PM Anthony Albanese talks up Labor’s record on health during visit to Bridgewater clinic
The Prime Minister has talked up health — and revealed his enthusiasm for Star Wars movies — during his second day of campaigning in Tasmania.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has talked up Labor’s commitment to Medicare during a visit to Bridgewater.
Joined by Lyons candidate Rebecca White, Mr Albanese and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher dropped in at the suburb’s Urgent Care clinic on Tuesday morning.
He said Labor was committed to ensuring all Australians received the highest standard of healthcare no matter what their income was.
Mr Albanese praised Rebecca White as “a fantastic candidate” and talked up Bass candidate Jess Teesdale and Braddon’s Anne Urquhart.
The Prime Minister said he was proud of Labor’s record expanding low-cost access to health.
“It’s great to be at this Urgent Care Clinic here in Bridgewater, one of five in Tasmania,” he said.
“We promised 50 [nationwide], we’ve delivered 87 and we’re going to deliver another 50 and they have been an enormous success across the country.
“Some 1.3 million Australians have got the care they need when they need it with just this little bit of green and gold plastic here, their Medicare card.
“This is one of the big contrasts at this election campaign. Labor committed to building Australia’s future, strengthening Medicare, making sure that people are looked after with cost of living measures, including being able to see a doctor for free.”
Mr Albanese said he would serve a full term if elected on May 3 but he would not get ahead of himself.
“I think that’s what the Australian people would expect of me … but I’ll tell you what I don’t take anything for granted on May 3 and I don’t know what I’ll be doing on May 4,” he said.
“I have a bit of a tradition of watching a Star Wars movie on May 4th because I quite appreciate the sense of history there and I’m an old Star Wars guy, to get that out of the way, the first three movies are the best.
“That’s all I know about the evening of May the 4th.
“But I’m trying to climb a mountain here I’m trying to be the first prime minister since John Howard in 2004 [to be re-elected] but 21 years, we’ve had a revolving door. I don’t think, objectively, that’s in the interests of Australia.”
Ms White said health was one of the key issues in the electorate.
“The people I’ve spoken to across my electorate have told me that they love our Medicare Urgent Care Clinics,” she said.
“They’re excited that Labor’s going to deliver three more here in Tasmania, including one more in Lyons in Sorell.
“My response with them has been, if we love them, we have to vote for them, because the only way to keep Medicare Urgent Care Clinics and to keep them free for people to use with just their Medicare Card is if an Albanese Labor Government is re-elected.”
Originally published as PM Anthony Albanese talks up Labor’s record on health during visit to Bridgewater clinic
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