Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is a critical component of Australia's health system. For decades it has ensured that Australians can access affordable medicines and treatments when they need them most. Under the PBS, patients make a copayment towards the cost of their medicine, and the Commonwealth covers the rest. For this year, that patient copayment sits at $31.60 for general patients. This bill seeks to reduce that copayment to $25. It is an important change and one that the coalition supports. In fact, this bill reflects the coalition's commitment at the last election to guarantee cheaper medicines and lower the PBS copayment to $25.

Right now, Australians are under extraordinary pressure. Labor's cost-of-living crisis has forced families into impossible choices. More and more Australians are delaying or avoiding refilling their scripts because they simply can't afford it. Last year alone, eight per cent of Australians delayed or went without their prescription medication due to cost. No Australian should ever have to make that choice. This bill is a step towards easing that burden that has grown increasingly heavy under the Albanese Labor government. It ensures Australians have more affordable access to the medicines and treatments they need at a time when health care has never been more expensive and it builds on the coalition's proud record of supporting a strong PBS.

When in government, the coalition made around 2,900 new or amended listings on the PBS—an investment of $16.5 billion. That investment ensured Australians had affordable access to potentially life-saving or life-changing medicines that would otherwise have cost them thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. We also maintained our commitment to list every medicine recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. This stands in stark contrast to Labor.

When last in government, Labor stopped listing new medicines on the PBS because they ran out of money. That despicable decision meant Australians missed out on treatments for severe asthma, chronic pain, schizophrenia, blood clots, IVF, endometriosis and prostate conditions. Sadly, history is repeating itself. Late last year, almost 50 medicines were deferred from consideration because the PBAC imposed a cap on the number of medicines they could review. Why? Because the government has not provided adequate resources, and the health minister has turned a blind eye. Patients were again left waiting for access to new treatments at an affordable price.

We've already seen the consequences of Labor's delays with the PBS—for example, for women living with endometriosis. The government announced a listing of Ryeqo on the PBS before the election, but that medicine had been recommended for listing more than a year earlier—an entire year of avoidable delay for women suffering with chronic pain. That is simply not good enough.

The coalition also initiated the health technology assessment review, an important opportunity to look at how we can improve timely access to medicines for Australian patients. The findings of that critical review were released last September by the Albanese Labor government. It was already delayed, yet this government has done nothing. We say to the government: the time for reviews has passed. Patients are waiting and action is overdue.

While we support this bill, we call on the government to do more: to properly resource the PBS listing process, to end the delays, to deliver on the health technology assessment review and to ensure that Australians have timely, affordable access to the medicines they need. The coalition will always back Australians when it comes to affordable medicines. We led on cheaper medicines at the 2022 election. We committed to a $25 PBS copayment and we will continue to hold this government to account for its record of delays and failures.

I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes with concern the Government's continuing delays in implementing the recommendations of the Health Technology Assessment review; and

(2) condemns the Prime Minister's failure to secure a meeting with the President of the United States to advance Australia's interests in relation to possible pharmaceutical tariffs and other issues".

This amendment highlights the need for the government to progress the health technology assessment review. It is very disappointing that we have not seen any movement since the already delayed release of the health technology assessment review in September last year. Furthermore, the coalition believe in our PBS, and we note the Prime Minister's failure to secure a meeting with the President of the United States to advance Australia's interests in relation to possible pharmaceutical tariffs and other issues.

I commend the bill to the House.

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