Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Denison for his question. I understand that he is genuinely and deeply concerned about the circumstance of his constituent and I think many members in the parliament have seen similar representations from their constituents. You always want to try to give a helping hand, so I understand his motivation in raising this question and I am very concerned to hear about the circumstances of his constituent Mrs Thurley.

I assure the member for Denison that we continue to work through the processes that have guided Australian governments on pharmaceutical benefits listing. They are processes that have enabled us as a nation to afford medicines, to get them to people and to ensure that we share that burden equitably through our budgeting arrangements. Indeed, our PBS is very much envied by nations around the world. But in order for it to continue to work we need to go through stages of assessment.

First and foremost we need to take the advice of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. They are the experts who make recommendations, and we cannot as politicians substitute our sense of what should be listed for what is on the PBS. We do have to listen to the advice of the PBAC. We of course respond to that advice. We work through and deal with the financial issues. The government is well used to that, because Labor has added 500 new medicines or brands to the PBS since coming to government, costing around $4 billion over four years. We continue to work through them and have listed a considerable number of new medicines. For example, we very recently listed, as a supported vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine. That was important, and we funded the catch-up program.

We will continue to do those assessments with advice from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. There are always decisions to work through. There are always questions of how to deal with the funding of medicines. We work through them and will continue to work through them. I understand that the member is concerned about his constituent and I am very happy to keep him informed on this particular medicine as the government works through its assessments.

See this speech in context