Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Across the 47th parliament and, now, the 48th parliament, this government has been bringing back to life our health system after a decade of neglect, investing in Medicare urgent care clinics, like the one in Dunkley, and in bulk-billing, capping the costs of PBS medicines and a range of other initiatives like prac placement support for midwives and nurses. Today, I support another initiative—the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. It's another additional step to ensuring we improve and provide holistic and efficient access to health care in this country. This bill is a practical, sensible and forward-looking reform, one that puts patients first, strengthens Medicare and recognises the vital role nurses play in delivering high-quality care across the country. At its heart, the legislation is about access—access to care, access to medicines and access to a health system that works for people when and where they need it.

This bill amends two key pieces of Commonwealth legislation—the National Health Act of 1953 and the Health Insurance Act of 1973—to allow suitably qualified and endorsed registered nurses to become authorised prescribers under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and to ensure their prescribing services are appropriately overseen under the Professional Services Review Scheme. These are measured and necessary changes, and they are long overdue. Australians know that our healthcare system is under pressure. Demand is increasing, the population is ageing and too many people, particularly in primary care, aged care and fast-growing outer metropolitan and regional communities like Dunkley, are struggling to access timely treatment and affordable medicines.

The Albanese Labor government was re-elected with a clear mandate to act, and at the 2025 election we committed to prioritising scope-of-practice reforms for nurses and midwives so health professionals can work to their full potential and patients can get the care they need without unnecessary delay. This bill is a direct delivery on that commitment. It recognises what nurses have long demonstrated in practice—that with the right education, endorsement and safeguards registered nurses can safely, effectively and appropriately prescribe certain medicines as part of a collaborative healthcare team.

Importantly, this legislation does not lower standards. It does not cut corners, and it does not compromise patient safety and care. Instead, it builds on rigorous national regulation and professional oversight. In December 2024, Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers approved a new registration standard under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009: the Endorsement for scheduled medicines—designated registered nurse prescriber. This nationally consistent standard ensures that only suitably qualified registered nurses who have completed approved education and met strict professional requirements can become designated registered nurse prescribers. The first cohort of these nurses is expected to complete their education, receive endorsement and begin prescribing medicines from July this year.

This bill ensures that the Commonwealth legislative framework is ready to support that transition. Without these amendments, prescriptions written by designated registered nurse prescribers could not be subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. That would create unnecessary barriers for patients and undermine the very purpose of the reform. By amending the National Health Act 1953, this bill allows registered nurses who are endorsed against the new registration standard to be recognised as authorised prescribers for certain PBS medicines, ensuring patients can access affordable, subsidised treatments in a timely manner. And, by amending the Health Insurance Act 1973, this bill appropriately includes registered nurses within the Professional Services Review Scheme, providing the same accountability and oversight that already applies to other healthcare professionals who prescribe under Medicare. This is good governance, it is responsible reform and it ensures public confidence in the system.

Designated registered nurse prescribers align squarely with the intent of Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce Review. That landmark review made it clear that Australia must better utilise the skills and expertise of its health workforce if we are to meet current and future demand. It called for reforms that enable health professionals to work to their full scope of practice, reduce duplication and improve access for patients. This bill does exactly that. It enables safe, timely and effective prescribing by registered nurses, particularly in settings where access to medical practitioners can be limited, such as regional settings, primary care clinics, aged-care services and community health settings. For patients, this can mean fewer delays, fewer appointments and more streamlined care. It can mean getting a prescription at the point of care rather than waiting days or weeks for another consultation—helping people to get better sooner. It can mean better continuity of care, especially for people with chronic conditions who are already receiving ongoing support from nursing professionals they know and trust.

This reform is not about replacing doctors. It's about complementing and strengthening a multidisciplinary approach to care at a time when there are workforce shortages. It's about making the best use of all health professionals—working together, each within their competence and scope—to deliver better outcomes for patients.

It is also important to note that this reform is being progressed in partnership with states and territories. Health ministers across jurisdictions have already approved the national registration standard, and states and territories are now amending their own legislation to enable designated registered nurse prescribing within their health systems. This cooperative approach reflects the seriousness of the reform and the shared commitment across governments to modernise our health workforce.

The Albanese Labor government understands that a strong Medicare system depends on a strong workforce. That is why we are backing nurses not just with words but with real reforms that recognise their skills, expand their opportunities and support them to deliver quality care. This bill is another way we are delivering on our commitment to strengthen Medicare and improve access to affordable health care for all Australians.

For the community of Dunkley, the benefits of this reform are very real and very local. Dunkley is a growing and diverse community with increasing demand for health services across primary care, aged care and community health. Too many people in the community know what it's like to wait for too long for an appointment, travel further than they should or delay treatment because local services are stretched. By enabling designated nurse practitioner prescribers to work to their full scope of practice, this bill will help ease pressure on local health services and doctors and improve access to timely care right here in Dunkley. It means nurses already providing care in general practice, community clinics and aged-care facilities can help patients access the medicines they need more quickly and more efficiently.

This reform builds on the Albanese Labor government's broader health package—our comprehensive plan to strengthen Medicare, invest in our health workforce and deliver better access to care for communities like mine. It sits alongside our record investments in Medicare, primary care and hospitals, and alongside our commitment to modernise the way health care is delivered to meet the growing needs of the population.

The broader healthcare package includes the opening of the new Peninsula University Hospital, a transformational investment in health care for the Dunkley community and the broader Melbourne south-east. This world-class facility will expand capacity, improve emergency and specialist care, and support a growing workforce of skilled healthcare professionals. Ensuring nurses at Peninsula University Hospital and across the Dunkley community are supported by contemporary scope-of-practice reforms is essential to making the investment deliver to its full potential. Modern infrastructure must be matched with modern workforce settings.

This bill helps ensure our local health infrastructure, workforce and policy settings work together so the people of Dunkley get the accessible, high-quality health care they deserve. More broadly, this legislation ensures that, when designated nurse prescribers begin practising from July 2026, the Commonwealth framework will be ready to support them and, more importantly, to support their patients. Australians should be able to get the medicines they need when they need them without unnecessary hurdles or extra costs. They should be able to rely on a health system that is modern, flexible and responsive to their needs, and they should know that their government is willing to reform outdated systems to deliver better outcomes for the population. This bill does exactly that. It is sensible, it is evidence based and it is focused squarely on patients. I commend the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 to the House and urge all members to support this important step in strengthening our health system for all Australians.

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