Cancer patients and Australians at risk of passing on genetic diseases to their children will receive Medicare rebates to subsidise the costs of egg, sperm or embryo storage as part of a $53 million Coalition election pledge that also funds additional postnatal care.
The federal government is capitalising on Mother's Day with an announcement designed to appeal to Australians who want children, promising to cut the costs of Medicare-funded assisted reproductive technology services for 6,200 eligible Australians a year if it wins the election later this month.
Scientists can identify if Australians are at a high risk of passing on a genetic condition to their children by using a technique called preimplantation genetic testing or PGT, which examines embryos for chromosome variations or specific genetic conditions.
To maximise the chance of a healthy baby, chromosomally healthy embryos, or those unaffected by a genetic disorder, are identified and selected to be either stored or implanted during an IVF cycle.
The Coalition is pledging to spend $14.4 million to help subsidise the storage costs to preserve embryos for 2,000 of those Australians.
It is also pledging to give 4,200 cancer patients a year access to Medicare rebates to store embryos, sperm and eggs to help preserve their fertility, which can be affected during illness or treatment.
All up, it will save eligible Australians about $600 a year.
The Coalition is also promising it will spend $25 million over four years delivering 20 perinatal mental health and wellbeing services around the country, run by the Gidget Foundation and collocated in centres like the Head to Health hubs.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he wanted to help Australians who needed it most, after using IVF to conceive his children.
"For people battling cancer or staring down the risk of genetic diseases, it's already a difficult battle and this new subsidy will help give them more options about their aspirations to become parents," he said.
"Right when these aspiring mums and dads need help the most, we'll be there."
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said on Sunday Labor would match the Coalition's commitment, describing the additional financial support for those dealing with cancer as "commonsense".
"Where the government comes up with a good policy, we are prepared to support it," Mr Albanese said.
Leaders to face off in televised debate
Meanwhile, Mr Albanese will start Sunday morning in Sydney after spending Saturday in the marginal Tasmanian seat of Bass, where he announced $20 million for clean energy projects and jobs at a campaign rally.
He used his speech to the party faithful to ramp up attacks on Scott Morrison over Coalition action on climate change.
"What does it take to give some of these numpties a wake-up call to tell them climate change is right here, right now?" he said.
Both leaders have been honing in on marginal seats during a weekend that has been light on new policies but heavy on local announcements.
They will close the fourth week of the campaign facing off in a televised debate hosted by the Nine Network, kick-starting a frenetic fortnight of campaigning with both sides targeting the undecided voters ahead of the May 21 election.
