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

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

First of all, I thank all members of the House, and members of the other place as well, for their contribution to this debate. I indicate to the House that the amendments that have come back from the other place are technical amendments in relation to the operation of section 100 of the act, which were supported unanimously by all members of the other place.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Health Amendment (General Co-Payment) Bill 2022 amends the National Health Act 1953 to reduce the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, PBS, general co-payment by $12.50, saving patients on out-of-pocket costs. We support the legislation, as the minister has just indicated, to reduce the cost of medicines, noting that it is the result of a copycat election promise made by Labor, following the coalition's commitment to ensuring Australians could save hundreds of dollars every year on the cost of essential and life-saving medicines.

Last night in the Senate, we supported Senator Pocock's amendment, as it seeks to make section 100 decisions under the act a legislative instrument consistent with other instruments. The coalition has a strong record of delivering affordable, life-saving medicines for all Australians, and we encourage the Albanese government to continue our policy of listing on the PBS all medicines that are recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

Although the opposition supports reducing the cost of medicines to provide relief directly to the hip pockets of Australians, it is important to note that this is one of the very few cost-of-living relief measures the Albanese government has announced so far, and it doesn't take effect until 2023. We hope the Albanese government does not consider that their job is done on supporting Australian families with the rising cost of living. We will hold the government to account to ensure that they do not repeat the disaster of their poor economic management in 2011, when they had to stop listing new medicines on the PBS because they couldn't manage money. We support this bill as passed in the Senate.

Question agreed to.