Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. How will the Albanese Labor government plan to make medicines cheaper improve the lives of millions of Australians?

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

I thank my electoral neighbour, the member for Boothby, for her question, because the PBS is one of Labor's proudest legacies, along with Medicare, one of the twin pillars of Australia's universal health care—hard fought for at the time, fought and contested tooth and nail by the Liberal Party, but now a deeply entrenched part of Australia's social fabric. And in just the first 100 days of this government we have already approved 23 new or amended listings on the PBS.

Last week Zejula was listed, for the first time, for the treatment of ovarian cancer. We all know too well in this place that ovarian cancer survival rates, tragically, remain stubbornly low, at only about 50 per cent over five years, and this listing will provide new hope to about 300 patients every year. Each course of treatment of Zejula costs a whopping $130,000, but the good news is that this PBS listing will bring that price down to just $42.50.

The even better news is that from January next year that cost will come down, even further, to just $30. A course of Zejula involves 20 prescriptions, so that saving will amount to $250 for each of those 300 Australian women. Those 300 women dealing with the enormous challenge of ovarian cancer will be among the 3.6 million Australians who benefit from the biggest cut to the price of medicines in this country's history. At a time of huge pressure on household budgets, this will be a huge relief.

Single mum Carrie yesterday sent me a picture of the two medications that she's supposed to take every single day. She wrote, 'Here are two things I take that are over $42, and because of the cost I don't take them every day as I should. Are they actually reducing to that much? That would be amazing.' Almost a million other Australians defer taking medicines prescribed by their doctor because of cost, just like Carrie. Under our plan, that will change.

For households with multiple scripts, the savings are going to run to hundreds and hundreds of dollars every year. Jeannie wrote to me. She said, 'Thanks, Albo.' That's how this government runs. We get written to and people thank the Prime Minister, as is completely appropriate. She said, 'My family spends a few hundred dollars on scripts, and this will definitely make a huge difference. And Andrea wrote, 'Brilliant news. Hubby has four scripts a month for his heart condition and this will help our budget enormously.'

Our plan for cheaper medicines provides millions of Australians with vital cost-of-living relief and helps ensure that they're not going to go without medicines they need for their good health.