Ms LEY (Farrer—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (09:17): I rise today to respond to the government's announcement on women's health. Immediately after I was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, one of my first statements was to make clear that I accepted we did not meet the expectations of women at the last election and that we had work to do. In responding to this announcement, I hope that women will see that we have not only heard them but we have listened to them. Through this term of parliament we have worked to represent women and their interests every single day. I understand many women will be looking closely at women's health policy, and they will want to have confidence that the government they choose at the next election will ensure their health care and deliver better outcomes for women and girls across this country. When they do, I want them to understand that on the issue of women's health there is no separation from what the government has announced and the position of the opposition. I want women to know that, whether they vote for the Liberal Party or the Labor Party, they are going to get the support that has been announced by the Commonwealth over recent days. I also want to make this message very clear to the women of Australia. Today, I rise to speak on women's health as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and I represent my friend and colleague Senator Anne Ruston, who is the shadow minister and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Senator Ruston is deputy to Michaelia Cash, our leader in the Senate. Three of our most senior Liberal officeholders in this place are women. I tell you that because I want the women of Australia to understand that women's health policy is personal for us just as it is for women on the other side of the chamber today. We know what period pain feels like. We have lived through the debilitation of endometriosis. We have felt the pangs of despair when the doctors told us that the IVF didn't work again. We've held our babies in maternity wards too. We've experienced the judgement of medical professionals who just don't get what we've told them, and we've had to make hard choices about how much information we can disclose to get the health care we need without putting ourselves at risk of reprisal. Women's health care is personal for the women of the Liberal Party, as it is for all women in this place. So I want women to hear me say that, as a woman and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, I will support, advance and safeguard women's health care. As a coalition, we will continue—from the opposition benches or, if we are elected, in the cabinet—to represent the interests of women. Whether it is better access to contraceptives, as this commitment ensures, or greater access to endometriosis care, we support this. We will ensure women's health care is supported, advanced and safeguarded. I also want to make this point strongly: Australia just cannot allow women's health to become a political football in the weeks and months ahead in this election. So, in making our commitment clear to the women of Australia and in backing in this women's health policy announcement, I ask that the Prime Minister and the crossbench extend their goodwill, too, and not seek to politicise women's health at this election. Women have enough rubbish to deal with as it is, and they deserve better than the sorts of Labor scare campaigns that we saw during the Queensland election. The Leader of the Opposition and I sat around the cabinet table and delivered the significant funding that underpinned the National Women's Health Strategy 2020-2030. In our last budget alone, we allocated $330 million to fund initiatives supporting the maternal, sexual and reproductive health of Australian women and girls as part of that strategy—the very initiatives we're building on today. This was part of the $5.5 billion we spent on supporting women through our two women's budget statements. So the truth is that the announcement that we're talking about today expands on the groundbreaking work we undertook in government in supporting women's health. In May 2022, in line with this national strategy, the coalition announced our historic investment for endometriosis and pelvic pain, which led to the establishment of Australia's first endometriosis-specific clinics in every state and territory. So, of course, we welcome the government's decision to expand on this work with 11 new clinics. I want to acknowledge Nicolle Flint, who is once again standing to represent her community in Boothby, who absolutely spearheaded the push through the last parliament to secure this historic endometriosis package. But whether it's helping women manage chronic conditions, improving access to contraception or supporting families on their fertility journey, we recognise there is always more work that can be done. That's why we've already committed $5 million to ensure less expensive medicines and targeted health care for women, through a specific review, to ensure they're able to get the best quality care when they need it most. But there is always more work to do, and, certainly, in this space, it is important. That's why we quickly moved to match the measures we're talking about today, because supporting women's health is the right thing to do. But we cannot deliver better outcomes for women if we do not deal with what the minister for health has already conceded is the fall in bulk-billing rates. The truth is that, for women and for men, access to primary care has dramatically fallen. Under the coalition, the bulk-billing rate to see a GP was 88 per cent. It has now fallen to 77 per cent, making it harder and more expensive for women to access the health care they need. The coalition remains concerned that, under the Albanese Labor government, it has never been harder or more expensive for women in Australia to access critical primary care. We've seen reports of mothers forgoing care for themselves so their children can access it. We know that, from avoiding seeing a GP, health outcomes can deteriorate, and, since this Labor government came to power, more than 1.5 million Australians have avoided seeing a GP due to the cost. Australian women must have timely and affordable access to health advice and check-ups, especially as they manage the more debilitating effects of menopause and endometriosis. That is why it is so critical that Labor's primary-care crisis is addressed as a matter of urgency. We want to ensure that women across Australia can access care that is not only affordable but also relates to their own experience and their own needs, and we remain focused on developing policy that ensures Australia's healthcare system meets women's health needs. I thank the House.