Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Werriwa and all of the other members for their contributions to this important piece of legislation.

The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill amends the National Health Act 1953 to authorise designated registered nurses as prescribers under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS. These nurses will be able to prescribe specific medicines that qualify for Commonwealth subsidy under the PBS. This bill advances scope-of-practice reforms identified by the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce review, as well as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.

Since 2017, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and chief nursing and midwifery officers have conducted extensive research and consultation on nurse prescribing models. The NMBA, the board, developed these standards for designated registered nurse prescribers through multiple rounds of public consultation, which received strong and broad support. All health ministers endorsed the scheduled medicines standard, which came into effect in September 2025, with the first cohort of nurses expected to complete their education and receive endorsement by July this year.

By enabling designated registered nurse prescribing under the PBS, the bill supports safe, timely and affordable access to medicines. Registered nurses can already prescribe. This bill enables them to prescribe under the PBS, improving affordability for consumers. It enables registered nurses to better meet community health needs and strengthens the health system by addressing workforce shortages and building long-term capacity and sustainability. As with other prescribers, the list of medicines that will be able to be prescribed under the PBS by a designated registered nurse prescriber will now be considered, if this bill passes, by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

This reform aligns with the objectives of the National Medicines Policy, promoting equitable, affordable and timely access to high-quality medicines and related services. It also supports the government's commitment to deliver cheaper medicines to the Australian community. The bill also amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to ensure that nurse prescribing under the PBS is also subject to the Professional Services Review Scheme. This peer review mechanism safeguards the integrity of the PBS and other Commonwealth programs.

Designated registered nurse prescribers must maintain an active prescribing agreement with an authorised health practitioner, like a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner, ensuring appropriate oversight and collaboration in care delivery. This legislation supports the government's commitment to enabling Australia's health workforce to operate at full scope of practice. It delivers better access to cheaper medicines under the PBS.

I thank the member for Mackellar and the member for Mallee for their proposed amendments to the bill. The government will not be supporting these amendments. The bill has already undergone extensive consultation, as I said, going back to 2017. I also thank the member for Mackellar for her contribution, particularly on maintaining patient safety, which this government is committed to. That's why, only in the past week, I announced steps to deliver a national medicines record, ensuring that patients and their care teams can have accurate and up-to-date medicines information. A consultation process on the design of that medicines record will commence very soon, and, obviously, we'll take account of the change to nurse prescribing under the PBS, if this bill passes. I thank all members for their contributions to the debate on this important bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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