Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Cormann for his question. I do hope in giving me notice of the question that he does not need to refer himself to the Privileges Committee! The Rudd government is committed to a sustainable and strong PBS. This means we must always seek value for taxpayers’ dollars. The government remains committed to implementing its chemotherapy measure that will reduce wastage of expensive chemotherapy medicines by funding the actual quantity of medicines which are delivered to cancer patients. The PBS, and ultimately taxpayers, will benefit from reducing wastage of these expensive medicines. There are currently no incentives to promote efficient use of these very expensive medicines—a situation which the government considers is untenable. I note that the question goes to the measure which seeks to achieve $100 million in savings through more efficient arrangements for the payment of benefits for chemotherapy drugs. This government is seeking to improve the way we use these medicines so that we can continue to ensure they are affordable and accessible for all Australians.

This measure was to commence on 1 July 2009 with resulting savings of around $105.4 million over the budget period. The government is undertaking to briefly delay implementation of the measure beyond 1 September and will provide a further update on its implementation plans into the near future. There is, I can say, ongoing consultation with stakeholders. This government believes it is necessary and important to consult with stakeholders in respect of this implementation measure, and consultation will be wide-ranging. (Time expired)