Live: Bulk-billing rates on the rise

The federal government says the number of Australians seeing a GP for free is on the rise.Follow all the updates in our live blog.Mon 10 Aug 2026 at 7:25amMon 10 Aug 2026 at 7:25amPlibersek defends prime minister over melon remarkLabor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek has again defended the prime minister over a remark he made about a gift from his Japanese counterpart.Anthony Albanese made a comment about the melons given to him by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a visit in May. During the interview with the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese made a gesture in front of his chest while discussing the melons.Writing in the The Australian this morning Tokyo's former ambassador in Canberra, Shingo Yamagami said the PM's comments were "insulting".Plibersek disagreed with the former ambassador's interpretation that Albanese was in referencing the Japanese prime minister's anatomy."We have an excellent relationship with Japan. Japan is a very important strategic and economic partner ... and I think the former ambassador is wrong in his interpretation," she told Seven.Mon 10 Aug 2026 at 7:07amMon 10 Aug 2026 at 7:07amFree GP visits on the riseBulk billing rates continue to rise as a result of the federal GP subsidy scheme.New government figures show rates increased from 81.9 per cent to 84.1 per cent nationwide in the June quarter.The federal government committed $8.5 billion at the May election to expand bulk billing rates, promising to make nine out of 10 GP visits free for patients by 2030.The Northern Territory has since seen the biggest jump, an annual rise of 13 per cent, bringing rates to 90.8 per cent.New South Wales and Victorian rates remain highest, 87.5 per cent and 85.7 per cent, while the ACT trails on 59.3 per cent.Mon 10 Aug 2026 at 6:48amMon 10 Aug 2026 at 6:48amGood morning 👋Hi friends, welcome to our politics live blog. I'm Courtney Gould from the ABC's Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.It's been a long time since we last chatted, so I hope you have had a lovely winter so far.What's on the agenda today? Well, politicians are starting to make their way back to the capital ahead of parliament returning tomorrow.The government is hoping it can find a friend within the parliament to pass its long-awaited gambling reforms. Also on the to-do list is to pass its NDIS reforms. You might remember that the reforms were pushed off until after the mid-winter break. We're expecting an inquiry that met during the break to report back later this week.Are you ready to dive in? Let's get blogging.