I recently conducted a community survey in Jagajaga to find out what people in my community were concerned about. Two of the biggest areas of concern people came back to me about were health care and aged care, and I am so pleased that these are areas our government has directly addressed in this budget. People told me it’s too hard to see a GP, and finding one that bulk-bills is nearly impossible. Now our government is investing $3.5 billion in bulk-billing incentives, the largest increase in the 40 year history of Medicare. This will be welcome news across Jagajaga, supporting our local GPs to bulk-bill 63,000 people in our community, including those on a Commonwealth seniors health card, pensioners and children. And our government is making medicines cheaper. More than 38,000 people in Jagajaga will be able to buy two months worth of medicine for the price of a single prescription for more than 300 common PBS medicines, halving their visits to their GP and pharmacist and saving up to $180 a year off every eligible medicine people buy.

We’re also fixing aged care by implementing the recommendations of the royal commission and investing $11.3 billion to lift the pay of aged-care workers. This will have a real impact not just on those essential workers but also on the people they care for. I’m so pleased that our government has listened to the concerns of my community and that we’re investing in these essential services.