Ms McBRIDE (Dobell) (16:07): In my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales, health care really matters. One in five of us is aged under 15 and one in five of us is aged over 65. The youngest and the oldest in our community have the biggest need for affordable health care, and this government has let them down. Vulnerable people in our community—the old and the young—have been let down by this government. This month, Mental Health Awareness Month, I stand here as a pharmacist who worked in the mental health in-patient units at my local hospital in Wyong for almost 10 years. The strain on patients, the strain on carers and the strain on families because of the lack of mental health services in regional and remote communities is growing. It's at crisis point. On headspace Day, I heard from young people at the Gravity Youth Centre in Gorokan who spoke of their personal struggles to access care for themselves and for others due to the lack of local services. For young people in crisis in regional and remote Australia, help can't wait. One young person told me: Why would I want to go and get help when too often the system fails? This was from a young person in my community on headspace Day. As a pharmacist, I would like to turn to the health minister's claims about PBS listings. The PBS was established by Labor. The principles that underpin the PBS are about universal access to medicines. Medicines matter. Access should be affordable and access should be fair. The minister should stop politicalising the PBS. The government tried to increase the cost of prescription medicines— Mr Tim Wilson interjecting— Ms McBRIDE: for all Australians, including children and pensioners. It was blocked by Labor. Mr Tim Wilson interjecting— Ms McBRIDE: The government's five-year record of failure on health care, particularly Medicare, began with the 2014 budget. The Liberals were elected in 2013 after promising— Mr Tim Wilson interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Goldstein is warned! Ms McBRIDE: no cuts to health and pledging to continue with Labor's 50-50 hospital funding agreement. Do you know what the Liberal state government tried to do in New South Wales? They tried to privatise five public hospitals, including mine, at Wyong, on the New South Wales Central Coast—an area of need. Luckily, the community stood up and fought, so those public hospitals are still in the community's hands. In their first budget, they tore up Labor's agreement and reverted to the previous failed funding formula, resulting in a $57 billion cut to hospitals—$57 billion! I worked in public hospitals in New South Wales for almost 10 years. I have so much regard for the dedicated, trained, expert staff who work there, who are working under enormous strain because of these cuts at a state and federal level. It has to be changed. Health can't wait in regional and remote communities. In their first budget, the government tore up that agreement. They then made a further $10.4 billion in cuts to Medicare and other health programs, including to preventive health care. What else did they try? The infamous $7 GP co-payment. On the one hand, the minister is spruiking listing things on the PBS; on the other hand, the government tried to increase the co-payment for medicines. You can't have it both ways. The PBS is about affordable medicines. The PBS is about universal access to medicines. It's outrageous! In 2014, the budget also included the Medicare rebate freeze—which was later expanded, and persists to this day—ripping $3 billion out of Medicare. It also began the process of inviting the private sector to take control of the Medicare payment system, a plan Labor campaigned strongly against in 2016. In the wake of the public backlash against the 2014 budget, the Liberals abandoned some, but not all, of these measures. Since then, Australians have had to endure endless cuts to health and hospitals. They particularly affect vulnerable people, particularly the young and the old in our community, those living with mental health problems and those in crisis. This government's shameless cuts to health and hospitals, at the same time as spruiking the PBS listing of medicines, is outrageous. It has to stop. The only answer is a change of government. We need a change in attitude to health care in Australia, and the only answer is a change in government at both state and federal level. I'm standing here today as a health worker and as someone who is a former mental health worker. For the people of my community, we need a change and we need it now.