Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Our policy is absolutely clear. We will list every medicine that the PBAC recommends. Their policy was absolutely clear: that they would defer the listing of medicines until such time as fiscal circumstances permitted. I also did a little bit more research, as to the Senate committee. And what did the Senate committee say about their policy at the time? 'It constitutes a major unnecessary and unwelcome change in government policy.' What did the Consumers Health Forum say?

Consumers do not want a situation in which drugs are listed on the PBS to win votes or boost opinion polls.

That was what they said about the Labor government and the Labor policy at the time. What did SANE Australia say about the Labor government and the Labor policy at the time?

The decision to defer the recommendation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Council … to list medications jeopardises the integrity of the PBS process.

So now is the time for the member for Ballarat to apologise for incompetently misleading the House yesterday, in relation to hepatitis C and in relation, in particular, to whooping cough. Caught out—caught red-handed. And time to apologise.

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