By Milton Dick
As your Federal MP for Oxley, I am committed to delivering for our community in Greater Ipswich and Springfield.
In uncertain times, I know the that cost of living is the most important issue, which can impact families’ ability to access the care needed for you and your family.
Today, I wanted to share some of the ways in which I have been seeking to both improve the quality, and affordability of the medical care available to locals.
Firstly, I wanted to speak about the genuine increase of GPs in our community offering fully bulk-billed services.
Since being elected, the Government has increased bulk-billing incentives for every visit to a GP, as well as establishing an extra incentive for doctors who bulk bill every patient they see.
Since these changes were introduced, the number of fully bulk-billing GP clinics in our electorate has increased from 16 to 29. This is an 81.25 per cent increase in the number of clinics in our area that are now fully bulk-billed.
As an example of this, just this month, I visited Redbank Plaza Medical Centre to celebrate them transitioning into being a fully bulk-billing clinic on April 1.
This clinic, along with 28 others, are now making you and your families’ visit to the GP take up less of your hard-earned income.
In addition to investing directly in bulk-billing, I am excited to have delivered the funding for the upcoming Headspace Mental Health Centre right here in Redbank Plains.
This facility will provide free and accessible mental health care and support for young people aged between 12-25 in our local community.
Giving local children and families the tools to address mental health concerns is vital, and I am so glad to have been able to secure this funding as part of the Government’s $1 billion investment in improving mental health services.
I am also proud to have fought for the Cheaper Medicines Program to our community, which caps PBS script costs at $7.70 for concession card holders, and at $25 for Medicare card holders.
Although all these investments are making a difference, I know there is more work to be done. I will continue to stand up for the families that call our area home.
