Alice Jordan-Baird
Gorton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“This includes incentives like the Commonwealth Prac Payment, which means students on their mandatory nursing and midwifery placements will be paid for their work, making life easier for our nursing and midwifery students.”
“We took health care to the election, and right across the board we're legislating change. We've capped the cost of PBS-listed medicines at just $25, the lowest it's been since 2004—when I was in primary school—which has seen a saving of more than $14 million in my electorate of Gorton.”
“With competing cost-of-living pressures, these families shouldn't be worrying about the cost of seeing a doctor as well. These families deserve regular access to affordable GP appointments, and that's why this bill matters.”
“Our green and gold Medicare card means opportunity. It means receiving high-quality health care, regardless of your bank balance. I'm so proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government, which is committed to strengthening Medicare for generations to come, and this bill, the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measur…”
“It means that, in Melbourne's western suburbs, people in our community have access to free walk-in care when they need it. With this budget, we're making urgent care clinics like the ones in Melton and Sunshine permanent. Urgent care clinics play a really important role in taking the pressure off our emergency departments.”
“Our introduction of Medicare bulk-billing clinics is really making a huge difference in our communities across the country. I'm really proud to report that, in my community, there are now 24 Medicare bulk-billing practices—up from 13 before our bulk-billing changes were introduced.”
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“I rise to speak in support of the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill. Every Australian deserves reliable, quality and affordable telecommunications no matter where they live. In 2026, connectivity is not just a nice-to-have. It's not a luxury. It's a necessity. In this day and age, we rely on communications for basic daily activities, like using a credit card or checking the news. Many of us rely on telecommunications to work, to get an education and to stay in touch with our loved ones. In rural and regional areas, many Australians even rely on telecommunications to see a doctor through telehealth. In 2026, a quality, reliable telecommunications service should be a given, and yet it isn't. That is unacceptable, and that's why we've brought forward this bill.”
“The NDIS lacked basic prevention controls for fraud and noncompliance. We acted fast, investing $550 million into tackling fraud and noncompliance and passing the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act. While those opposite put reform in the too-hard basket, we're doing the real work to secure the future of the NDIS and we're making sure the scheme works for the participants who it is designed for, not against them. Here we're continuing our work to crack down on fraud and noncompliance by dodgy providers. It will mean better outcomes for people with disabilities and their families. When Labor introduced the NDIS, it wasn't about providers taking advantage of vulnerable people. The NDIS is about dignity, and that's what this bill is here to protect.”
“This comes after reports of dodgy NDIS providers intimidating participants to change service providers and reports of providers trying to attract participants with offers of alcohol, tobacco or cash. Providers then allegedly drained participants plans while not providing the standard of care that was expected. This conduct should outrage us all. For vulnerable Australians to be taken advantage of like this is absolutely disgusting. Let me be clear: these reforms are being debated today because it is a Labor government who is addressing these issues and putting these changes forward. Under the previous coalition government, these sorts of behaviours went unchecked. When Labor came to government in 2022, we inherited a system that was not ready to meet the challenges of the future. We inherited a total mess.”
“This will include new offences, stronger civil and criminal penalties for misconduct and giving the NDIS commissioner more powers to punish providers, because NDIS participants and their loved ones deserve quality care. This is about justice—justice for participants who have been taken advantage of. We are sending a clear message to fraudulent service providers: dodgy behaviour will not be tolerated. Breaches to the NDIS Code of Conduct may include providers failing to safeguard a participant from harm or breaching a participant's privacy, and punishments for providers whose breach involves a significant failure or a systemic pattern of conduct will be increased. The code of conduct is central to ensuring that participants can access the quality care they deserve, so we are strengthening it.”
“The scheme has had its ups and downs, and our role here in parliament is to re-evaluate and to improve it, because that's what a Labor government does. Labor introduced the life-changing scheme we call the NDIS, and Labor is here to secure the future of the NDIS. We have service providers like NeuroRehab right across the country working hard to support NDIS participants and doing the right thing. But we also know there are service providers out there who are behaving fraudulently and that there are breaches of code and conduct in the system. Where we see fraud, too often we also see violence, abuse and neglect. The bill makes practical changes to crack down on fraud and misconduct by dodgy NDIS providers. It means that providers who do the wrong thing will face harsher penalties.”
“For people with high needs, like a constituent of mine who suffers from motor neurone disease, the NDIS provides high-intensity supports like nursing and hospital equipment that is absolutely essential for her survival. For others, like my young constituent from Caroline Springs, the NDIS helps to fund supports like therapeutic swimming lessons and day care, which are indispensable to her quality of life. It was great to visit a local service provider in my own community recently, alongside the Minister for the NDIS. Steve and Jenny from NeuroRehab in Deer Park are doing fantastic work in my community providing wraparound support for NDIS participants. I'd like to thank them both for kindly sharing with us the challenges they're facing as they advocate for their participants who are constituents in my community.”
“I'm proud to rise in support of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Bill 2025. Former prime minister Julia Gillard put it best when her Labor government established the NDIS in 2013: Disability can affect any of us and therefore it affects all of us. The risk of disability is universal, so our response is universal. The introduction of our National Disability Insurance Scheme was a once-in-a-generation reform, and it has reshaped the lives and the futures of Australians living with disability, their families and their carers. In Gorton, a number of my constituents receive life-changing support from the NDIS.”
“Thank you to INCommunity Care pantry and INChurch Melbourne for all the work you do in our community. Riding his bike in sun, heavy winds and rain through Perth, Broome and Adelaide on highways and gravel dirt roads, Tommy Quick achieved a massive feat in his bike ride across Australia. Tommy is a local to Melbourne's western suburbs, living in my friend the member for Maribyrnong's electorate. He's ridden over 11,000 kilometres across Australia to raise awareness of stroke in young people and to fund childhood stroke research. He's done just that, with his fundraising campaign now sitting at over $160,000. It was truly an honour to catch up with him in Caroline Springs and hear his story as a stroke survivor. I'd like to thank Tommy for his incredible advocacy and all the work he continues to do in this space.”
“Let me tell you, this important service was able to open in our community thanks to the tireless dedication of Pastor Carly Alexander and pastors Craig and Melissa Mar from INChurch Melbourne, three people who had a vision, a vision to make life easier for families in our community who need support with groceries. They saw a gap in the Caroline Springs corridor when it came to food relief and they decided to open their own community pantry. These incredible individuals stand as a testament to the dedication and strength of our community, our community who looks after each other. I was privileged to visit their facility last year. It was just a shell back then, and it was so wonderful to come back and see it filled out, full of food available for our community.”
“They have a subbranch called Greening Taylors Lakes, which does fantastic work alongside our Friends of Taylors Creek environment group. I recently visited the Lions Club of Taylors Lakes' community garden, located next door to one of our local preschools, where I got to pick some vegies and spend some time with the dedicated volunteers in their beautiful garden. A huge shoutout to Phil Clinkaberry and all the volunteers at the Taylors Lakes Lions club. I was recently in the INCommunity Care pantry's official opening in Ravenhall.”
“There have been some great contributions this afternoon about our Lions clubs across Australia, and I'm excited to speak to you today about one of my local Lions clubs as well. With sizzling barbecues; raffles; paintings; performers, including the band The Beatlez with a Z; and even a jumping castle, the Lions Club of Taylors Lakes' annual Community Music and Picnic Day last Sunday went off. I had some great chats with local families at my market stall, including how the Albanese Labor government is supporting locals with cheaper child care, a boost to Medicare and shoring up fuel supply here in Australia. The Lions Club of Taylors Lakes is a wonderful volunteer-run organisation bringing so much to our local community. They can put on a banging picnic, but that's not all they do.”
“When they do, I hope they look to us in Australia's federal parliament, and I hope they feel represented. On that, I commend this motion to the House.”
“Multiculturalism is at the heart of our community, and it doesn't take much more than stepping outside and looking around to realise just that. You also see multiculturalism when you look around this very room in this parliamentary chamber. That is because our Labor Party is committed to electing parliamentarians who genuinely reflect our community's life experiences and values. That matters. It matters because it translates into real policies that have real impacts on our multicultural communities. That's why, for the first time, we've appointed a dedicated minister for multicultural affairs, and we've elevated that position into cabinet. As I said, there are grade 6 students in my community in Melbourne's western suburbs who will spend a term this year learning about civics, citizenship and Australian parliament.”
“I saw our diversity in Sydenham with the Maltese community celebrating Saint Sebastian and at the opening of two new Hindu temples in my electorate in Mount Cottrell and in Rockbank and of the Sri Durga Temple in Deanside, which I attended with the Minister for Home Affairs as well. I saw it with the Hazara community at an iftar dinner, talking to some incredible young women who were pursuing their careers in STEM, and during Eid as well at the Masjid Minhaj-ul-Quran. Ramadan is a time of deep reflection, renewal and devotion, whether it's sharing iftar meals with neighbours, supporting those experiencing hardship or giving generously through community initiatives. It's a month that calls for patience, generosity and compassion as well. It's these values which bring light into our community.”
“You see that in my community of Gorton in Melbourne's western suburbs, where our diversity is seen at the Quang Minh Buddhist Temple's Lunar New Year celebration, which I attended alongside thousands of other Victorians from across the west. Together, we welcomed the Year of the Horse. Lunar New Year is a time for renewal and hope, and the horse symbolises strength, energy and determination. I loved standing with my Vietnamese community as we wished each other a chuc mung nam moi. You see our diversity at the Hola Mohalla festival in Plumpton and the Holi festival in Kings Park. Holi is a festival that is a reflection of good overcoming evil, a theme that's rooted in ancient traditions. And we see that throughout our communities today, when we acknowledge that resilience, courage and faith can overcome even the greatest challenges.”
“You see that and you feel that during the months of February and March, a time when multiple faith holidays collide: Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Lent, Sikh and Hindu New Year, the month of Chet, Farsi New Year, Easter and Passover, among many others. It's a holy time of the year. With current uncertain world events, more than ever we feel the importance of coming together with community in shared humanity, reflection and cultural expression to gather across generations, passing on stories, faith and values. As Australians, this shared humanity is who we are, and our multiculturalism is an asset. It is the rich and diverse cultures who have come together to make Australia the country it is today.”
“Every day, it is an honour to represent these students and to represent the wonderful community which I call home in Melbourne's western suburbs. During Harmony Week last week, it was extra special. That is because my community is a true microcosm of multicultural Australia. Our community is home to an incredibly diverse set of constituents. More than 30,000 of my constituents speak a language other than English at home. There are tens of thousands of families across the electorate, and, amongst these families, we have one of the highest proportions of first- and second-generation migrants in Australia. More than 33 per cent of my electorate was born overseas, all of whom have chosen to contribute to our nation's story and to our country's strength in making Australia home.”
“I'd first like to commend my good friend the member for Barton for introducing this really important motion to the House. She's already making such an incredible difference here in federal parliament, and she is working so hard for the people of Barton. I'm honoured that she's my bench buddy in the House of Representatives as well. There are grade 6 students in my community in Melbourne's western suburbs who'll spend a term this year learning about Australian parliament. These are students who leave their homes for school each morning—homes where they speak a language other than English with their families. They are students who spend their days in classrooms learning alongside, and building lifelong friendships with, other kids also from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.”
“And our government is doing just that, with a billion-dollar commitment to establish the Building Early Education Fund, increasing the supply of high-quality early childhood education and care places in Australia. I had the pleasure of seeing this investment in action in my electorate when the Minister for Education, the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Victorian Minister Lizzie Blandthorn and I opened Early Learning Victoria Garrong in Kings Park. A shout-out to the truly dedicated early learning team there. Last week I also dropped off Easter hampers at nine ELCs across our community, because the work of early childhood educators in shaping the minds of the next generation doesn't go unnoticed.”
“I'd also like to give a special shout-out to Etienne from Overnewton College, as well as Minh from Caroline Chisholm Catholic College and Hiwan from Gilson College, who represented their schools this week in parliament at the 31st National Schools Constitutional Convention. Singing 'Five Little Ducks' and learning how to count to five in Vietnamese, I spent this year's National Playgroup Week with the Australian Vietnamese Women's Association's playgroup in Delahey. Run by incredible volunteers, the Delahey playgroup is ensuring that culture and language are being passed onto the new generation, highlighting the importance of investing in our youngest community members.”
“Noelle Liang, Aruth Nissanka, Justine McCoy, Jessica Dang, Jacob Suite, Kawthar El Hawli and Dahlia Tabone. Congratulations all! We are so proud of you. Young people offer unique insights into how the policies we make here in this chamber impact them back at home, and that's why it's so important to listen. I had the opportunity to do just that with some incredible and passionate students in my electorate at the Overnewton Leadership Summit, which brought together 75 student leaders from schools across Melbourne's north-west. We talked about everything from leadership to the importance of social media in bridging the communication gap between politicians and young people. Thank you to the wonderful team at Overnewton and the staff from neighbouring schools for creating wonderful opportunities like these for our young people to grow.”
“My community of Gorton is full of young people building their futures. In my first term I've started a tradition to recognise the leadership and achievements of some of these incredible young people, awarding students who have made a positive difference in their school and beyond. It's my great pleasure to congratulate the winners of the 2025 Alice Jordan-Baird Gorton Young Leader Awards: Carla Tarquinio, Aranha Yohann, Baraka Ngugi, Emma Taylor, Jacob Crnogorac, Emilia Garcia Sanchez, Prisha Redhu, Mila Zammit, Xander Ridsdale, Liam Bebbington, Nerasha Pathirana, Chloe Osongco, Cindy Tran, Ammar Syed, Tariq Sing. Aishnoor Kaur, Guntaj Hanjrah, Juoiwyn Benmar Reyes, Jessie Marie Poasa, Tristian Duong, Lauren Oh, Evelyn Le Rogers, April Torreon.”
“My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to secure our fuel supply and how are we keeping our transport industry strong during this fuel spike? What has been the response?”
“This is not a genuine attempt to help Australians. It's just more evidence that those opposite are not focused on the real needs of everyday Aussies. They vote against every single cost-of-living measure that this government introduces. They do nothing but play politics in their own party room, and now they're playing politics on the floor of this chamber. Our government is delivering for Australians. We have Australians' backs during times of crises, and we have the backs of truckies and all Australians at the bowser. On that note, I commend this bill to the House.”
“We won't cop corporations taking advantage of Aussie consumers, and conflict overseas is no excuse. My message to my community in Melbourne's western suburbs is: when you go to the servo you deserve a fair go at the petrol pump, and any corporations that engage in misconduct, ripping you off, should face bigger penalties. We've already increased penalties up to $50 million—five times higher than they were before—and we've given the ACCC more tools, like extending petrol price monitoring powers and the ability to issue on-the-spot fines. How have the opposition responded to the real concerns of Aussies about the price of petrol? They've responded with politics, with rhetoric and with bad-faith attempts to manufacture fear and outrage. Instead of doing their job, they've rushed this bill in today in a blatant political stunt.”
“We're also looking after our truckies by cracking down on sham contracting, with stronger protections against sham contracting and compliance reform from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Australian Taxation Office and stronger penalties for employers who dodge their obligations to their employees. We are a party that fights for workers, and we fight for transport workers. When it comes to fuel price hikes, we will not back down. These surging costs are felt right across the community, including by everyday Aussies in my community, who are feeling the surge in petrol prices. That's why we're also introducing new legislation to double penalties for petrol companies that are price gouging. What petrol companies are doing to inflate prices at servos in my community, across our cities and, in particular, in regional Australia must stop.”
“I'd like to thank these organisations for their support and advocacy—in particular, the TWU. As the Albanese Labor government, we have consistently taken a stand to give transport workers a fair go, delivering landmark workplace relations reforms with the clear goal of fair minimum standards for employee-like workers and the road transport industry. These changes responded to practices in the road transport industry that weren't sustainable, putting businesses, workers and their families under immense financial pressure. Our employee choice pathway has seen casual employees transition into permanent employment, and our closing loopholes legislation removed the loopholes that undermined a level playing field for employees as well as pay and job security and safety for workers.”
“We need to make sure hard-working truckies and smaller road transport businesses are not pushed to the brink by these severe costs. I'm a proud member of the Transport Workers' Union, a union that represents over 20,000 members in Victoria and Tasmania, many of whom are truck drivers. These are mums and dads with families living in my electorate, and these truck drivers are the backbone of our economy. After anticipating feedback from organisations like the TWU, the Australian Trucking Association, the National Road Freighters Association and the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation, we're amending the Fair Work Act to allow emergency powers to deal with surging fuel prices causing imminent risk to transport businesses and our national supply chains.”
“Our road transport industry is vital to keeping Australia's economy moving. You see it in action in my community on our roads in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The Western Freeway stretches over 250 kilometres, linking western Victoria to the rest of Melbourne. It's a major freight route, and it's why we're upgrading the Western Freeway between Melton and Caroline Springs. Our truckies keep our economy moving. They spend their days on the road, delivering the goods that our Aussie households and businesses rely on, and they are amongst those who are feeling the issues with fuel prices the most. It's why the Fair Work Amendment (Fairer Fuel) Bill 2026 is amending the Fair Work Act to enable the commission to respond more quickly to contractual chain order applications in time-sensitive circumstances.”
“And that's why we brought this bill here—a bill that gives back to Australians by providing transparency and strengthening the regulation of our healthcare system. And, on that note, I commend this bill to the House.”
“Over the years, the shadow Treasurer has told us, many times, that he'd like to privatise Medicare. He told us in 2011 when he said that he'd like to see the health burden shifted from government to individuals. He told us again in 2021 when he said, 'When you push the cost of health care away, the obligations and the sense of responsibility people have to it diminishes.' When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Just like they were in 2011, the opposition is still more interested in making sure Australians know how much they cost to look after, rather than making sure they are actually looked after. On this side of the House, we're about real change that looks after Australians, puts food on the table, reduces household bills and makes a doctor's visit affordable—no Australian held back and no Australian left behind.”
“Chris told me that he wished more people knew the original prices of medicines so they could see how much they were saving every time they got a script filled on the PBS. He knows the changes that our government is making because he sees them every day, like capping the cost of medicines listed on the PBS to just $25. Last year the maximum cost for a PBS medicine was $31.60, and, from January this year, it was reduced to just $25. This is more than a 20 per cent cut in the maximum cost of PBS medicines, and it's saving Australians over $200 million a year. That's giving my community and Chris's customers real access to the medicines they need and tangible relief on the cost of health care. Someone who has a lot to say about the cost of health care is the current shadow treasurer.”
“That urgent care clinic was one of two urgent care clinics near my community, both recently opened, in Sunshine and Melton. This is great. We know that it's making real change, and it's working. I recently had a conversation with a local pharmacist, Chris Luu from Deer Park Compounding Pharmacy. Chris grew up in Deer Park, and he's been working at the Deer Park Compounding Pharmacy for 30 years. Chris is so incredibly passionate about his community. He wants his customers—some of whom he's seen grow up and have kids themselves—to thrive. He showed us a mural of Deer Park's history made with students at a local school, which he moved and reassembled outside his building, making sure it was preserved for future generations. We are very lucky to have him in our community. Chris and I chatted about the cost of medicines on the PBS.”
“This is real cost-of-living relief, and it makes a difference to those families whose credit cards are taking the hit when at the supermarket checkout, buying petrol or paying the bills. Hardworking Aussies like those in my community deserve free health care, and that's what we're doing for Australians. With this bill here, we're also ensuring costs to see specialists are transparent so that Australians can be empowered to make informed choices about their care. We've also introduced Medicare urgent care clinics around the country so that Australians can access free walk-in care to take the pressure off our hospital systems. Last year I was lucky enough to open the 90th urgent care clinic, in Melbourne's west, with the Prime Minister and my friend the member for Fraser.”
“But it is by no means all the Albanese Labor government is doing for affordable and accessible health care. With record investments in bulk-billing, we are strengthening Medicare by increasing bulk-billing incentives. Thanks to these record investments in Medicare, there are now 23 Medicare bulk-billing clinics in my electorate of Gorton in Melbourne's western suburbs; that's 72 per cent of the GP clinics in our local area that you can get an appointment at for free. The national bulk-billing rate is now sitting at over 80 per cent, and 96 per cent of Aussies live within a 20-minute drive of a fully bulk-billed practice. We're also growing Australia's health workforce with the largest GP training program in Australian history.”
“Gorton residents experience significant disadvantage in accessing health services. Even within Melbourne's north-west, the burden of disease disproportionately impacts my constituents. In the city of Brimbank, a staggering 28 per cent of residents between 18 and older have been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases—conditions that need to be managed throughout their lives. For locals who are navigating chronic conditions, for those who need to see specialists regularly and throughout their lives, these changes are making this easier. Ensuring cost transparency when seeing a specialist or receiving treatment in the private sector is one piece of the puzzle of improving access to health care for Australians, including those in Melbourne's north-west.”
“Ultimately it's about giving them power to make informed choices about their own care. This is all part of our government's push to ensure health care remains affordable and accessible to all Australians. Our government has a laser-sharp focus on this because we know that, to communities across Australia, accessible health care matters. It matters to communities like mine in Melbourne's western suburbs, where young families are moving in and building their homes and their futures—young families who are facing mounting pressure on mortgages, at the supermarket and, yes, when taking care of their health. An electorate like mine—young, diverse and aspirational—has many needs that have yet to be met. One area that has struggled to keep up is access to health services.”
“For Brett, seeing a specialist would improve his quality of life immensely. But, due to a lack of available specialists in the electorate, he's only been able to get into a clinic in Sunshine—and, even then, there's a long waitlist, so it'll still be at least another nine months before he can see the specialist. Brett's story demonstrates an important issue my community is facing around the availability of specialists. It demonstrates the importance of specialists and the consequences of those services not being available. We know there's more to do in this space, and this bill is an important first step towards making specialists more accessible. It's about empowering Australians with the knowledge of what they can expect to pay to see a specialist or for treatment in the private health sector.”
“Receiving care from a medical specialist saves and changes lives every day. The importance of this kind of care being readily available can't be understated. We're lucky to have some of these specialists now serving their communities in this very chamber. I acknowledge the work of the incredible member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander, and his long-term career as a paediatrician and now as a federal parliamentarian and chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability, of which I am a proud member. I know the member for Macarthur, like me, is very passionate about the availability of specialists across Australia. I was holding a mobile office in Deer Park a few weeks ago and had a long chat to one of my constituents, Brett. We chatted about the problem he's been facing—accessing specialist medical treatment.”
“This makes it difficult for them to make informed choices and often results in them being charged more for the same product. The bottom line is that this practice does not put Australians first, and it has to stop. With this bill, we're requiring private health insurers to apply to the minister for approval of premiums charged for new products. When it comes to stamping out this practice, we're leaving no stone unturned, making sure we can continue regulating premiums effectively and giving Australians the transparency they need to make informed choices about their private health cover. This bill is about making sure we're regulating the medical sector effectively, but also it's fundamentally about the value of specialist medical treatment. There's no doubt that medical specialists are incredibly important in our community.”
“Private health insurance providers have been using this loophole to close products and open similar or identical ones at a higher premium, avoiding the requirement for premium change approval. Because of this, insurance providers have been able to effectively increase the price of existing products without oversight, leaving customers with few options but to pay the new expensive premium or move to a lower level of care. The Commonwealth Ombudsman reported that, in 2024, private health insurers' newly released products were about 14 per cent more expensive than the policy that was replaced. This practice cannot be tolerated. For consumers, it reduces visibility into the value for money they're getting with their insurance and obscures the real reason for price increases.”
“This has meant that the minister can make sure that private health insurers are complying with government-set limits on increases to health insurance premiums, and it has also meant that insurers have not been able to change the cost of these products without a green light from the minister. This protects Australians from excessive annual increases to health premiums and also prevents health insurers from changing the cost of these premiums without government oversight. However—and there is a however—private health insurance providers have instead been circumventing regulation through product phoenixing. The existing regulation has meant that private health insurers are not allowed to change the cost of existing products, but they are allowed to close products and open new products without government oversight.”
“This bill is about improving the transparency of the costs of specialist services, promoting the efficient access to these services and helping people make informed decisions about their health, because empowering Australians to make informed choices about their health is what accessible health care looks like. The second part of this bill is about stamping out a problematic practice used by private health insurers to charge more for existing products. At the moment, the PHI Act requires private health insurance providers to apply to the minister for approval to change the premiums they charge.”
“In December 2025, only one to two per cent of specialists and 10 per cent of insurers were participating in this website. This means it hasn't been delivering the transparency Australians deserve. That's not good enough. People should be able to access this information so they can find out easily what the potential cost will be for a specialist or treatment they've been referred to and can make their own informed decisions about the next steps of their medical journey. This amendment will allow for the publication of the relevant data on the Medical Costs Finder, without the need for input from medical practitioners. It will be drawn directly from Medicare, hospital and insurer billing data collected by the government, and it will make a real difference.”
“It's not right, and it's why we need greater transparency in the medical sector, as well as better regulation. Since 2022, specialists and insurers have been invited to publish their fees on the Medical Costs Finder. The Medical Costs Finder allows Australians to search and compare out-of-pocket costs for common treatments and procedures. It has the aim of promoting transparency in the sector, giving Australians better visibility of the potential cost of treatments and the ability to compare costs so they can choose the most cost-effective option for them. Unfortunately, the Medical Costs Finder has been limited in its efficacy. That's because there have been low levels of participation from medical specialists, who have to opt in to this service.”
“It means making sure that information about healthcare costs is readily accessible to Australians so they can make informed choices about their own health care. It means stamping out insurance provider practices that circumvent regulation and increase costs to Australians without proper oversight. This bill does exactly that. It's another important piece in the Albanese Labor government's work to make sure that, when it comes to health care, everyday Australians come first. We know that there are Australians who are not taking up referrals to specialists because of the cost. In 2024-25, 8.6 per cent of people delayed or missed specialist care because of cost. That's 800,000 people across our communities who have not received the health care they need because of the high cost of specialist appointments. That's really concerning.”
“Today I rise to support the Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026, brought forward by the Minister for Health and Ageing, and I commend him for doing so. I'm so proud to be part of the Albanese Labor government as we remain resolute in our commitment to make quality health care accessible for every Australian. It means making health care more affordable by strengthening Medicare and putting more medicines on the PBS. It means putting an end to life insurance practices that discourage people from getting life-saving genetic testing, as we are doing with the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill. I had the pleasure of contributing to debate on that bill earlier this week.”
“They can change their frontbench as much as the AFL changes their rules, but it makes no difference. The coalition still have no game plan. The Leader of the Opposition reckons Labor's tax cuts are a cruel hoax. But I'll tell you about a real cruel hoax: watching Collingwood and St Kilda replay the 2010 grand final. Our tax cuts are real cost-of-living relief for every single Australian around the country, and this makes a real difference to my community in the western suburbs of Melbourne, where these tax cuts have meant 83,000 taxpayers are saving over $2,000 each. Now that's real cost-of-living relief for Aussies around the country, and what's more Australian than that?”
“Australia is the country of the Bunnings sausage sizzle, meat pies and having a fair go. But, most of all, we're home to the world's best game: Aussie Rules footy. I've been the ruck of a local AFL team in the western suburbs—shout-out to the West Footscray Roosters—so prepare yourselves for some footy lingo. We are patriotic to the game. We call out 'Ball!' at the MCG with a Carlton Draught in hand. We are the country of having a fair go—and what's more Australian than tax cuts for every single Australian? Today marks a year since the Leader of the Opposition first flagged that the coalition would vote against Labor's tax cuts. Now, that doesn't sound very Australian to me. Today is a reminder to every Australian that the Leader of the Opposition wants you to pay higher taxes.”
“Life insurers will not have the power to stop Australians from getting tested early and treated early for their genetic conditions. On that note, I commend this bill to the House.”