Today, the Coalition has launched a new webpage - Health Facts - to combat Labor's desperate lies on health.
It has become clear that a desperate Albanese Labor Government is attempting to reheat their disgraced Mediscare campaign in an attempt to distract from their failures.
We are setting the record straight.
While Labor is focused on lies and scaremongering, we are focused on the facts.
Our Health Facts webpage relies on real data to demonstrate the Coalition's strong track record on ensuring Australians have affordable and timely access to healthcare, including through increased funding into Medicare, hospitals and medicines.
Labor is relying on lies and spin.
The facts are undeniable. The Coalition always has and always will invest in Medicare.
Under the Coalition, funding into Medicare increased year-on-year from $18.6 billion under Labor in 2012-13 to more than $30 billion in 2021-22.
This led to record high bulk billing rates and a stronger Medicare system for all Australians. Across the Coalition's time in Government, the average bulk billing rate was 86.15%. Under Labor it is 78.75%
The Coalition also increased hospital funding by 86%, doubled the number of Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions Australians can access, and made more than 2,900 new or amended medicines listings on the PBS.
Since Labor has come into government, the GP bulk billing has plummeted by 11%, out-of-pocket costs have reached the highest level on record, and the Government has cut Medicare mental health support in half.
Shadow Minister for Health, Senator Anne Ruston said that the Labor Party will spend the upcoming election campaign telling lies about health, but the Coalition has a proud record on supporting Australians' access to essential healthcare .
"In fact, it was Peter Dutton as Health Minister who established Australia's $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund, which has led to life-saving new medical developments for Australian patients," Senator Ruston said.
"The irony is that it has literally never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor than under the Albanese Labor Government.
"We know that Australians can feel the truth of Labor's health lies in their hip pockets every time they go to pay the bill at their doctor's reception desk. But now they also have this clear and consolidated resource to fact check Labor's shameful scare tactics.
"It is incredibly disappointing that this webpage is necessary, but it is clear that Labor does not care about the facts.
"Instead of taking action to tackle the rising unaffordability of essential healthcare, the Albanese Government is lying to Australians. It's disgraceful.
"Australians cannot afford three more years of Labor, or their lies."
