DEBUNKING MEDISCARE
Australia is home to one of the greatest health care systems in the world. But under Labor, it’s become more expensive, harder to access, and frankly, it’s letting people down.
As the Federal Member for Dawson, I speak with residents every day about what matters to them, and one issue keeps coming up again and again, is the cost and access to healthcare.
Labor keeps spinning the same tired tale, that they’re the party of Medicare. But if you’ve tried to see a GP lately, you know the truth. Right across Dawson, booking a GP appointment is becoming harder and the Out of Pockets have gone up.
The Prime Minister likes to wave around his Medicare card claiming “this is all you need to see a GP, not a credit card.” I don’t know when he last stepped foot in a clinic, but the people I represent have not been having that experience.
GPs are small businesses, and like everyone else, their costs are soaring. The last three years medicare has not kept up with the cost of running a GP clinic. Under Labor, bulk billing rates have crashed from 88% to 77%, and it’s even worse in regional areas like ours. Just last year, Australians lost access to 40 million bulk-billed GP visits.
Labor’s only answer is another scare campaign. No real solutions, no vision, and no respect for the real pain people are feeling. They’ve run the same “Mediscare” playbook for over a decade, but now the facts are catching up with them.
The Coalition cares about your health. That’s why we’ve committed $9 billion to strengthen Medicare and we will deliver better access across the country. We’re doubling bulk-billed mental health sessions from 10 to 20 and putting $500 million into mental health support. When we were last in government, we increased hospital funding by 16% and we’ll do it again.
A Dutton/Littleproud government will implement targeted programs to build strong pathways for young doctors becoming GPs in our regions and provide real incentives for health professionals to move to and stay in the regions. A Coalition government will also invest more in cancer treatments, cutting edge medical research, and women’s health like endometriosis. We will deliver cheaper medicines, deliver record Medicare funding to address the declining numbers of bulk billing experienced under Labor, and we will redirect Labor’s mismanaged money to front line services.
Seeing a doctor should never be a luxury. It’s a right!
We’ll fix Labor’s healthcare mess and bring Medicare back to what it was meant to be; accessible, affordable, and for everyone.
Don’t listen to the lies. Vote for the Coalition so our health system can get back on track.