Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in favour of the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. As I said many times during the election campaign, and as I've said since I was elected, there are more instances than not when this place comes together to agree on good policy and good initiatives. Too often, our work in this place is judged on the argy-bargy of question time. This breeds cynicism, a chasm that this parliament must try and bridge. This bill, this policy initiative, is one of those occasions where MPs from across the chamber are coming together, and I'm pleased to be able to lend my support for cheaper medicines for Australians.

We are fortunate in this country to have the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and, for the most part, the means to pay for it—something I hope Australians never take for granted. There are many places in the world where the cost of medicines is out of reach for their citizenry and out of reach for their governments to afford to pay for it. Here in Australia, over 5,200 medicines are subsidised by the Australian government to make them affordable and accessible when and where they are needed. Under the PBS, patients contribute a general co-payment towards the cost of their PBS subsidised medicine, with the Commonwealth paying the remainder of the cost. This year, the co-payment is currently $31.60 for general patients, with this bill seeking to reduce the PBS general co-payment to $25. The amendments contained in this bill are in line with the commitment made by the coalition at the last election to guarantee cheaper medicines and lower the PBS co-payment to $25. It will ensure Australians have more affordable access to medicines and treatments they need at a time when health care has never been more expensive.

As a 54-year-old woman experiencing menopause, my hormone replacement treatment medicine has become a godsend for functioning like a normal person. Before I went on HRT, night sweats and hot flushes were the bane of my existence, keeping me awake through the night, tired during the day and a little panicked when the heat would rise through my body and distract me from the work at hand. It was embarrassing and at times debilitating, but, with my medication, these symptoms no longer haunt me. Around three million women are in the age bracket for menopause, so the menopause medicines listed on the PBS—including the two I take, which were only added to the PBS in February this year and are now to become even cheaper—will hopefully make a big difference to them, as they have to me.

Of course, the reduction in the co-payment has to be taken within the broader context of the cost-of-living crisis facing Australians. While the government is giving with one hand, it is taking from the pockets of everyday Australians in so many ways. This government's policies have seen electricity prices up by 32 per cent, gas prices up by 30 per cent, rents up by 20 per cent, insurance up by 35 per cent, food up by 14 per cent, health costs up by 15 per cent and education costs up by 17 per cent. Anglicare reports full-time, minimum-wage workers are left with just $33 a week to get by after essentials. That's not a cost-of-living crisis; it's a cost-of-survival crisis.

Lyne is the oldest electorate and one of the poorest electorates in this country, and these statistics are very real and felt acutely there. I know that so many people are having to make difficult choices they simply shouldn't have to make between putting food on the table and putting the heater on during the day in winter. 'Which medicines are absolutely necessary? Which ones are not?' More families are being forced to delay or avoid refilling their scripts or seeking health advice, because they just can't afford it under this government. In fact, eight per cent of Australians delayed or went without their prescription medication in 2023-24 due to cost concerns. We all want this initiative to land in the pockets of hardworking Australians, but my concern is that it will be washed away by other, ever-increasing price rises created by this government's policies—policies like its pursuit of intermittent power that will cost trillions, do nothing to deal with climate change, damage our natural environment and only make our country weaker and poorer.

The PBS forms a critical component of Australia's health system. It is a scheme that has largely had bipartisan support. Both Labor and the coalition have made improvements to it over time. In government, the coalition made 2,900 new or amendment listings on the PBS to provide more Australians with affordable access to potentially life-saving or life-changing medicines and treatments. This was at an overall investment of around $16.5 billion. By listing these medications on the PBS, we ensured that Australians had access to affordable, life-saving medications that would otherwise have cost them thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of dollars without the subsidy.

The coalition were committed to our long-held policy of listing all medicines on the PBS that were recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee when we were in government. This is in stark contrast to the Albanese government, who stopped listing new medicines on the PBS last time they were in government, because they simply ran out of money. Their poor economic management meant they did not list on the PBS new medicines for severe asthma, chronic pain, schizophrenia, blood clots, IVF, endometriosis and prostate conditions. The Albanese government has now repeated history by imposing a cap on the number of medicines that can be considered for listing on the PBS, leading to harmful delays. In November last year, almost 50 medicines were deferred from consideration for listing on the PBS on the government's watch, creating further delays for patients waiting for affordable access. This is because the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, the expert body that recommends medicines for listing on the PBS, implemented a cap on the number of medicines it could consider for listing at each meeting. They did this because they have not been adequately resourced under this government. There is no doubt that this mess has caused delays for patients waiting to access potentially life-saving or life-changing new medicines and treatments at an affordable price.

We're also seeing some concerning delays in the listing of new medicines for women's health on the PBS under this government. Before the election, the government announced the listing on the PBS of an important medicine for endometriosis, Ryeqo, which was good news for women suffering from this chronic condition across the country. However, Ryeqo had been recommended for listing on the PBS more than a year before the government made this announcement. This means that the government waited more than a year to list a potentially life-changing treatment for women suffering from endometriosis. That's just not good enough. It's absolutely critical that Australian women have affordable access to the medications and treatments they need, especially right now, as they face record-high healthcare costs.

Health is one of the major concerns on the mind of Lyne residents. In my discussions on doorsteps and at my weekly mobile offices, it is one of the most often raised issues, next to the state of the roads across the Hastings, Mid North Coast and Hunter regions and, more recently, the impact of the May flood and help with the recovery. I'm very concerned about the level of access to health services across the Lyne electorate. From access to a GP to services offered at local hospitals, it's clear that we need more investment by the New South Wales state government and the Australian government in local health services.

During the election, after listening to the concerns in my electorate, I called for an urgent care clinic in Taree. Sadly, the government refused to match it. It was no easy decision to single out Taree, given the demand for such a facility from a number of Lyne communities. Prior to making my public commitment for an urgent care clinic in Taree, I spoke at length with the member for Myall Lakes, Mrs Tanya Thompson, MP, about her work in securing funding for a New South Wales government funded urgent care clinic in Forster. I fully back the community's call for a public hospital in Forster, but it's clear that, while there is a Labor government in New South Wales, Forster will never see it.

An urgent care clinic for Forster and Tuncurry communities under either the state or federal model of delivery could be a stopgap until a change of government. My view was that I would seek Commonwealth funding for it if the member for Myall Lakes had been unable to secure state government support. I knew she was working hard to do so, and it's great news for our area that she was successful with her persistent lobbying and advocacy for the funding of a Forster-Tuncurry health facility. I note the member has today called for the Minns government to provide more details on when it will be delivered. Dollars in the budget don't deliver services in a community. At this juncture, however, me doubling up on a funding commitment would be unfair to other locations in my electorate in desperate need.

I also explored the potential for a federal urgent care clinic for Bulahdelah. Through my work with the former member for Lyne, the Hon. Dr David Gillespie, I was well-aware of the community's push for a multipurpose centre over many years. I know that Bulahdelah needs additional primary-care services with its elderly population and, through the work of the Bulahdelah and District Health Action Group, led by the amazing Ann-Marie Barry, it had been actively advocating for an MPS facility. But, with the sale of the old nursing home to the Stroud Community Lodge and its commitment to reopen it, the MPS model became much harder to fund. Further, the federal government's urgent care clinic model requires a larger population base as compared to those delivered by the New South Wales state government. As such, I support the delivery of a state funded urgent care facility in Bulahdelah.

This led me, ultimately, to my decision about Taree. Bulk-billing rates over the last three years have fallen by 10 per cent. It's becoming harder to see a doctor urgently and Manning Base Hospital needs respite to focus on more critical care, particularly with the disruption from the redevelopment. An urgent care clinic could provide urgent relief and better support the urgent primary-care needs of locals with the added benefit of bulk-billing. I've spoken with the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network regarding the urgent care clinic in Taree, and they've confirmed to me that Taree is a location they support. I called for the urgent care clinic in Taree as part of my first speech, imploring the government to work with me to deliver one.

I followed up with a request to the Minister for Health and Ageing in writing to seek his support in attaining an urgent care clinic for the Manning. The response from the minister was disappointing, with the Albanese government committing $1.4 billion over seven years to establish and operate a total of 137 Medicare urgent care clinics, while leaving a gaping hole between Coffs Harbour and Newcastle, a healthcare chasm that my electorate sits squarely and the middle of and, undoubtedly, must bear the brunt of. The letter from the minister, which I have here, details a phone line that's meant to replace the urgent care clinic—hardly the sort of service that the government has been spruiking in this parliament since we returned. Whilst the response from the minister's office was disappointing, I am hopeful and I look forward to working with the minister to bring about this goal, and I welcome any opportunity for collaboration in order to see the realisation of an urgent care clinic for the people of Lyne.

I recently met with representatives of the Great Lakes carer support group to discuss the potential for a Medicare mental health centre in the Lyne electorate. The volunteer group supports parents, family members and friends dealing with people with mental health challenges and the lack of services in the Great Lakes area. The stories they shared with me about the lack of support were heartbreaking. People in desperate need of support were turned away from the base hospital, with nowhere to go to get the urgent care they need. So many families are struggling to deal with their loved ones' mental health issues, like suicide attempts, without support. A person has to reach crisis point before there is any support available. There are now no permanent psychiatrists at the Manning Base Hospital mental health unit. Nimoola House doesn't have the resources it needs to provide community based care. The group believes a Medicare mental health centre could bridge the gap in services, but, just like with the urgent care clinics, the government seems to have missed our area on the map, with no centre between Coffs Harbour and the Central Coast. Again, I hope the government will engage with me to work towards a service on the Mid North Coast.

A great deal more than this single piece of legislation is required to improve the health outcomes of the people of my electorate. Indeed, a great deal more than this legislation is required to ease the immense economic pressures that burden Australians. But I recognise that this is an important measure that will be of benefit to a great many people, and I therefore commend it to the House.

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