Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 because it's a bill about access to health care and the medicines that people need to go about their lives. During the recent campaign, I had an opportunity to doorknock and speak to a number of people across my electorate of McPherson, which is the southern Gold Coast. During that time, I had some quite difficult and challenging conversations with a number of individuals who found themselves, despite being on medications listed on the PBS, in situations where they had to choose whether or not they would purchase those medications. They had to do that for a very concerning reason: Australia's cost-of-living crisis. We've had a number of people unsure about whether they can actually afford access to medications and they've had to prioritise their electricity bills, groceries and other things to keep them going.

It's no surprise that the coalition will support the government on this bill because it's one that will reduce the cost of medicines to Australians, including those in my electorate of McPherson. However, I might speak to what the bill is doing. We've had a situation where medicine in Australia—I've always believed that it's fundamentally about providing that equality of opportunity. In many instances, people are disadvantaged because of their circumstances, because of their genetics, because of matters that are no fault of their own. This is about bringing them up to scratch with everybody else and giving them that access to medication.

The coalition took this policy to the last election as well. We are very proud of our strong track record on the PBS. When we were in government, we made around 2,900 new or amended listings to the PBS. That provided Australians with more affordable access and came to an overall investment of around $16.5 billion. So our commitment to making sure that Australians have access to the medicines they need remains rock solid. The coalition has, for a long time, held the view that all medicines on the PBS that have been recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee should be listed. That's in stark contrast to Labor, who stopped listing new medicines on the PBS the last time they were in government because they ran out of money.

The point I make here is that we're only able to do these things and reduce the cost for people who need these medicines when we have strong economic management. As a country, if we don't consider how we're going to manage our economy, the long-term ability for not only this government but also future governments to provide for Australians, whether it be in health care or not, will seriously be jeopardised. And we've seen this in the past, in 2011, when the Gillard Labor government stopped listing new medicines on the PBS because, by their own admission, they'd run out of money.

I understand as well that late last year almost 50 medicines were deferred from consideration for listing on the PBS, under the watch of this Albanese Labor government. What has that done? The consequences of that for people in my electorate and across Australia are that it has delayed their ability to access their medications, and sometimes the consequences of that are beyond comprehension. The reason that that occurred is because the relevant funding was not provided to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee through the PBS. So, whenever we talk about health care and about providing assistance to Australians by increasing their ability to access medications, first and foremost we need to talk about the economic capability of the government to do that.

A previous speaker spoke about the Labor government's record on women's health. We have seen some concerning delays in the listing of new medicines on the PBS under this current government, and that includes in the space of women's health. I understand that, before the election, the government announced the listing of an important medicine for endometriosis, and I've spoken to so many women—in particular, some young women in my electorate—who are really struggling with endometriosis. The relevant medication, Ryeqo, was listed on the PBS by the government, and that's great news. It's great news for women who suffer from this chronic condition in Australia and in my electorate of McPherson as well. But that medication had been recommended for listing on the PBS for more than a year before the announcement was actually made, and that level of delay is problematic for the people who depend on this to ameliorate their quality of life.

So, when those opposite speak about their credentials on women's health, I am somewhat concerned that we are also seeing these delays from this government that claims to be well-credentialled in that space. That's just not good enough, because we all know that Australian women must have affordable access to the medications and treatments that they need—especially now, as they face quite high healthcare costs.

On the health technology assessment review, which was commissioned by the former coalition government, we haven't really seen any movement either. The release of the review was delayed, and it's one of so many different reviews—in fact, 70 reviews, highlighted in the department of health's incoming brief—that were conducted in Labor's first term. I think that people on the ground in my seat and around the country are somewhat over reviews. We need to see action now, and that's important if we are going to provide that equality of opportunity as to health care that I spoke about earlier.

We, as the coalition opposition, support this bill, but we do so while highlighting the problems and the delays that this government has caused to listing medicines on the PBS—in particular for women, but also for everybody else. I go back to the point that it is absolutely critical that we, here in this place, understand that our ability to continue to act for the benefit of Australians, in listing more medicines on the PBS, rests upon our ability to manage our economy well and to make sure that we are spending in an appropriate fashion.

In closing, I'll say that the commitment of the coalition in this space remains strong. I believe that, in a country such as Australia, we are blessed with incredible opportunities and we are very lucky in terms of not only our geography but also the country that we have created. Health care is something that we as members of parliament should always strive for at the highest standards. We in the coalition will always do that. We will continue in our strong track record in support of the PBS and, in doing so, support the men, women and children across Australia who rely on medications in order to go about their lives and live lives as Australians that are happy and able to contribute to Australia.

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