Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

It's $631. You were close, and that's without health insurance. In Australia, this medication on the PBS will only cost Alex $25. You know where this is going. For pensioners like Alex, it costs even less. Guess what. It's not actually $25 for Alex. We got it wrong! Alex, because he is a pensioner, he will have his medication frozen at only $7.70 until 2030. That's much better than $631, isn't it?

Lucky for Alex, he doesn't need to afford health insurance to pay for his medicines, because in this country, in Australia, Medicare is for all. It is for all Australians. This is why the Australian people are so passionately committed to Medicare. It is something that is iconic. Those on the opposition benches just love criticising the PM when he pulls out his Medicare card and so on. But guess what. The Australian people know the importance of that card. When they see that card, they understand what it means for them, their families and their health care. This is why it's so important and we're so committed to it.

We will continue to make sure affordable medicines are available for those who need them most. This is why the Labor Party is the party for all Australians. There is real, tangible relief for every Australian who is deciding what scripts they can refill this week. This relief comes through these reductions. We will continue to ensure that no-one has to decide between their health or putting food on the table. Frankly, that should not be a choice that Lucinda, Alex or any Australian should have to make. While the opposition talk a lot, on this side of the House, we, the government, deliver. This is what this second term is about: delivering on our election commitments to the Australian people on the things that matter to them and will give them a better life. This is one of those commitments that we are meeting. We are making medicines more affordable for every Australian.

We haven't just cut the cost of PBS scripts to $25; that's just one great thing. This amendment is just another piece in the bigger part of our commitment to delivering cost-of-living relief through cheaper medicines. As a government, we have already provided a 25 per cent cut to the number of scripts a concession patient must fill before the PBS safety net kicks in. We've already established 60-day prescriptions, saving time and money for millions of Australians, and, for the first time in 25 years, we've frozen the cost of PBS medicines, ensuring co-payments will not rise with inflation. Thanks to the Albanese Labor government, the cheaper medicines policy in my own electorate of Wills—and I'm sure this is probably replicated in the electorate of Lyons and all of the other electorates represented in the chamber—has already saved over $9 million for the people in my community. That's what Labor does. That's what we do. That's what we're here for. It's to deliver on our promises to make sure health care is a right for all and not just a privilege for some. We're always going to fight for a fairer, healthier Australia. This bill is a practical, compassionate and economically responsible bill. I commend it to the House.

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