per cent of the population being women, you can consider their efforts an epic fail. We have and continue to experience the sharpest fall in living standards in the developed world. Living standards in Australia have declined by more than six per cent under Labor.”
“We need a government that listens to and respects small and family business and goes out there and actually speaks to them on the ground and sees them in their day-to-day operations, speaks to their employees and understands their stressors, not a government that's focused on PR fluff. They need to be focused on the people that keep Australia going.”
“Productivity is stalling and has gone backwards by more than five per cent under Labor. We have an unemployment rate that has increased by almost half a percentage point to 4.2 per cent. Living standards have slipped by more than six per cent under the Albanese Labor government. This is why it is astounding that they are again putting out ideas to tax individuals and small businesses more. What more can small businesses give? I have small businesses and manufacturers in Lindsay that are on their knees and struggling to get by. This is the truth. I'm so concerned by the number of small businesses that are going insolvent. When I speak to them, they are genuinely distressed. They are desperate to keep their doors open. But high energy costs, incessant red tape and ongoing taxes are pushing them to the brink and closing them down.”
“But, instead of focusing on these small businesses and manufacturers and the need to boost productivity, the roundtable was an event to host new ideas about taxes—higher taxes, taxes on your superannuation, taxes on your home and taxes on family businesses. It's as if we've gone back in a time machine to 2019 and Labor's resurrecting their old policies which they lost an election on. Despite Labor's overreach, you can always rely on the coalition to back lower, simpler and fairer taxes, and we will always be the party of small business. You can't deny that. Do you know what cripples small business? It's big government. This Albanese Labor government will not rein in its spending, which has blown out to 27 per cent of GDP. Government debt is spiralling to $1.2 trillion.”
“That's my job as a member in this place, and I don't take it lightly. Without the people who have a go and start up a small business, our country would be so much worse off. We have five million Australians who are employed in small businesses. In my electorate of Lindsay, we are surrounded by many amazing small and family businesses and manufacturers, from those in hospitality and market farming to those in earthmoving and defence manufacturing. These businesses are the heart and soul of Lindsay, of Western Sydney and indeed of our country. They provide good local jobs for Australians that support industry locally and globally.”
“What about a tour of small and family businesses around the country to talk about productivity, burdensome taxes, industrial relations changes and red tape? The Minister for Small Business held a roundtable hearing in Canberra last month. Following this, the minister went on the ABC, where was asked about small-business issues relating to industrial relations. The minister then admitted she was specific about which examples she wanted to talk about at the roundtable, and industrial relations wasn't one of them. This is extraordinary! The whole point of a roundtable is for ideas and information to be discussed to create action items to boost productivity. When I hold small-business and manufacturing roundtables in my electorate of Lindsay, I always listen to every issue the owners and employees are facing.”
“The bluff and blunder of the productivity roundtable is finally over. We saw a three-day talkfest unravel with some potential policy outcomes, including copied parts of coalition housing policy and the expansion of schemes we put in place when we were in government. 'Was there more than this?' Australians might ask. 'What can we expect from this government?' There were ideas on spending more money and increasing government debt, and, of course, there was the threat of new taxes. The roundtable was just another way to demonstrate how Labor will never stop in their endeavour to continue taxing you in any way possible. Perhaps after this parliamentary sitting fortnight, the Albanese Labor government ministers might focus back on the Australian people they represent, not just the corporates and the unions that they hosted here in Canberra.”
“We will hold them to account and we will continue to speak up for the millions and millions of Australians who have been let down by this government, who are paying the highest out-of-pocket costs that they've ever paid, who are having trouble even getting in to see a GP and who are ramped at the moment or having to attend our emergency departments because they simply can't afford to see their doctor. We will continue to fight on their behalf because we believe that they deserve affordable and timely access to health care.”
“But let's be clear: this bill alone does not fix the mess that this government has created in Medicare. As I have highlighted, whilst this bill does very little to address the broader issues that we are facing in our healthcare system in this country as we stand here, we will support this bill because it does go some way to improving issues around the integrity and strength of our Medicare system. We will continue to scrutinise every piece of legislation that comes to this place. We will make sure we hold the government to account for the promises that it has made to the Australian public—promises that, sadly, we don't believe it will be able to deliver on, even though we would love to see a situation where Australians are actually getting affordable and timely access to health care.”
“The last time the Labor Party were in government, between 2007 and 2013, they stopped listing medicines because they ran out of money. In the last term of the last Labor government, they decided to put a cap on the number of medicines listed under the PBS, a sneaky way to stop listing medicines on the PBS. The coalition is absolutely committed to Australians getting access to timely and affordable quality health care. We support the passage of this bill because it is taking important steps towards maintaining the strength, compliance and integrity of our Medicare system. It is so important that we maintain the strength and integrity of our public health system because that is what underpins the strong health system that we deserve in this country.”
“It is dishonesty and spin to try and con Australians into believing the situation isn't as dire as it really is. It has become completely and utterly catastrophic under the reign of this Labor government. It is a betrayal of the promise that Labor made to Australians and keeps on making despite the facts telling a completely different story. The coalition, on the other hand, is absolutely, totally and utterly committed to making sure that Australians get affordable and timely access to health care. That should be fundamentally the thing that underpins our healthcare system in Australia, and that principle is what guided us the whole time we were in government. It guided us when we were continuing to list new medicines on the PBS, with 2,900 new or amended listings while we were in government.”
“These facts and figures are contained in reports of the government itself, in their national health accounts. More importantly, these facts, figures and statistics relate to real people, real Australians, who are having to make the difficult decision between putting food on the table and going to see their doctor. This is a crisis in our primary care system that has occurred under the watch of the Albanese Labor government in the last three years. But what did we see the Prime Minister do when he turned up to the election in 2025? We saw him waving his Medicare card around and using it as a political prop, a disingenuous stunt to try and distract Australians from his track record whilst in government for the last three years. This is absolutely not leadership.”
“It meant that we saw 40 million fewer bulk-billed GP visits in the last year alone. Worse still, Australians are now paying 45 per cent more in out-of-pocket costs than they were just a few years ago. Last year, 1.5 million Australians said they did not see their doctor because they couldn't afford to do so. That is 1.5 million Australians who potentially will become sicker because they have not had the early intervention that they needed. And guess where they'll end up? They'll end up in the emergency departments of our hospitals and which are already overburdened, with ramping at some of the worst levels ever seen on record and continuing to get worse in just about every state and territory in this country. These aren't just abstract figures being put out here by the opposition.”
“We believe that preserving the integrity of these systems is fundamental in delivering a sustainable and equitable healthcare system for all Australians. However, while we support this bill and the improvements it seeks to deliver, we must also confront the broader and deeply concerning reality of Medicare under the Albanese Labor government. Labor promised at the election in 2022 that they would strengthen Medicare, but since they've come to power we have seen the complete opposite. Bulk-billing rates have collapsed. When we left government and Labor was elected in 2022, over 88 per cent of appointments were bulk-billed. In just three years, that number has dropped by 11 per cent, to 77 per cent, in the first term of the Albanese Labor government. An 11 per cent decline is quite a staggering thing.”
“It seeks to provide the department with the tools necessary to carry out timely, efficient and active compliance activities, measures that are essential to maintaining the public's trust and confidence in the Medicare system and ensuring taxpayers' funds are spent and used appropriately and wisely. I also note that the Senate inquiry into this bill, which reported during the recent caretaker period, has recommended the passage of this bill. For these reasons, the coalition will be supporting those recommendations, because we have long championed the need for strong and fair compliance within Medicare and other critical programs, like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the child dental benefits scheme.”
“I rise today to speak on the Health Legislation Amendment (Improved Medicare Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025. The opposition will support this bill because the bill seeks to implement a suite of measures designed to protect the integrity of Medicare, strengthen the regulation of goods under the Therapeutic Goods Act and introduce minor but necessary amendments to the tobacco act. These changes form part of the government's response to the Independent Review of Medicare Integrity and Compliance undertaken by Dr Pradeep Philip. Dr Philip's review revealed serious issues in the administration of our health benefits scheme, particularly in the ability to protect, investigate and respond to fraud, misconduct and noncompliance within Medicare and associated schemes. The bill takes some practical steps to improve that situation.”
“We'll keep pressuring the Prime Minister on his claim that you only need a Medicare card, because what you need is both a Medicare care and a credit card, and Australians deserve so much better.”
“The truth and the reality is people aren't able to get to their GP and aren't able to get the health care they need. We talk about Medicare urgent care clinics. I've got one in my electorate. It was opened by a Labor member that is not from my area. I wasn't invited to that opening, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is the local community. I've had constituents not able to access this clinic due to short operating hours and the clinic's inability to take certain walk-ins. It's extraordinary. Under the fanfare of 'we're going to make things easier for people in my community', once again it seems like the Albanese government is trying to hoodwink people in my community, and it's just not good enough.”
“They said they're now paying hundreds of dollars to see their local doctor for regular procedures which they used to pay nothing for. This is the state in which we have our primary health care right now. I had another person contact me saying they are paying $110 to see their GP. She gets just $40 back on Medicare. The gap fee means it's getting harder and harder for so many Australians to see a doctor right now. People are reaching out because they have real-life stories and real-life struggles that the government is completely ignoring, while the Prime Minister continues to wave his Medicare card around. It's a real slap in the face for people struggling right now to be told that everything is so wonderful and that they don't need anything else but their Medicare card.”
“The truth of the matter is under the coalition bulk-billing was at 88 per cent. It's now 11 per cent lower under this Labor government, at 77 per cent. People from Lindsay and right across Western Sydney can't afford these higher costs, particularly if it is a regular check-up. As I mentioned at the outset, we have some really high rates of chronic disease in my community. It is putting real pressure not only on individuals but on our local health system. As well as families and individuals going to the doctor, we're really concentrating on the impact this is having on seniors and age pensioners, who, as we know, go for a lot more check-ups as they get older. A pensioner contacted me this week, and they aren't from my community. As I said, I'm getting letters from right across the country.”
“It is something that people are writing to me: 'Ask this question of the Prime Minister this week.' Not only have they written to me from my community; I've had emails and phone calls from right across the country saying: 'This is true. We are really struggling in this cost-of-living crisis to pay our bills, to pay our electricity bills, to send our kids to school, and we're also struggling to see a doctor.' It's extraordinary in this country, but it's extra extraordinary because the Prime Minister promised that all you need is your Medicare card. He certainly blundered his way through his response in question time. It was noted in my social media how terrible his answer was and how much of a lie that is now—a broken promise to the Australian people. When we're talking about seeing a GP, it's always about the ability to be bulk-billed.”
“When I'm out in my community speaking with people, one of the top issues that comes up is the cost of health care. Health, in my community in Western Sydney, is an extraordinarily difficult issue. We have some of the highest rates of obesity in New South Wales, which puts pressure on our local public hospital due to chronic disease, and we've also got some of the highest rates of mental health issues. I hear often from local constituents about wait times, their inability to get into the hospital and the mental health beds and, of course, their inability to see a doctor that will bulk-bill. That has really been the theme of this week—asking the Prime Minister about the truth in his claims that all an Australian needs to see a GP is their Medicare card. We clearly know that people now need both their Medicare card and their credit card.”
“But we remain extremely disappointed by this government's refusal to listen to aged-care providers and its complete neglect of older Australians who need support to stay in their own homes. That is why we'll be seeking to refer both the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 and the Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Amendment Bill 2025 for Senate inquiries to ensure adequate consultation for the benefit of older Australians who rely on the aged-care sector. The coalition strongly supports all older Australians having access to the care they need and deserve. Debate adjourned.”
“This is an appalling decision, and the coalition absolutely condemns the government for the skyrocketing waitlist they have overseen and their refusal to provide the promised packages. The waitlist for home-care packages has almost tripled in the past two years under Labor's watch. Many vulnerable older Australians are waiting more than a year to access the care they have been assessed as needing. This is nothing but a national crisis. Minister Rae must urgently deliver the promised packages and address this skyrocketing waitlist as a matter of priority, because older Australians deserve access to the care they need in order to stay independent in their homes for longer. Again, the coalition supports the need for this legislation to deliver on the important changes we fought hard for, for the benefit of hardworking Australians.”
“This backflip was necessary only because they refused to listen to the concerns of the aged-care sector and the coalition, creating months of unnecessary stress and uncertainty for older Australians and the aged-care providers who care for them. The most dangerous part of the government's delay on the aged-care reforms is the impact on older Australians who need essential home-care services. Anthony Albanese and his government have abandoned older Australians who need support to stay independent in their own homes. They promised to deliver an additional 83,000 packages from 1 July 2025. But, again, we have a broken promise, leaving more than 87,000 older Australians waiting for a home-care package and without the care they deserve.”
“The coalition also continues to call on the government to be transparent and release all the rules associated with the Aged Care Act as soon as possible. Withholding this critical information prevents all stakeholders from being able to understand and prepare for the full impact of the reforms. Again, we remain confused about how there was going to be an ability to deliver the government's aged-care reforms from 1 July when they still have not released all the associated rules. This government lied at the election. They refused to admit that they were not ready to transition the new aged-care reform framework that they have celebrated so loudly. Then they were forced to do an embarrassing backflip on the start date for the reforms following the election.”
“The Albanese Labor government provided their steadfast commitment that they were ready to implement the reforms contained in the new Aged Care Act from 1 July 2025. They promised that the Department of Health and Ageing was ready, that Services Australia was ready—and this bill proves exactly the opposite. This bill proves that the government's decision to vote down all amendments moved by the coalition in relation to transition time lines was nothing more than—guess what?—a political stunt. Without this bill, critical information cannot be shared between government departments to ensure that the reforms can be implemented. Without this bill, elements of the Aged Care Act 2024 cannot be constitutionally enacted. So, how was the government planning to meet its 1 July deadline without passing this bill?”
“We remain increasingly concerned and disappointed by the lack of transparency this government has shown to the Australian public throughout their entire process of reform, because 325 changes to their own legislation is not insignificant; 197 repeals to their own legislation is also not insignificant. Many of the changes are a result of the government's lack of consultation with older Australians and the broader aged-care sector. These changes must be scrutinised to ensure that the process of reform can be implemented in the best possible way. But we will not seek to delay the passage of the bill, because Australians deserve better than another broken promise and delay by this Albanese Labor government, which is consistent with what they have been doing.”
“We fought for the maintenance of a lifetime cap on care contributions, and we fought to remove the Labor government's introduction of arbitrary caps on access to cleaning and gardening—a cap the coalition did not want to see implemented during a cost-of-living crisis. This bill removes the ridiculous caps imposed by this Labor government from the primary legislation. To be clear, the Aged Care Act 2024 was Labor's package of reforms and was not co-designed with the coalition. It is of no surprise that in the first week of the 48th Parliament this government has introduced this bill to amend 325 items of their own legislation that was passed just months ago. That is why we'll be sending this bill to committee to ensure appropriate scrutiny is placed upon the proposed amendments to the Aged Care Act 2024.”
“These arrangements guarantee that Australians who are already in residential aged care, on a home-care package or assessed as to be waiting for their allocated home-care package will not see any changes to their existing arrangements. This bill provides for the essential framework to ensure that the 'no worse off' principle can be implemented. It's no secret that we are the party for hardworking Australians, and that is why we also advocated for a lower taper rate towards care contributions to ensure that those who have worked hard and saved for their retirement are dealt a fairer deal under this government. We doubled down on a fairer deal for all Australians and held the government to account on their commitment to remain the majority funder of aged care.”
“I rise to speak on the Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 and the Aged Care (Accommodation Payment Security) Levy Amendment Bill 2025 taken in conjunction. With the passage of the Albanese Labor government's Aged Care Act 2024 during the last parliament, the coalition upheld our commitment to a rights based act for older Australians to guarantee a world-class aged-care system into the future. Through our persistent negotiations on the act, the coalition achieved significant improvements to the government's proposed reforms that will protect the interests of older Australians and future generations. One of the most critical outcomes of our efforts was the introduction of grandfathering arrangements.”
“They abolished the National Mental Health Commission, and, under their watch, access to Medicare mental health support has dropped to a 10-year low, while demand has never been higher. While we support this bill, Australians deserve better. They deserve a government that tells the truth about Medicare and that actually delivers on its promises. The coalition will continue to hold the Albanese Labor government to account on Medicare, the cost of living and access to affordable care. We support this bill, but we'll not be silent on the broader failures that are leaving Australians worse off. Debate adjourned.”
“While Labor stages stunts, the coalition remains focused on ensuring families can access affordable and timely health care. We have a proud record of delivering on Medicare, with funding increases every year under the coalition—growing from $18.6 billion in 2012-13 under Labor to more than $30 billion by 2021-22. Bulk-billing was higher under the coalition. When we left office, it sat at a record 88 per cent. We also invested in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, listing 2,900 new or amended medicines, and made cheaper medicines a reality for thousands of Australians. On mental health Labor has failed entirely. They slashed Medicare funded mental-health sessions in half against the advice of experts and their own reviews.”
“He looked Australians in the eye and said, 'Under Labor, all you need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' but the reality tells a very different story. Millions of Australians are pulling out their credit cards to pay for essential health care, and those credit cards are being charged more than they ever have before. What's worse is that the department of health's own incoming government brief, released under FOI, estimated that nearly a quarter of GP clinics would not bulk-bill. The Prime Minister must have known this when he made his now-infamous Medicare card statement. At a time when Australians are struggling with the rising cost of living, being forced to pay more than ever to access a GP is not unfair; it's dangerous.”
“Under this Labor government it has never been harder or more expensive to access basic care. Let's look at the facts. Since Labor came to power, Medicare bulk-billing has fallen by 11 per cent. GP bulk-billing has dropped from 88 per cent to just 77 per cent, a fall that equates to 40 million fewer bulk-billed GP visits in the past year alone. Out-of-pocket costs to see a GP have skyrocketed. According to the government's own national accounts, these costs are the highest on record. More than 1.5 million Australians avoided seeing their GP last year because they simply couldn't afford it. This is a damning indictment of the government that promised to strengthen Medicare. Remember what the Prime Minister said?”
“The coalition supports this bill because we understand the crucial role that pathology plays in our health system. Whether it's diagnosing cancers, managing chronic illness or detecting infections, accurate pathology services underpin nearly every element of modern health care. This bill will maintain stringent accreditation and quality assurance standards to ensure continued public confidence in Medicare-eligible pathology services. Importantly, this bill has the backing of key stakeholders in the pathology sector, including the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, Australian Pathology and Public Pathology Australia. While this is a positive step forward, it does not make up for the broader failings of this government when it comes to Medicare.”
“I rise today to speak in support of the Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) (Repeal) Bill 2025. This bill takes steps to improve our health system by removing fees imposed on the pathology sector for certain categories of applications. It directly responds to the findings of the 2022 Health portfolio charging review , which made it clear that the current fees were misaligned with the broader Commonwealth charging framework. This reform is both sensible and necessary. It provides meaningful relief to the pathology sector, reduces red tape and supports the efficient delivery of essential health services. By repealing these fees, it helps to ensure that laboratories can focus more on delivering high-quality, accurate testing services without being bogged down by unnecessary administrative burdens. Let me be clear.”
“My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. A short walk from the minister's electorate office is Harbour Medical Services, where a patient notice was issued on 1 July, stating: … due to increasing costs of running the Practice, we must advise that the GAP FEE for Private Patients has increased. … … … Full payment of account on the day is REQUIRED. Isn't it the case that Australians need both their Medicare card and their credit card to get the health care they need under Labor?”
“There's a 10 December deadline looming, and we have to remember that the reason why we're all doing this is not for the tech platforms but to protect Australian children. I want to remind the government, as well, that they made some other commitments around protecting kids online. They announced a digital duty of care, but this hasn't gone anywhere. They've committed to the regions to make telecommunications better, but we haven't heard anything from them on that. Also, they've got a commitment to do something about gambling harm online, a major commitment to the Australian people. They should get on with the job.”
“I'm here to remind the government of some of the commitments it made to the Australian people at the election. One of these I was reminded of when a local school came to see me—lovely young kids—is something that you agree with opposite. We came to parliament in agreement to protect kids online from bullying and inappropriate content. It doesn't take much to get a reminder when you read a story about a child who, unfortunately, has taken their own life because of bullying online. It's a reminder of why we had a bipartisan commitment to protect Australian children online, because of these harrowing and distressing stories. I want to encourage the government to make a decision on which platforms are in or out. Australian families are waiting; those platforms are waiting too.”
“It was Prime Minister John Howard who said Australia is a country of optimism and fairness and resilience. It's really hard, though, for Australians to be optimistic right now. It's certainly not fair the approaches the Albanese Labor government is putting on the Australian people. Yet, everyone across this country remains so resilient, so strong, because that's the foundation of our country. But they shouldn't have to be. Labor's tax cuts, even though they're patting themselves on the back and saying, 'We're wonderful, and Australians should be so grateful', don't touch the surface of the cost-of-living crisis that they've gotten this country into. Today, I looked up online what 70c could buy you at our major supermarkets. It cannot even buy you one banana.”