Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

) ( ): My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to make medicines cheaper for millions of Australians?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Spence for his question—a terrific new advocate, for the northern suburbs of the great city of Adelaide, arguing for better health care, making it easier to see a doctor, and cheaper medicines, which increasingly have become unaffordable in this country.

This morning, as the Prime Minister has said, we introduced legislation to implement one of our key election commitments: to slash the price of medicines for millions of Australians and improve their health at the same time. For the first time in the 75-year history of the PBS, the price of medicines will actually fall by almost one-third for general patients. From 1 January the maximum cost for PBS medicines will fall from $42.50 a script down to just $30, delivering savings immediately to more than 3½ million Australians. For a patient filling two scripts a month, that's a saving of $300 a year; for a family with three or four scripts a month, a saving of maybe $450 or even $600 a year.

As the Prime Minister said, this morning we met Greg—a terrific fellow who told us about his family experiences at the Capital Chemist down the hill in Kingston, a terrific pharmacy run by Sandra, where, I must say, the Prime Minister and I were able to stock up on some of the vitamins and supplements that middle-aged men like us need to get going every day. Greg told us—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition's pretending he doesn't need them! He just gets by on good charm.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will take a break. The Leader of the Opposition.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just wanted to give our support to hear more detail of what the minister's speaking about, what colour those tablets are, the frequency with which he needs to take them. We're happy to hear the detail.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You may resume your seat. I will ask the minister to return to the question.

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm happy to have a private meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Speaker. Seriously, Greg told us about the cost to his household budget of buying the medicines that literally keep his son alive, and of the relief that this measure will provide to his household budget that experiences the cost-of-living pressure that Australian households right across the country are experiencing right now.

This is not just an important cost-of-living measure. It's also good for public health, because the ABS tells us that every year almost a million Australians go without a script, that their doctor has said is important for their health, because they simply can't afford it. Pharmacists tell us of patients coming to them asking for advice about which scripts they really need to fill and which they can go without. These are terrible choices that no Australian should have to make. If this bill passes, delivering the biggest cut to the price of medicines in Australia's history, then we can help ensure that no Australian has to go without the medicines that they need.