Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the National Health Amendment (General Co-payment) Bill 2022. It was interesting listening about Labor's urgent Medicare care clinics. The minister opposite was just saying, I think, that they're going to build 50 around the country, which sounds like a good thing. I do hope that they're a lot more successful than the last Labor commitment, around GP Super Clinics. I remember when I was elected in 2013 that we had a GP Super Clinic that was just sitting empty for three years. Then it took us to get actual doctors in there. That was at the Redcliffe GP Super Clinic on Anzac Avenue. Many people in my electorate will remember that when the coalition came in we got it up and running, and operating well.

The coalition does have a strong track record of providing Australians with timely, affordable access to effective medicines, cancer treatments and services. As other coalition speakers have mentioned, during our time in government, under the Liberal-National parties, we listed over 2,900 medicines, worth over $15 billion on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. I remember that when we came in the previous government had frozen those listings. So 2,900 medicines in nine years is an exceptional record that people are aware of, not just in the Petrie electorate but right around the country.

In the 2022 budget, which the former government handed down this year, we provided greater access to cheaper medicines for 2.4 million Australians, with fewer scripts needed for free or further discounted medicines. To further reduce costs, during the election campaign the coalition announced that we would lower the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS, medicines general copayment from 1 January 2023 by $10 per script. The Labor Party would agree that the coalition has a strong record on reducing the costs of medicines, because three days after we announced our election commitment this year to lower the PBS medicines general copayment the Labor Party copied that announcement and introduced a $12.50 reduction—an extra $2.50—starting on the same date, mind you! But that's okay—an extra $2.50, well done, that's good. We support it; the coalition and I, as the member of the Petrie, will be supporting this government bill. We're debating the National Health Amendment (General Co-payment) Bill today: this is good policy and I'm happy that it's going through. It's something that the people of Petrie will appreciate and, as their voice here, I'll be supporting it.

The medicines under the PBS medicines general copayment help people suffering from cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, spinal muscular atrophy, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, severe osteoporosis and chronic migraines. This will really help people who suffer daily with those medical issues. Some of these cost thousands of dollars and, thankfully, because of the PBS up until now these things have only cost a maximum of $42.50. But if you're someone who has multiple issues, which many people do, that can add up significantly each month. So to help Australians who receive these medical treatments, throughout our time in government we made medicines more accessible and affordable. In opposition, we'll keep doing the same thing; we'll keep the pressure on the government to make sure they do the same. I don't think the current government will revert to what the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government did when they stopped listing them. I think the current government will do the right thing and will have bipartisan support across the chamber here.

The reason that the coalition supports the reduction of the cost of medicines is that we understand the needs of Australians. When in government, through our strong economic management, and throughout the whole pandemic, we prioritised the health and safety of all Australians. And that's important; people know that during the pandemic the coalition government invested a lot into health. And we didn't do it just in health; we did it with employment, through programs like JobKeeper, as well.

We all remember—those people in the gallery, you'll remember—that, when the pandemic hit, people were lined up outside Centrelink. In my own electorate—in Deception Bay, in Margate and in Chermside, down on the border—people were lined up out the front of Centrelink offices, concerned about what the pandemic would do. But the former Prime Minister, the member for Cook, established the National Cabinet. He brought bipartisan support across Labor and Liberal state governments because he wanted to deal with this once-in-a-generation pandemic, as the leader of the Liberal-National government, in a bipartisan way. That is something that I think he will be remembered for. In years to come it will be remembered that during the pandemic it was the member for Cook and the coalition government—and the former health minister, Greg Hunt—that stepped up and helped Australia, not just in saving lives but also in saving jobs and businesses. They put us in the economic position we're in today, where the Treasurer just found $50 billion in the back pocket!

The Moreton Bay region and the Brisbane City Council area, where my electorate is located, are known popular retirement destinations, and I can understand why. They have some of Queensland's most beautiful coastline throughout Deception Bay, Burpengary East, Redcliffe Peninsula and—on the other side of the bridge, in Brisbane City—around Brighton. It's a wonderful place to live. In my electorate of Petrie, 20 per cent of people are over the age of 65. Many people say that with age comes wisdom, and it does, but unfortunately it often comes with a decline in health as well. Not everyone is blessed with great health as they get older. With that decline, many rely on medical treatment in the form of prescription medications. The Liberal-National coalition remains absolutely committed to ensuring that, if required, Australians have access to affordable medicines when they need them. Pensioners are just one demographic that will benefit from this co-payment reduction. Self-funded retirees, who are often paying for high-cost scripts, will too.

In addition to the rise in the ageing population is the rise in chronic health conditions. The recent census revealed that almost one-third, 31.6 per cent, of people in my electorate of Petrie report having one or more chronic or long-term health conditions. These long-term health conditions include diagnoses such as arthritis; asthma; cancer; dementia; diabetes; heart disease; kidney disease; lung conditions; mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety; and stroke. This is not an exhaustive list; it only scratches the surface of long-term health conditions. Let's not forget that these are everyday people. It could be your grandmother, your mother—your child, in some cases. It could be your neighbour or friend. These are people who rely on regular medications to manage their long-term health conditions and maintain a quality of life that every person deserves. It was these people that the former coalition government were thinking of when we first committed to reducing this as part of our election commitments earlier this year.

I recently spoke to Andrew Twist, a pharmacist in my electorate working at Priceline Pharmacy in Kippa-Ring. And I do want to join former speaker Wallace in thanking pharmacists, particularly those in the electorate of Petrie, right through Brisbane City and throughout the Moreton Bay region, for the work they do every day to help people who walk into their pharmacy—filling scripts and, for people with multiple medications, packaging them up and putting them in bags so people get their medication right each day. They even deliver them to the homes of people who are unable to get out to the pharmacy. So thank you not just to Andrew at Priceline Pharmacy Kippa-Ring but to all the pharmacists in my electorate.

Andrew informed me that the reduction of the PBS co-payment would benefit local people in my electorate. When there is a policy that will benefit people, we support it as we have been elected to represent them. Andrew also told me that the constituents who will benefit the most in my community are the 10,000 people with type 2 diabetes; the 21,000 people who suffer with respiratory conditions such asthma, COPD and emphysema; and the 6,000 people with cancer.

I was speaking to a constituent last night who lives in Scarborough, on the Redcliffe peninsula, and uses the drug Breo Ellipta, which helps with asthma. That can cost the full $42.50 a month. It obviously costs a lot more, but the Australian government through the PBS pays that. Traditionally, this constituent would have been paying $42.50 a month, and what we're legislating for now will put it down to $30 a month. That drug has changed her life. She also has diabetes and uses two different types of insulin that can also cost $42.50 a month. She also was very thankful when the former coalition government brought in the continuous glucose monitoring sensors, which were costing her $150 every seven days. When you combine all this—reducing the $42.50 down to $30 and also what was done with the continuous glucose monitoring sensors that were costing $150—that's a big saving each month for this one constituent in the Petrie electorate. So I'm pleased with what the government is doing here. It will support local people. The coalition welcomes the National Health Amendment (General Co-payment) Bill 2022.

My fellow Australians are feeling the cost-of-living pressure right now and will tonight with fuel excise going back up, which will equate to 25c a litre—22c plus GST—to fill your car up if you can in the next five days. With electricity bills going up, with rents going up—and during our MPI yesterday we spoke about the cost of living under this government—this one measure will help, and we are thankful for that. The people of Petrie are thankful for that.

Finally, the coalition calls on the Labor government to continue to reduce the cost of living like this bill will. People are hurting out there, it's not just families that have kids in child care. It's also single people and 'double income, no kids', as I spoke about yesterday. Their mortgage repayments are increasing significantly at the moment. So I encourage the government, in the budget that they are handing down later this year, to continue to help with cost of living so Australians can make ends meet.

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