Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

'I dread when I pick up my medication and there are just a few tablets left because that means I need to refill, and that costs me money I don't always have.' That is what Jess from Airport West told me when we were talking about Labor's plan to make medicines cheaper. Jess lives with a chronic condition and she doesn't have a choice about whether she takes her medication. Without it, her condition worsens. Without it, her quality of life slips away. Jess is not alone. Thousands of Australians live with chronic conditions that demand regular medication: blood pressure tablets, diabetes treatments, asthma puffers and antidepressants. These are medicines that aren't luxuries, medicines that aren't optional, medicines that save and sustain lives.

For too long medicines have been priced as if they were a choice and, too often, people like Jess have had to make impossible choices: Do I refill my prescription or do I pay the power bill? Do I take my medication today or do I stretch it out and hope I can get through the week? Do I put my health first or make sure I have food to eat? In a country like Australia, people should not have to choose between their health and their household budget.

We've heard colleagues talk about 2004—a year of nostalgia, blockbuster movies, iconic songs and the rise of new tech. Do you know what else was true in 2004? Back then the maximum cost of a PBS medicine was $25. Here's the frustrating part: for the nearly two decades since, the costs have kept going up, while the wages of everyday Australians have barely moved. Medicines, bills and rent have gone up; wages have stagnated. This was the reality before Labor came to power in 2022, and that's why this legislation matters so deeply. This government is changing that reality.

From 1 January next year, the maximum cost of general PBS medicines will fall again from $31.60 to $25. For the first time since 2004, medicines will cost no more than $25. That's not nostalgia; that's real relief. That's Labor delivering. As Gretchen Wieners once famously said in the 2004 film Mean Girls, 'That's so fetch.' Let's be clear. This is not a minor shift; this is a 20 per cent cut to the cost of medicines—a reform that will save people in my electorate of Maribyrnong $10 million. For families in Maribyrnong, that's more money for groceries. For students, it's less stress when balancing casual shifts and study. For pensioners, it's the difference between dignity and despair. If you rely on a script each month or if your household has two, three or even four prescriptions to manage, these savings stack up quickly. This is relief where it counts—at the pharmacy counter, in people's wallets and in people's lives. In Maribyrnong, I think of the families on tight budgets in Essendon West, students working double shifts in Moonee Ponds and seniors in Avondale Heights feeling the pressure of fixed incomes. I think of our migrant communities—communities who often face language barriers, cultural barriers and financial barriers to health care. For them, this is not just about cost; it's about fairness, dignity and equity.

Recently, my office spoke with Fatima, a woman in her early 30s from Ascot Vale, who is living with a neurological disorder. Because of her illness, she can't maintain long-term work and the cost of her medications has been a constant strain. Alongside this medication, she also takes antidepressants and together these costs add up quickly. For Fatima, every dollar counts. This price cut isn't just welcome; it's life-changing. These medications aren't luxuries; they're essential to her health, her dignity and her ability to live well. This legislation recognises that. That's the truth. Access to affordable health care is not a privilege or luxury; it's a necessity.

This legislation is another chapter in Labor's long story of building, strengthening and defending Medicare, and undoing the damage from the decade that came before us—a decade of cuts and a decade of neglect. It was a decade of government that never truly understood that health care is not a commodity; it is a human right. Since 2022, Labor has been repairing that damage. On medicines alone, we've already delivered the biggest price cut in PBS history, from $42.50 down to $31. We've introduced 60-day prescriptions, saving people time, money and hassle. We've reduced the number of concessional scripts needed before hitting the PBS safety net, meaning free or cheaper medicines sooner, and we froze the PBS co-payments for pensioners at just $7.70 until 2030. That's Labor's record, and, with this legislation, we go further. Not only does Labor protect Medicare; we continue to strengthen it.

Now some have asked if this will stop pharmacies from offering discounts on top of the price cut, and the simple answer is no. Discounting will remain. Pharmacies in Moonee Ponds and on Keilor Road and Military Road will all keep supporting locals with affordable medicines while being a part of this bigger solution. Lauren, a local pharmacist in Flemington, welcomed me into her store and proudly showed me how she and her team are part of the solution. She spoke with passion and genuine care for her community, highlighting the specialist services like compounding medicines and delivering vaccination programs in aged-care homes. Lauren told me how excited she is about this legislation and how it will benefit the people of Flemington in her community and build on the other reforms like the 60-day prescriptions and the freezing of the co-payment. What struck me most is how she has transformed a tiny shopfront into a community focused pharmacy—one that deeply cares for the people it serves and is driven by genuine desire to improve their health in practical, everyday ways. Lauren, like so many healthcare professionals, is the backbone of Medicare, and we must work with Lauren and all healthcare professionals to keep strengthening it. That's what partnership looks like. That's what practical reform looks like. ,

The principle guiding this government is clear: no Australian held back, no Australian left behind. Yet, for too many, health care has been a source of great stress. Too many people have skipped a script to cover rent. Too many parents have delayed refilling a prescription so they can buy school uniforms. Too many Australians have ignored chronic conditions because the costs were just too high. That's not Medicare. That's not who we are. That is the Americanisation of health care. That is a legacy of those opposite.

By lowering medicine costs, we're not just helping people make ends meet. We're keeping people healthier. We're keeping people out of hospital. We are helping people stay in the workforce, support their families and live longer, better lives. Cheaper medicines aren't just good for the household budget. They're good for our health system. They're good for our economy. They're good for Australia.

This is bigger than just medicines. This is about Medicare, which is a Labor creation. That green-and-gold promise, that universal shield, means that, no matter your income, no matter your postcode or background, you can see a doctor and get the treatment you need to live a healthier and happier life. Medicare is part of our identity. It's part of our story, and this government will never stop protecting it, strengthening it and renewing it, because that's what good governments do. They listen and they deliver.

Today this parliament takes another step forward—a step that helps Jess in Airport West refill her medication without fear, a step that helps Fatima in Ascot Vale manage her prescriptions and pay her next utility bill, a step that helps Lauren in Flemington continue to deliver affordable medicines to her proud local community.

This is Labor delivering for all Australians. This is Medicare protected and strengthened. This is the power of government working for everyday people. I commend the bill.

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