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

In summing up, I table a replacement explanatory memorandum relating to the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. The Albanese government is committed to strengthening Medicare and delivering cheaper medicines. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the PBS, provides timely, reliable and affordable access to necessary medicines for all Australians. The Albanese government is supporting all Australians with cost-of-living relief, and this bill is just one of the many ways we're providing more affordable medicines to Australians, with savings to general patients of over $200 million per year.

The speeches we have heard in the debate on this bill in this place remind us why cheaper medicines are so important. The member for Bass, for example, spoke of pharmacists in her electorate who had shared stories with her of parents standing at their counter, weighing up which prescription they could afford to take home and which one they would have to leave behind. No parent in Australia, as the member for Bass reminded us, should ever have to make that choice, and, with this bill, fewer families will.

The member for Griffith spoke of a constituent in her electorate who was cutting her antidepressant tablets in half just to make them last longer. This woman was juggling medicines for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health, and she just simply couldn't afford them all. The new member for Barton spoke of a young mother from Hurstville, in her electorate, who skips her own medication so she can afford antibiotics when her child gets sick and of the pensioner from Beverly Hills who told her she would space out her medication by only taking it every second day instead of daily, just to manage her expenses. By reducing the co-payment for general patients, we'll ensure the maximum amount a general patient will pay for a PBS medicine will be just $25 per script plus any applicable premiums—the same rate that it was way back in 2004.

This bill reminds us that we rely on the PBS to ensure that all Australians have continued access to high-quality health care at affordable prices, which is even more crucial in a time when the cost of living continues to be a major concern for Australian households. The reduction to $25 provides immediate cost-of-living relief to patients without a concession card while also ensuring that the PBS remains a sustainable investment for government. This level of investment was selected to ensure it does not come at the expense of other government priorities, such as continued listings of new medicines on the PBS; investment in other essential health services, including bulk-billing; and a competitive and sustainable pharmacy market. The general patient co-payment will continue to be indexed on 1 January each year, in line with existing indexation arrangements. Indexing from January 2027 will be calculated off the new general co-payment amount of $25, thereby saving patients out-of-pocket expenses right into the future.

Making medicines cheaper is not just good for the hip pocket, although it obviously is—it's also good for your health. This bill delivers on a significant commitment made prior to the last election. It builds on earlier actions undertaken by the Albanese government to deliver cheaper medicines, and it helps strengthen Medicare and improve the health of all Australians. I sincerely thank all members for their contributions to the debate on this bill, and I again commend it to the House.

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

The question is that the amendment be agreed to.