Matt Gregg
Deakin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Now, let's talk about the challenges faced by the Australian people: a quadrupling of house prices over two decades, unresolved by the Liberal Party in government; and we had 4.1 gigawatts out of baseload energy, unresponded to by the coalition government.”
“This is a government focused on the future and focused on actually resolving the challenges faced by the Australian people rather than whinging about them and going on template tirades which solve absolutely nothing. The coalition then have the gall to say, 'Oh, look, the coalition's less popular.”
“We are going to confront them on behalf of the Australian people, to make sure that they can be optimistic that the future is going to be better. We make absolutely no apologies for that. Today, 1 July—despite me sounding a little angry—is actually a very good day. It's a very good day! Every taxpayer is getting a tax cut.”
“Change is what the Labor government is delivering. We are making difficult decisions that actually address the challenges faced by Australians. We don't just sit here proud of the status quo; we come here to make a difference. It's very easy to come in and make statements. What is difficult is change.”
“Then, suddenly, they come into this chamber as if all challenges faced by society came out of nowhere and are all Labor's fault. It's complete nonsense. We are responding to the issue of energy shortages by developing a 21st-century grid, because we know that energy is the key to future productivity and success.”
“Where do I begin? We start with the member for Goldstein making up quotes to be outraged by, reciting tired old campaign lines from a party fast approaching the abyss.”
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“I've spoken to a lot of pub owners, including meeting some at the Burvale Hotel in Nunawading in my electorate, and they're very grateful for this measure. It's not only an economic measure; it's also a demonstration that this government has their back. We've got the backs of businesses, we are focused on their interests and concerns, and we appreciate how important they are as part of the economy. Between breweries and pubs and clubs, we're talking about 160,000 jobs. These are people's livelihoods, and to be able to provide that certainty to the organisations who employ them means that their jobs are now safer because of this very minor relief. The good news is, as I was saying before, that this is in no way inflationary. Because this is a pause, it does not add money to the economy or make any other problems worse.”
“The habits of socialising have also changed; they're slowly changing back but they've gone through a rough few years. Anything we can do to support this industry to regain its momentum is going to be a very good thing. Let's face it; the pandemic shook the economy around like a snow globe. It has taken time for businesses and industries to recalibrate. We are seeing recovery, but it's not instantaneous. As a government, we have to look at how we can assist the economy to recalibrate, re-normalise and regain its momentum and make sure that we're increasing productivity along the way. Every single thing we can do to help business out, even if it's as simple as pausing those routine mechanical tax increases, I know it is appreciated and something that industry has pushed for.”
“It is one of many measures focused on being well-targeted and delivering real and effective cost-of-living relief as well as relief to the cost of doing business. I think of the many pubs that I have been to over the years, and draught beer sits at the centre of the business model. It's one of the things that makes going to the pub different from anywhere else. The taste of draught beer is often better—anyone will tell you that—and it has become an essential part of many of the bowls and other clubs in my area where draught beer is routinely sold. Over the years, these clubs, pubs and organisations have done what they had to do to survive what are very difficult times. The habits of consumers have changed. More people are now drinking alcohol at home.”
“This is part of a broader mission to ease cost-of-living pressures for Australians as well as being a responsible measure in support of businesses. Pubs, clubs and taverns all around the country have been doing it tough for a while now, but they're also the very places that are there for people when they're doing it tough. Any small relief we can provide is a very good thing. We need to also consider that this is part of a significant number of measures to support small businesses. We're helping them with technology, with the instant asset write-off, and with energy efficiency and energy bill relief. There is a lot being done at the same time. This isn't an isolated measure and it isn't going to be the fix of the economy by itself.”
“The national minimum wage was increased by 3.5 per cent. The superannuation guarantee was increased to 12 per cent. Paid parental leave was increased to 24 weeks. Super is now being paid on government paid parental leave. There will be another $150 in energy bill relief before the end of the year, and $10,000 in incentive payments for new housing apprentices. There are cheaper home batteries. We're cutting 20 per cent off student loan debts for three million Australians. Commonwealth prac placements have already started as well, with support for nursing, midwifery, teaching and social-work students. Hardworking aged-care nurses received the next instalment of their pay rise in October following the first instalment in March this year.”
“This modest bit of support will make all the difference. It's a supply chain that is full of jobs—truck drivers, equipment technicians, farmers and workers in the transport sector. There are so many indirect benefits when we support these incredibly important venues. It also has a huge benefit to the consumer, because it reduces the pressure to pass on future costs, it makes the cost of living just that little bit easier. It's designed for the Australian pub patron, the person at the bowls club and the person out and about—not the person drinking at home, because we know that's where a lot of the less healthy behaviours are seen. It's part of a broader plan around cost-of-living relief. This is one of several measures. If we look just those after July this year, we can see a number of them.”
“It's particularly important for regional areas where the pub is often the very heart of the community. It's not just for-profit business to whom this will be a great help. I've got a lot of local bowls clubs, footy clubs and cricket clubs who rely on revenue generated from draught beer to help subsidise the important work they do, whether it's supporting a family on a lower income with the cost of a uniform or footy boots, or keeping up the quality of the venue. They are covering essential costs for community organisations who are doing important work and providing a sense of social connection. I've been to enough bowls clubs to know that the avoidance of an increase to the price of beer is going to be a very welcome and important measure, including for many pensioners who go to the bowls club to enjoy a schooner or two every week.”
“It's a practical, temporary relief measure that will not in any way fuel inflation, because it's not adding any more money to the economy; it will simply put a pause on what would otherwise be a mechanical price increase. That ability to plan ahead is so important for the 160,000-plus workers who are employed in this industry. For many of us, one of our first jobs was working in hospitality, in many of the small towns. Whether it's the Criterion Hotel in the seat of the member for Gippsland, the Seanchai Irish Bar in the seat of the member for Wannon, or the Burvale Hotel in my wonderful seat of Deakin, these venues are community hubs. They're not the same as other businesses; these are places where we go to celebrate, to mourn and to engage with our neighbours, in good times and bad.”
“To be clear, this applies only to draught beer served from an eight-to-48-litre container, or, for the larger venues, those 48-plus-litre kegs. It's not for bottles, cans or spirits. It's not the lion's share of alcohol that's consumed, which is consumed in homes, not in licensed venues where you have responsible service of alcohol and a supportive environment for people. This means that we ensure the support goes to the venues, those community hubs. It helps to stabilise the tax component of the price of a pint, reducing the pressure on venue operators and customers alike. It offers breathing space after years of economic strain, pandemic impacts, the loss of customers, supply shocks and some rising input costs.”
“In every corner of the country, pubs, clubs and the people who power them have held communities together through tough times, and now we are backing them with targeted, responsible relief through a two-year pause on the indexation of the draught beer excise and the equivalent customs duty commencing on 1 August 2025. This will benefit around 10,000 small venues—pubs, clubs, bars and taverns. All will benefit from this. Seventy-five per cent of these are small family businesses employing local people. This two-year pause to the increasing costs will help keep the operating costs of these venue stable and gives small venues the certainty they need to plan, to retain staff and to reinvest in the futures of their businesses, perhaps taking advantage of the instant asset write-off from this government.”
“I'm looking forward to the review, and I have no doubt that these support payments for those in placement are going to make a huge difference to their lives as they train in some of the most important professions out there. Thank you very much.”
“I'm incredibly proud to be part of a government that maintains an eye on the prize. As we've heard in the House today, people across the political spectrum want to ensure that young people have reason to be optimistic about their futures, but the crossbench and Labor alike are keeping a close eye on this, and we're keen to ensure that students at university are supported and that they don't find themselves in poverty simply for working towards the kinds of careers we really need in our community. We need to ensure that we understand this debate in its full context, and what we're referring to is an extraordinary program introduced by this government.”
“We should be incredibly proud of the initiative this government has put in to ensure that the initial investment takes action to deal with placement poverty—knowing full well that this is not the end of the story and that this is going to likely be the beginning of one. Nevertheless, it's an important step. But the investment needs to also be seen in the context of the vast amount of reform we're seeing from this government in the education space. This isn't just a single initiative and 'that's all we've done in the education space'. Given the amount of time we've been in government, it's actually extraordinary when you reflect on the amount of work this Commonwealth government has done to support the education of Australian citizens across ages and across disciplinary spectrums.”
“I've met students in the past who have failed their placement simply because they couldn't sustain the costs, or those that didn't start them at all because they simply could not afford to not work for two weeks without finding themselves in dire financial straits. This reflects, then, a real acknowledgement of the problem. I think it was important, despite covering the scope of initial recommendations, that the government put in a three-year timeframe for the review of the paid practicum placements, knowing that it would need to revisit its scope and how it's put into effect, and, as has been said by previous speakers, with an eye to whether it is necessary to expand the program to other areas as well, including allied health.”
“I think it's an incredibly important part of the government's work in supporting young people on their education journey—which is work that begins from child care, which is full and fair funding for our public schools, which is free TAFE, which is increased support for our university sector and which is a clear set of policies to support the future of higher education moving forward. It's incredibly common for students to be living week by week and covering the rent at home while they're on a placement—particularly if the placement happens to be far from where they live. I've met a number of students who have gone through that.”
“It reflects the Australian Universities Accord's final report, which indicated an initial introduction where government funds the payments to particular course areas but which also indicated that we need to consider placement poverty across other areas as well, including allied health. And there is certainly more consideration to be given to how we support those students as they complete their sometimes far lengthier placements. For this model, the Commonwealth has stepped up and used Commonwealth funds to pay the cost of the initiative.”
“I would also like to extend my thanks to the member for Indi for raising this very important topic, which relates to paid practicums. I remember, about 12 years ago now, being a student teacher and living in a caravan in Dimboola while completing a regional placement. It is a hard slog trying to juggle the cost of living, which for many students is a week-by-week proposition, and the significant expense of trying to make it through a placement without incurring unimaginable debt. That's why I'm so proud that, for the first time in its history, the Australian government has stepped up and taken decisive action in response to practicum poverty, which does occur. For the first time, we're seeing over $330 a week paid to students in teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work. It is just the start of this mission.”
“Our investment in schools demonstrates our commitment to the future of young people, and we're focusing on that with free TAFE, with investments in making sure that courses are available to our young people to pursue whatever dreams they want and making sure they're not going to be bogged down in debt and unable to buy their first house before they reach a point in life where it's almost too late. We're investing in the next generation to make sure that they can aspire to live lives better than the ones our parents and we are able to enjoy. That's the aim of the game, that's why we're in parliament and I'm so proud to be part of a government that is delivering for the young people of Australia.”
“We want every young person to have the chance to thrive and to pursue great opportunities, and we're backing them to make it happen. I'm proud to play my small part in celebrating the achievements of so many people in our community. I'm sorry to miss a few presentations this week while I'm obviously here in Canberra, but I say to every award recipient: congratulations. You've made your families, your teachers and your school communities proud. To everyone who has just wrapped up their VCE: congratulations on completing your exams. Enjoy a well-earned break, but please be safe and be responsible. We want to have you back in one piece in the coming months, because, whatever comes next, I believe that you'll be able to succeed, and I can't wait to see what you do with your talent and potential.”
“The Deakin Shield, part of a long and proud bipartisan tradition in Deakin stretching back more than a decade, also reflects something bigger: a belief that every young person deserves a fair chance to succeed. I'll take this opportunity again to say how proud I am to be part of a government that has put every public school on the path to full and fair funding. People in my community know that good outcomes and great education don't come about without the right investment. If we want students to achieve extraordinary things, we must give them the resources and opportunities that they need to do so. The Deakin Shield and our commitment to full and fair funding send a clear message that we believe in our schools, our teachers and our students.”
“As a former school teacher, I know just how far a little recognition can go. When we celebrate a young person, we build confidence, spark ambition and strengthen character. That is what the Deakin Shield awards are all about. Each year, every primary and secondary school in Deakin is given the opportunity to choose students whose achievements truly stand out. This is a special occasion every year to highlight the efforts of our young people and remind them that their community sees and values their hard work. What makes the Deakin Shield so special is that each school decides what the award should honour. Every school community has its own culture, values and priorities and its own goals for its students. This makes sure that every award is grounded in real experiences, real challenges and real triumphs.”
“I would say if you want to reflect a commitment to small businesses this week, the best thing you could do is stop congratulating yourself for a minute and go to Senator Watt's office to make sure that the EPBC bill is passed and that all of the pro business aspects of it are safeguarded. That is what a serious opposition would do. That is what a serious party that cares about small businesses would be doing today.”
“It's an embarrassing indictment on the coalition's inability to grapple with wicked problems that are affecting small businesses like the small businesses that might install solar panels on the roofs of people's houses or install batteries. Those small businesses matter too. Small businesses are working to be part of the energy transition. I've got a business in my own area that is using hydrogen generators—a fantastic opportunity for lower emissions power generation on islands and in small communities. There's a lot of good work being done by small businesses, and that's going to be undermined by policy uncertainty.”
“There are many aspects to this problem, and energy is one of them. I was kind of surprised that the member for Goldstein wasn't emphasising energy policy—well, not surprised, given what his own party has done since that motion was drafted. If you wanted to design a policy that would create uncertainty and a lack of investment, and fail to drive down power prices in the long term, you would have the coalition's 23rd consecutive pamphlet on energy policy—another one that says, 'Kick the can down the road and let's hope for the best.' That's been their policy since about 2009. It's achieved nothing over the last decade, and it's not going to achieve anything in the future.”
“We've also got a $400 million industry growth program to help entrepreneurs to commercialise their ideas and get the skills and support they need to have successful businesses, to ensure that their potential can be unlocked into the future. We've got a government that is incredibly focused on easing the pathway for small businesses in the way we pay at a government level, the way we open up procurement and all of those things. To the extent that we have influence, we are doing everything possible to support small business. We have ideas that go beyond the coalition's standard 'Oh, let's just cut the working conditions of working people—that's what small business needs.' No: we need an economy that is supporting small businesses to succeed, to innovate, to increase their productivity and to thrive.”
“In relation to tax, we've seen a tax cut for 1.5 million businesses acting as sole traders, which was opposed by the opposition. They talk about the lack of tax cuts, but they opposed a big tax cut to a whole lot of businesses not very long ago. We've also got small, discrete initiatives such as extending the instant asset write-off into the future, to ensure that tradies who need to update their tools or a cafe that needs to get a new barista machine are able to write them off straightaway to incentivise those investments within business. To have that program continue is going to be incredibly important for those small businesses to be able to invest in their future with confidence.”
“We have the momentum in government and in our agencies, and in working with other levels of government, to ensure that compliance is no more complicated than it has to be, that regulations are simplified, that we're not having duplication in processes and that we are being as fair, effective and efficient as possible when it comes to the regulation of businesses, because we know that regulation and red tape are holding back both small and large businesses. The focus of this government is on ensuring that we're dealing with regulatory reform in a way that makes things easier, that the reform is facilitative and that we are able to untap the potential of our economy—and that focus is going to be a defining feature of the next three years of work by this government.”
“We've seen a lot of political theatre and a lot of performance, but, if you really meant what you said about helping small business, you would be doing everything you could to ensure the passage of that bill in the interests of small businesses around Australia. Getting rid of red tape is certainly part of the mission in assisting small business, and that's why we're looking at about 400 different regulatory reforms proposed by regulators after the economic roundtable. We've got exciting innovations that will be coming in to support small business over the next few years. This is all part of the National Small Business Strategy that was released by the minister earlier this year.”
“We can all agree that small business needs all the support that we can provide, and I'm so proud to be part of a government that is dedicated to improving the operating environment for small business. I hope, taking the coalition at its word, that it's about supporting small business—that it will take a break from self-destruction and self-congratulation and be banging on the door of the minister for the environment in the hope of securing an EPBC Act reform that fulfils all of the needs of small business. And I hope that all of the benefits to small business are realised by the proper negotiation of that legislation.”
“I go to Rotary clubs and Lions clubs where members of the community not only identify problems but spend their days being a part of the solution. I go to small businesses that are innovating and changing the way we think about problems confronted by our society, like energy and other things as well. This country is full of amazing people doing amazing things. As their representatives, the least we can do is try to hold ourselves to a higher standard, focus on the issues that matter to them and dedicate every day to the task of making the standard of living in this country better than it was before.”
“And I know it's the people across the chamber—we're here to make the lives of the people in this country better than they were yesterday. That's the job, and that is where the majority of us are focused most of the time. We can engage in rigorous debate in good faith while believing in our convictions, but while conducting ourselves in a way that reflects the dignity of this parliament and the solemn roles that we have on behalf of the Australian people. I look to community projects where we can make a girls changeroom in a sports club that's excluded them for years and where we can support emergency relief organisations to deal with the most vulnerable citizens in a way that government simply can't.”
“So let's continue to meet that responsibility with courage and decency, and with the respect that the Australian people deserve and exercise most of the time. With that said, I want to turn my attention to the kinds of things that make a positive difference to people's lives in communities like mine. I would prefer to talk about things like investments in social housing—the investment of 62 new social homes in Mitcham through the Housing Australia Future Fund and the 13 new crisis and transitional homes in Maroondah. I'd like to be able to talk more about this, and to talk about the 700 Deakin locals who have entered homeownership for the first time thanks to the five per cent deposit scheme. Because turning our attention to how we actually improve the lives of people is the work that matters.”
“It was politics at its laziest and most dangerous, which used fear as a prop and people's identities as stage costumes. This parliament must be better than the theatrics we witnessed today. We owe the Australian people a standard of debate that reflects the seriousness of our responsibilities and the diversity of our nation. Difficult conversations and points of disagreement can be had, but the way we conduct those debates—particularly on sensitive topics—matters. The path we take matters. It matters to the women who will walk home tonight wondering whether their parliament sees them. It matters to every Australian who wants to believe their parliament respects them and will stand up for them.”
“It tells them that their lived experiences, their anxieties, their hopes for their children and their sense of place in this country are secondary to someone else's political pointscoring. The reality is that this kind of performance does not spark debate. It heightens the risk that ordinary women—our neighbours, our colleagues and our fellow citizens—will face harassment, hostility or discrimination in their everyday lives. What we say and do in this chamber has an impact in the community. It can paint targets on the backs of people who already have to navigate a world of judgment. Today's performance was beyond dog whistling. Dog whistling at least cloaks itself in subtlety. What we witnessed was a foghorn. It was an unmistakable signal that was designed to agitate and divide.”
“There are women in this country, and in my community, who already steel themselves before stepping onto a bus, into a shopping centre or down a street where they had previously been mocked or questioned. There are women who navigate their daily lives with a heightened awareness of how their clothing, their faith or simply their appearance might be judged. For those women, today's spectacle was not a curiosity. It was a reminder. It was a reminder of every sideways glance, every muttered comment and every moment when their belonging was made to feel conditional. When a parliamentary chamber becomes a platform for theatrics that caricature their identities, it sends a message far beyond Parliament House. It tells them that their safety, their dignity and their freedom can be traded away for a headline.”
“This afternoon, we witnessed a stunt in the Senate that did nothing to advance policy and everything to inflame division. Senator Hanson chose to repeat her 2017 theatrics by entering the Senate in a burqa and demanding a ban, without a moment's regard for the people who will feel the consequences of that performance most acutely. This was not an act of leadership; it was not an act of concern for public safety. It was a calculated spectacle that was designed for attention rather than for the Australian people. Let us be honest about the repercussions of such behaviour. A stunt like this does not merely provoke commentary within these walls. It reverberates across the nation. It licenses ignorance. It emboldens hostility. It hands a megaphone to those who thrive on suspicion, division and hatred.”
“So, while there needs to be a level of secrecy, Australians should be able to be confident that the rules of the game balance their rights and interests appropriately and that there are those two layers of oversight and checks, both from experts, such the inspector-general, and through their democratically representatives on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. This will ensure we can, as a people, remain confident that our security agencies are continuing to do the good and important work they're doing, that they're keeping Australians safe and that the frameworks we have in place will continue to enable them to appropriately respond to the environments they find themselves in. I proudly commend this bill to the House and look forward to seeing its passage.”
“We know that, when things are kept secret, there's always more room for suspicion, more room for innuendo and more room for unfair assumptions to be made. We do need to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, there is transparency about the way we do things and that the rules of the game are nice and clear, but that obviously doesn't mean that every single intelligence operation and every security threat is going to be openly disclosed to the public. Obviously that would adversely impact the important work the agencies do.”
“That is why we have independent oversight of national security legislation. We have a dedicated monitor that looks at our antiterrorism laws to ensure that they are not disproportionate, continue to meet the needs of intelligence organisations, continue to ensure it is possible for us to respond effectively to the threats and challenges faced by our country but at the same time not go overboard, and continue to ensure that Australians can remain confident that there is accountability, that our organisations do no more than is appropriate and reasonably adaptable to the important work they do, and that a mistrust that can sometimes develop from a lack of oversight and accountability can be addressed.”
“That coordination is essential because criminal organisations and nefarious state actors don't follow the same rules we do. We need to ensure our framework enables flexibility for our security agencies to do their job well and to conduct themselves in a way that is consistent with the parliamentary democracy we find ourselves in and a society and culture that maintains respect for the rights and freedoms of individuals—and ensures that those rights, when they are limited through the right to privacy or the right not to participate in legal proceedings, are curtailed only to the extent necessary to protect human life or the essential interests of the country, and makes sure that we are always ensuring that the legal frameworks that sit around these things are proportionate and fair.”
“It is ensuring that there is a consistent framework for the oversight of the 10 agencies that sit within the national intelligence community and that there is a consistent, robust and democratically accountable framework for overseeing the important work they do. It strengthens democratic accountability and supports the effective and robust delivery of a modern intelligence suite of services. It ensures that, while oversight is there, we are still able to confidently empower those organisations to do the important work they need to do. It is an increasingly challenging, sophisticated and multipronged threat environment. We know our intelligence organisations work incredibly well together, sharing intelligence where appropriate and ensuring they're coordinating with partners to the extent that that falls within their legal remit.”
“The member for Sturt gave the example of the compulsive powers of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. That is one example of exceptional powers given to our intelligence organisations to enable them to do their jobs. But, for public trust and confidence to be safeguarded, we need to ensure that there is oversight and that members of the public can be confident those exceptional powers continue to be used appropriately, in the national interest and proportionately, and that their use is appropriately adapted to the threat environment we face. This legislation is probably the most significant update to the oversight of our intelligence community since the royal commissions of the 1970s and 1980s—the Hope royal commissions.”
“We have the expert oversight of the inspector-general as well as the democratic oversight of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. The joint committee is a very special part of our democratic system. It is a committee that has historically sat, and continues to sit, above partisan lines, where there is a genuine commitment from people all across the political spectrum to ensuring the safety and security of Australians, and good faith efforts to ensure that is the focus of that committee. It is well placed to provide that democratic oversight in a way that balances the need to ensure secrecy where required and subtlety when that's sufficient, and ensure there is nevertheless still robust oversight of the use of what are extraordinary powers of our intelligence organisations.”
“Australia faces an increasingly complex and challenging security environment. Both state and nonstate actors have shown increasing sophistication in the way they try to advance sometimes nefarious causes. We need a strong and robust intelligence framework, and our national intelligence community delivers that. There is no doubt our security agencies do a fantastic job of keeping Australians, individuals, businesses and communities safe. But we live in a democracy, so we need to make sure that, as with all government organisations, there is robust oversight and accountability and that our democratic system remains at the apex of our system. This bill, the Strengthening Oversight of the National Intelligence Community Bill 2025, ensures two layers of protection.”
“Then COVID came along, so more and more doctors were left with no choice but to charge gap fees. This is an essential corrective action to ensure Medicare meets its promise to the Australian people: that, finally, people can go with their little green card to see the GP and get the support they need without having to worry about any debt that might result from that. This is an essential public service. It's provided by private providers, but this is an essential public service paid for with a levy that all taxpayers are paying—”
“Because of our investment, doctors can focus 100 per cent on their patients, and more patients can be 100 per cent bulk-billed. With such a large investment in the program, Medicare has had the best comeback this weekend other than Oasis. We've seen, finally, a whole lot of green and yellow signs, which has warmed my heart as I go around seeing more and more people and clinics talking about bulk-billing returning to its former glory. We want to get to a point where those who need medical care don't hesitate to go to see a doctor; they get those interventions they need when they need them, rather than letting small things become big things. We've seen too much of that over the last few years. Clinics have copped the Medicare freeze for a long time. They wore it for as long as they could.”
“Already, under our government we've seen almost two million additional bulk-billed visits in Victoria, and I can't wait to see even more people from my community leaving their credit card at home. GPs want this change, and around a thousand practices have already signed up or expressed interest saying they want to go 100 per cent fully bulk-billed, and I expect that more will do so once they see all the financial advantages for themselves and their patients. Doctors like Sara at Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre want to focus on caring for patients, not stressing about money and not talking about money with their patients. They want to focus on the healthcare needs of those who have come to see them, and this provides them with that very important opportunity.”
“That means nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030, boosting the number of fully bulk-billed practices to around 4,800 nationally, triple the current number. The Albanese government tripled the bulk-billing incentive in 2023 in what was the largest investment in bulk-billing at the time. Medicare bulk-billing incentives were available to providers if they bulk-billed children under 16 and other concession cardholders. We saw that result in about nine in 10 visits being bulk-billed for that cohort. Expanding these incentives to all Australians will be life-changing for a lot of people. We know that even those who don't happen to meet the eligibility requirements for a concession card are often doing it tough; it doesn't mean they're rich, and they will really benefit from finally having bulk-billing returned to its glory.”
“I would go on further, but I note the opposition leader is having a tough enough week, so I'll leave that aspect there. While the Liberals froze Medicare, the Albanese government has delivered the three largest increases in its history, and we're now making the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago. We're investing $8.5 billion to deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year nationwide, as well as hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors in the largest GP training program in Australia's history. For the first time since Labor created Medicare, we've expanded bulk-billing incentives to all Australians, with an additional new incentive for practices that bulk-bill every single patient.”
“Forest Hill isn't the only clinic in Deakin to go to 100 per cent bulk-billing since we announced our changes. I've also visited Seymour Street Medical & Dental Centre, which is now also bulk-billing every patient. Between Seymour Street and Forest Hill alone, patients in my community will be saving almost $1.4 million. That's just across two clinics. Imagine the savings we're going to see as more clinics take up the incentives and provide more bulk-billing. That's going to make a massive difference in Deakin, and I'm so proud to be part of a government that is making it easier to leave your credit card at home when you seek medical care. Unfortunately, the Australian people had to wait for a Labor government to fix Medicare. When the now opposition leader was health minister, do you know how many Medicare rebates increases we saw? Zero.”