“I haven’t really had a GP in years,” a single mum friend says, as we push our children on the swings. “Just popped into the local bulk-billing clinic for a quick script, but even they charge a gap now. And you’re just in and out. But I do actually need a good GP to talk about all the stuff I’ve been ignoring. You know, for me and for the kids. And for my ageing parents. Do you know anyone?”
It’s a question I’ve been asked – on repeat – for the past few years. You’ve probably had the conversation too. Many of us have been worrying about the demise of Australia’s universal healthcare. Medicare rebates for general practice have been essentially frozen for over a decade. But now, finally – finally! – the Labor government commits to pulling Australia out of the ice age. And to our even greater astonishment, the LNP – which has previously argued against socialist universal healthcare – is matching the pledge.
