Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 16 March, was Thank Your Pharmacist Day, so I went to my local pharmacist and delivered Ferrero Rocher chocolates. My local pharmacist has been a really important part of my family. There are times of need when you just need a specific thing. That rang true to me, particularly during the pandemic. I remember going to the pharmacy and seeing lines and lines of people lining up there. There was a sense of fear, but the staff were so calm. They treated everyone with respect and worked methodically through all the people that were in the room. I think it's really important that we remember the role that they play in our society and in our families.

The Labor Party fundamentally stands with pharmacists. We saw this with the reduction of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the reduction of the co-payment from $42.50 to $30. I remember standing in this place and seeing Assistant Minister Emma McBride talk about her experiences as a pharmacist and needing to speak with clients and say, 'Okay, you need to choose between this medicine or another medicine.' I can't imagine how challenging that would be, but, with this life-changing policy, Australian Labor is helping families, particularly during this cost-of-living crisis. Go pharmacists!