Australia news live: NSW police say neo-Nazis rallying in Sydney ‘may well be recruiting’; PM plays down being booed at tennis | Australian education

Emily Wind

Many thanks for joining me on the blog today. I’ll leave you with Nino Bucci, who will see you through the rest of today’s news. Take care!

Josh Butler

People should ‘ring around’ to find GPs who bulk bill, health minister says

The health minister, Mark Butler, says Australians should “ring around” doctors in their area to find GPs that are offering bulk billing, as concerns continue over medical clinics winding back subsidised visits – and whether the government’s extra incentives are having a big enough impact.

Butler was speaking in Canberra today, to announce a special commemorative edition of the Medicare card would be released this year for the system’s 40th anniversary. (We had all the details on this just below.) But talking up the legacy of the health insurance scheme obviously led to questions about whether enough doctors were actually still offering fully bulk-billed appointments.

Butler says the tripling of bulk-billing incentives, announced in last year’s budget, is a “very strong incentive” and that the government is receiving “anecdotal feedback … that there has been a significant return to bulk billing”. The government is collecting data about bulk-billing stats, and Butler says some of that will be released.

Asked if the system will be a “name and shame”, Butler says no, but adds that people could do their own research:

We want patients to know, if one practice in their area has changed their behaviour around bulk billing and another hasn’t, it’s entirely your right to vote with your feet … People can ring around and ask ‘are you bulk billing a consultant for my kid who’s 14? Are you bulk billing me, I’m a concession card holder?’

We want an active community discussion about this. This is a big investment on behalf of taxpayers made in the budget last year.

Butler goes on to say the government will be keeping a “close eye on gap fees and general practice charging behaviour”.

We want to see a response from general practice to the very significant investment on behalf of taxpayers.

Natasha May

‘A little piece of history in your wallet’: special Medicare cards commemorate 40th anniversary

This Thursday will mark 40 years since Medicare services started, and the government is releasing a special-edition card to honour the occasion.

People who get a new or replacement card from 1 February until 31 December will be sent a commemorative 40th anniversary edition.

Digital cards in Medicare online accounts, the Medicare Express Plus app and the myGov app will automatically update to the 40-year anniversary design from 9 February.

The health minister, Mark Butler, says:

The celebration acknowledges Medicare is the foundation of our health system, ensuring all Australians have equitable access to health care when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.

The minister for government services and the NDIS, Bill Shorten, said:

If you’ve been putting off updating who’s on your Medicare card, it’s a great opportunity to do so – and get a little piece of history in your wallet.

If you aren’t due for a replacement card but want a commemorative card you can use the digital edition, for secure and convenient access on the go.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has shaken off the frosty reception he received at the Australian Open men’s final.

Last night, Albanese was met with a booing crowd at the tennis. Much like the treasurer, Jim Chalmers – who earlier said it’s a “well-worn Australian tradition at sporting events for that to happen” – Albanese told Fox FM:

It’s a bit of tradition in Australian sport, isn’t it?

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, also argued that booing is a “great Australian tradition” at sporting events. He told the Today show:

I’ve been to many sporting events over the years and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a prime minister or a politician get a cheer.

I’m sure there [was] people sitting in their seats who [were] quietly cheering. But it’s a great Australian tradition to boo a politician at a sporting event.

Just earlier, the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, was speaking to the media following the gathering of neo-Nazis in Sydney at the weekend.

Police broke up a white supremacist demonstration in a Sydney park yesterday, the third straight day public safety powers were used to disrupt the group over the weekend. Earlier today, the premier, Chris Minns, signalled that the Nazi salute would be explicitly banned in the state.

(You can read that earlier in the blog here).

Speaking this afternoon, Catley said police responded “swiftly, with action” on the weekend when 60-odd men from the group were on a train, “dressed … in a clearly intimidating way”.

[Police] made sure that when they were collected together on that train travelling, that they weren’t able to go into the city to disturb the peace or whatever it is that they wanted to do. We know that they have been violent, so that did not occur …

Catley said the group “may well be recruiting”, but because police acted “they were not able to achieve their goal”.

The truth is that they may well be recruiting, but the reality is that the police’s swift action ensured that they were not able to achieve their goal, and that was to spread their toxicity, to go into the city and to disrupt.