The Coalition has committed to higher funding for Medicare. In fact, we increased Medicare funding every year in government, and will continue to do so. We will invest $8.5 billion to boost bulk billing, which has fallen under Labor by 11% nationally.

We will also invest $500 million for critical mental health services. This will double the number of Medicare subsidised mental health services people can access from 10 to 20 (after Labor cut this in half).

Medicare bulk billing was higher under the Coalition. The GP bulk billing rate rose to 88 percent by the Coalition’s final year. Under Labor, it has fallen to 77%, meaning it’s more expensive for Australians to see a doctor.

When Peter Dutton was Health Minister, bulk billing was 84%, 7% higher than under Labor today.

In the Coalition’s last year, 167 million GP bulk billed services were delivered – 40 million more than last year under Labor. Under Labor the cost of healthcare has increased and more Australians are paying out of pocket to see a doctor.

Under the Coalition, funding into Medicare increased every year from $18.6 billion in 2012–13 under Labor, to over $30 billion in 2021-22.

Find out more at liberal.org.au/health-facts

Source: Medicare facts from Department of Health and Aged Care, Medicare Annual Statistics

The Coalition in government nearly doubled hospital funding, from $13.3 billion (in 2012-13) under Labor, to $24.7 billion (in 2021-22).

This represents a hospital funding increase of 86% by the Coalition in 9 years.

When Peter Dutton was Health Minister, funding increased by 16% in two years from the level under the previous Labor Government.

Find out more at liberal.org.au/health-facts

Source: Department of Health and Aged Care, Health Funding Facts

The Coalition government made over 2,900 new or amended medicines listings on the PBS. This helped people suffering from cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, chronic migraines and many other conditions.

Due to its poor economic management, the previous Labor government stopped listing new medicines, including for severe asthma, chronic pain, schizophrenia, blood clots, IVF, endometriosis and prostate conditions.

The Coalition will reduce the PBS co-payment to $25, to make medicines cheaper for Australians. This is especially important considering the Labor Government's cost of living crisis.

In 2022, it was the Coalition that first announced a cut to ensure cheaper medicines.

As Health Minister, Peter Dutton established the now $22 billion Medical Research Future Fund, delivering medical advancements and breakthroughs for Australians.

Find out more at liberal.org.au/health-facts

The Coalition has always supported our dedicated aged care nurses being paid properly. The decision to increase wages for workers in the aged care sector was made by the independent Fair Work Commission, not the Labor Government.

The previous Coalition government provided an additional 123,000 more Home Care packages for older Australians, under the Albanese Labor Government only 41,215 more packages have been provided, failing the 82,690 older Australians waiting for support.

The previous Coalition Government nearly doubled annual school funding – from $13 billion in 2013 to $25.3 billion in 2022. 

The greatest growth was in government schools, where funding grew over 58 percent in real terms per student between 2013 and 2022.

A Dutton Coalition Government will match dollar-for-dollar the school funding agreements announced by the Commonwealth.

Annual real wages growth was positive in every year of the Coalition government prior to the pandemic (from 2014 to 2019).

Source: ABS Wage Price Index Dec quarter 2024 and ABS Consumer Price Index Dec quarter 2024.

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Under Labor, Australia has had the biggest fall in disposable incomes in the developed world.

Source: OECD, Financial Review 30/8/2024

In government, the Coalition almost doubled child care funding (from $6 billion in 2013-14 to $11 billion in 2022-23), resulting in 280,000 more children in child care.

The Coalition voted for the Cheaper Child Care Bill which increased the Child Care Subsidy.

Despite the Reserve Bank warnings that high government spending is inflationary and that Australia’s inflation is “home grown”, in three Labor Budgets, the Government has lifted spending by $425 billion - or $40,000 per Australian household.

The Coalition will rein in wasteful spending that fuels inflation, while ensuring strong investments in vital front-line services, like hospitals, schools and roads.

The Coalition’s balanced energy mix – including zero-emissions nuclear – will cost 44% less than Labor’s renewables only approach, according to independent energy experts, Frontier Economics.

Under Labor, the price of electricity has already increased by 32% (without rebates) and gas is up 34%.

Australia is the only one of the 20 largest economies that is not using nuclear energy or moving towards it. Labor is completely out of step with the developed world.

The Coalition’s plan is for a balanced energy mix – including more renewables, more gas and (in seven locations) replacing retired coal plans with zero-emissions nuclear energy.