Zhi Soon (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Back in 2022, before this government was elected, people in my community and many others were struggling to afford to pay for their medications. Back then, a PBS prescription cost $42.50. For a script that was filled monthly, that was many hundreds of dollars a year annually. But since then, this government, this Albanese Labor government, has acted to address it with two cuts to the cost of PBS prescriptions. Australians are paying only $25 per script. That same monthly refill is now $200 cheaper over the course of the year. Importantly, the freeze for pensioners and concession card holders at just $7.70 has been extended to the year 2030. Additionally, the government has listed hundreds of medicines on the PBS over the last 3½ years, including treatments for prostate, breast and lung cancers, bringing medical breakthroughs within the financial reach of Australian patients. This is an agenda for the PBS that is working, and Australians are seeing the benefits to the tune of $1.7 billion saved nationwide, including $7.8 million in my own electorate of Banks.

While Labor created the PBS, our agenda for Australia's health goes beyond access to medications. We are also investing in the nation's other great healthcare program: Medicare. During the last term of parliament, the government tripled the bulk-billing incentive for those in our communities who need access to a GP the most and saw the results of this. Now the government has delivered on its commitment to make the largest investment in Medicare since it was created and extended the bulk-billing incentive to every Australian for the first time to make sure that 90 per cent of GP visits are bulk-billed by the year 2030. In my electorate alone, 18 GP clinics indicated that they were shifting over to becoming fully bulk-billing clinics, bulk-billing every single patient.

With the launch of 1800MEDICARE, Australians have access to a 24/7 telehealth service when they need help after hours. When Australians need help that requires a little bit more than a standard GP consultation can provide—urgent but not life-threatening—they can turn to the government's network of fully bulk-billed Medicare urgent care clinics, including the clinics at Bankstown and Carlton that service the people of my electorate. At every turn those opposite have tried to talk down these clinics, unfortunately, but the results speak for themselves. In October last year we saw the two millionth visit to an urgent care clinic. Given that a majority of visits have either been on weekends or after 5 pm on a weekday, when GP clinics are typically closed, this is literally hundreds of thousands of patients who would otherwise have ended up in a hospital emergency department or, worse, not getting any care at all. They're getting the support and care they need in a more appropriate setting and taking the pressure off our hospitals.

While urgent care clinics are taking the pressure off our hospitals, we still need to make sure we are providing the comprehensive investment in our hospitals and healthcare system that Australians need. At the election we promised to put back every dollar those opposite ripped out of our healthcare system when they were in government, and last year the government delivered $1.8 billion in funding for hospitals, including $407 million for hospitals in my home state of New South Wales. Last Friday we saw the next step in this investment, with a historic deal to contribute record funding to public hospitals through another $25 billion across every state and territory in our great country. This investment in our public hospitals will improve care, cut waiting times and tackle ambulance ramping. It is a demonstration of what is possible when the government of the day is serious about health care.

To make sure that those hospitals and the rest of our healthcare system have the staff they need to provide the high-quality care that every single Australian deserves, we are investing in our healthcare workforce as well, with an extra 17,000 doctors entering the system in the last two years. This is the biggest growth out of any time in the past decade.

Finally, this government recognises that for too long many people in our community have not had their health needs taken seriously, principally among them Australian women. This Labor government is changing that with half a billion dollars of investment. We've opened 22 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and are in the process of opening 11 more across the country. We're making longer GP consultations possible for women experiencing menopause, and we're making both short-term and long-term contraceptives more affordable and accessible, making sure we're supporting women's health care at every single stage.

In closing, this government took an ambitious agenda to the Australian people in May last year, and we are delivering on those promises that we made, be it investing in bulk-billing or cutting the cost of PBS medications—not for the first time, but the second—or making changes in the legislation before this House to improve access to medication and to utilise the skills of our healthcare workforce. It is only this side of the House, this Albanese Labor government, who will continue to be busy fighting for the Australian people, including in my great electorate of Banks.

Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill. This reform reflects our government's ongoing commitment to maintaining and strengthening the services that millions of Australians rely on each and every day.

In my electorate, interactions with our healthcare system is a lived experience for many. It is something many people live with and seek access to every single day. It determines whether people can get to work, whether children can stay focused at school, whether students can attend their lectures and complete their studies, and whether older Australians can age with dignity, security and continuity of care. The belief that health care should be universal, accessible, affordable and of high quality is a core principle for members on this side of the House. That is why we made a clear commitment to prioritising a range of practical reforms that enable health professionals to deliver timely, accessible and effective care, and this bill does exactly that.

This legislation amends the National Health Act to let appropriately trained and endorsed registered nurses to prescribe certain medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, ensuring that those medicines attract Commonwealth subsidy and remain affordable for patients. This is a critical follow-up to the reforms introduced in December 2024, which established a new registration standard to enable qualified nurses to become designated registered nurse prescribers of medicines.

Right across my electorate people tell me a familiar story. They are working hard. They are raising families. They are caring for ageing parents and relatives. For them, accessible health care plays an essential role in their day-to-day lives. We do not believe rising costs and a system perpetually under strain are inevitable. We believe they can be changed, reformed and strengthened. That is why it is so important to break down barriers that prevent families from accessing the health care they need. That's why, in allowing designated registered nurse prescribers to prescribe PBS subsidised medicines, we make better use of the skilled workforce already serving in our communities. We reduce unnecessary delays and we expand the access so people can get the treatment they need when they need it and at a price they can afford. This reform does not lower standards, it does not replace doctors and it does not compromise patient safety. It is carefully designed, nationally regulated and built on years of consultation and evidence.

Since 2017, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, working alongside the Australian Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, has undertaken extensive research and consultation on how registered nurses can safely and effectively contribute to improved health outcomes by working to their full scope of practice. That process has been deliberate and it has been sustained. It has involved regulators, clinicians, educators, medical organisations, primary care stakeholders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health representatives. That matters, because health reform works best when it is done with the workforce not at the workforce. The national registration standard that underpins this bill reflects that approach. It is evidence based, nationally consistent and designed with patient safety as its priority.

When people ask whether this reform has been properly considered, the answer is clear: it has been years in the making. It is also important to note that consultation is not a process for its own sake. It's about confidence, it's about uptake and it's about adoption. Even the most carefully designed reform will fail if the workforce does not trust it, if employers do not understand it or if patients are unsure about it. Through consultation led by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia since 2017, designated nurse prescribing has been shaped into a model that clinicians understand, employers can support and patients can trust. The registration standard clearly sets out education requirements, clinical governance arrangements and partnership models. That clarity gives nurses confidence to step into these roles safely. It gives employers confidence to implement them responsibly, and it gives patients confidence that the care they receive is properly regulated and accountable. Many Australians rely on nurses as their most regular point of contact with the health system. When reforms are clearly explained, nationally consistent and professionally endorsed, people are far more likely to engage with the healthcare system early rather than delay treatment.

The Albanese Labor government's commitment to breaking down barriers to accessing health care neither starts nor ends here. Since coming into government, we have taken decisive action to strengthen our health system and expand access to care for all Australians. This bill builds on another major reform that came into effect that started this year: cheaper medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. From 1 January, the Albanese Labor government capped the cost of PBS medicines at $25, the lowest price since 2004. We've also continued to cap the cost of PBS medicines for pensioners and concession card holders at $7.70. This is policy designed to improve access to health care while also taking real action on the cost of living. It reduces barriers for families across the country when it comes to accessing prescription medicines. This is good health policy and good economic policy, because we know that, when people delay taking their medication, it leads to poorer health outcomes and an increase in the dependency patients have on our health system across the board and into the future.

Our government has not only made medicines cheaper. We have also made it easier and more affordable to access in-person primary care. Since coming to government, the Albanese Labor government has rolled out Medicare urgent care clinics right across Australia. These clinics are playing a vital role in providing timely access to care while relieving pressure on our emergency hospital departments. This model of primary care helps free up emergency departments and general practices across the country, reducing wait times, and gives patients and their families more options when they need it. We have also expanded Medicare with 24/7 over-the-phone medical support at no out-of-pocket cost, 100 per cent bulk-billed, through 1800MEDICARE. On this side of the House, we understand that health care is accessed in different ways and at different times. Our policies reflect that reality and ensure care is accessible when Australians need it.

I'm proud of these reforms, and the truth is that none of them would be possible without our record investment in Medicare. Medicare is the foundation of Australia's health system. It's not just a green card. It is access to world-class, reliable, affordable and dignified care. Labor understands the value of Medicare today just as we did 42 years ago, when Medicare was launched in 1984 by the Hawke Labor government. It was Labor that rebuilt our universal health system after attacks on Medibank, another Labor reform introduced by the Whitlam Labor government. Labor made Medicare, and it is Labor that will always fight to protect and strengthen it. Once again, it has fallen to a Labor government to repair Medicare after a decade of neglect by those opposite, a decade in which Liberals viewed health care through the lens of ideology and profit. It seems that culture of neglect has not left them even in opposition, as they remain consumed by internal squabbles, internal division and an inward-looking focus on themselves rather than a vision for Australia defined by opportunity and possibility.

When I was first elected, fewer than 40 per cent of general practices in my electorate bulk-billed. Today, that figure stands at 90 per cent, more than doubling. That is an extraordinary achievement that is only possible under a Labor government and a Labor government delivering on its commitments and true to the values which guide it. I've visited clinics in my community that have taken up our bulk-billing incentives, including the Craigieburn Medical and Dental Centre, which moved to 100 per cent bulk-billing following our reforms. I visited the centre alongside Minister Butler and met the dedicated health professionals delivering primary care and working collaboratively with the Northern Hospital in mitigating risks to patients. What stood out was their commitment to serving our community, particularly our most vulnerable residents, and the importance of governments backing them with real investment.

This past weekend, I was pleased to join the team at the Annadale Family Medical Centre as it reopened after having been out of operation following a tragic fire. It returned to deliver fully bulk-billed medical and allied health care to our community. I give a shout-out to the team there and to the team at Happy Hippo Kindergarten and Childcare in Mickleham. Medical care and child care are essential services families in my community rely on and two things our government is proudly delivering on. That is what real, effective and on-the-ground policy looks like, translated on the ground with organisations in our community doing amazing work in helping local families thrive.

This remarkable turnaround in bulk-billing in my community reflects what is happening across the country. Our government's investment will deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits annually. It will see the number of bulk-billing practices triple to around 4,800 nationally, with nine out of 10 GP visits bulk-billed by 2030. This bill is about making our health system work better for the people who rely on it not in theory but in practice. It recognises that the demand on the health system is real, but it rejects the idea that inaction is the only response. It makes sensible use of the skills already present in our workforce, supports safe and regulated care and removes unnecessary barriers that delay treatment and drive up costs for patients and the system alike. By enabling appropriately trained registered nurses to prescribe PBS subsidised medicines, we improve access, reduce pressure elsewhere in the system, ensure Australians can get the care they need when they need it and expand our healthcare system in sustainable ways. That is good policy. It is responsible reform and it is exactly the kind of practical change our communities expect from their government. This bill builds on a broader agenda: strengthening Medicare, lowering the cost of medicines, expanding bulk-billing and improving access to primary care right across the country. Together, these reforms are about protecting the integrity of our universal healthcare system and ensuring it remains fit for purpose.

Yesterday, I joined nurses in parliament in support of primary healthcare nurses. They reminded us of the value of patients when nurses are trusted to work to their full scope of practice, something this legislation helps deliver. They reminded us that nurses don't choose this profession because of buildings or systems, but because of a deep commitment to care. And they reminded us that, when illness shrinks a person's world and when fear, uncertainty and vulnerability take hold, nurses are there—present, skilled, compassionate, delivering care when it is needed most and in the ways that matter most. That is the magic of this profession, and it is why this parliament must do everything it can to support nurses to do what they do best: care for people with dignity, skill and humanity. Health care should never depend on where you live, how busy the system is or how long you can afford to wait. This legislation moves us closer to a system that is fairer, more efficient and more responsive to the realities Australians face every day. I commend the bill to the House.

Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians expect a health system that is accessible, affordable and built around patients. The Albanese government understands this and has been working to make it a reality since coming to office. We have strengthened Medicare. We have invested in the workforce. We've expanded access to care in the community. And the bill before the house today is the latest step in that work.

I rise to speak in support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. This bill delivers a practical reform to the way our health system operates and to the way Australians access timely care. It amends the National Health Act to allow designated registered nurses to prescribe certain medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. It is a significant reform that goes to the heart of our government's agenda, strengthening Medicare, modernising the workforce and ensuring Australians can receive high-quality care when and where they need it. This legislation builds directly on the work of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce review. Both found that highly trained nurses are too often prevented from working to their full scope of practice by outdated regulatory settings. Allowing trained and endorsed registered nurses to prescribe under the PBS is about using the skills already in our system more effectively. It makes sense. It will reduce unnecessary duplication of appointments. It will ease pressure on general practice and, importantly, emergency departments. It will improve access to care, particularly in regional and outer metropolitan communities like mine.

Importantly, only registered nurses who meet the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia will be eligible for endorsement as designated nurse prescribers. The list of medicines will be assessed by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, ensuring clinical rigour and patient safety remain paramount. The legislation also extends the Professional Services Review Scheme to designated nurse practitioners and prescribers, providing the same peer review oversight that applies to other PBS prescribers and safeguarding the integrity of the system. These safeguards matter. They demonstrate that the government is expanding access and. importantly, maintaining the high standards Australians rightly expect. This is reform done properly.

This bill also sits within the Albanese government's broader effort to rebuild Medicare after a decade of neglect. This government has responded with the largest investment in Medicare in its history. We have tripled the bulk-billing incentive for concession cardholders and children. We've expanded Medicare urgent care clinics to take pressure off hospitals and provide walk in care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. In my electorate, that includes the Torquay Medical Urgent Care Clinic, which is already making a real difference for families across the Surf Coast and the rapidly-growing township of Armstrong Creek. Like the Belmont urgent care clinic in Geelong, the Torquay service is giving people confidence that they can get seven-day-a-week bulk-billed care close to home. They are easing pressure on the Geelong University Hospital emergency department and they're ensuring that local health workers can deliver care in the right setting at the right time.

We have invested in general practice, headspaces, aged care, women's health, mental health support and primary care infrastructure, and we're investing directly in our GP workforce. The Albanese government is investing $14.5 million to deliver an additional 306 new GP training places in 2026 through the Australian General Practice Training Program. This investment will bring the total number of doctors starting GP training to around 2,100, a 14 per cent increase on 2025, something we should be proud of. With the Albanese government's continued investment, more doctors have joined the Australian health system in the last three years than in any time in the past decade. Doctor registrations jumped more than 30 per cent in 2024-25 compared to 2021-22. No health system can function without the people who staff it, and no amount of bricks and mortar can substitute for a well-supported workforce.

The future of primary care is team based. It is multidisciplinary. It recognises that doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals all have an essential role to play, and this bill reflects that reality and builds on it. Designated registered nurse prescribing does not undermine general practitioners. It supports them. It ensures straightforward cases are dealt with efficiently, freeing doctors up to focus on complex and chronic conditions. It strengthens continuity of care and it helps practices operate more sustainably in a tight labour market. In community clinics, aged care and disability services, the ability for trained nurses to prescribe PBS medicines will mean fewer delays and better outcomes for patients, which is what we all want. In community clinics, aged-care and disability services, the ability for trained nurses to prescribe PBS medicines will mean fewer delays and better outcomes for patients which is what we all want. That is good policy.

The benefits of this reform will be felt most strongly in regional and fast-growing communities like the one I represent. In places such as Armstrong Creek, Torquay and across the Bellarine, population growth continues to drive demand for local health services. Residents regularly tell me how much they value being able to access high quality care close to home, particularly after hours or on weekends. Workforce reforms are not an abstract thing for these communities. It's about making local clinics stronger and more accessible. It's about ensuring emergency departments are reserved for the most serious cases, and it's about supporting older residents and people with disability to stay healthy in their own communities.

This bill also complements the government's work to make medicines cheaper and more accessible to Australian families. More than 610,000 Australian women have already saved money since essential women's health medications were listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme last year. New contraceptive pills, the contraceptive vaginal ring, three new hormone therapies for menopause and medicine for endometriosis were among the treatments made available at subsidised PBS prices for the very first time. Women suffering from endometriosis have the greatest individual benefit. More than 6,000 women accessed endometriosis treatments at PBS prices, saving over $4 million in total, more than $668 each on average. That is an important cost-of-living measure.

Latest data shows that in the nine months to 30 November, women filled out more than 1.7 million prescriptions for these medicines and saved nearly $62 million. Around 340,000 women obtained menopause hormone therapies through more than 1.25 million scripts saving almost $38.3 million compared to previous prices, and more than 275 women accessed newly listed oral contraceptives, with total savings of almost $19.5 million and more choice. Savings have increased further as our government reduced the maximum out-of-pocket cost for PBS medicines from $31.60 to $25 while keeping the concessional co-payment at $7.70.

These listings are part of the Albanese government's landmark $792.9 million women's health package in the 2025-26 budget. That package also delivered new Medicare benefit scheme items for menopause and perimenopause health assessments, commencing on 1 July 2025. In the first five months alone, more than 61,000 women benefited from these new services. As Minister Butler has said:

All Australian women deserve to have their health issues taken seriously and given the priority they deserve.

What welcome news! Our government is doing exactly that, with a focus on giving women more choice, lower costs and better access to services and treatments. Many women in my electorate are thrilled with these changes. They tell me about it regularly. They can talk about contraception, and they are so pleased with the savings they are making. They told us they were being left thousands of dollars out of pocket for basic contraceptive scripts and could not access support for menopause for endometriosis. So we have acted, and women are now saving hundreds of dollars on the medicines they need.

These results show that record investment in women's health is working, and, from 1 January, all Australians are now saving even more with $25 PBS scripts. These reforms are making a real difference to household budgets and everyday lives. This bill builds on this philosophy. It's about lowering barriers and improving accessibility to health services. It's about making the system work better for patients, and it's about ensuring care is delivered where people live.

This legislation sits alongside the government's broader work to strengthen Australia's health and disability systems. Last week, National Cabinet reached a landmark agreement to deliver record funding for state and territory hospitals and to secure the long-term future of the NDIS. These reforms ensure Australians can rely on world-class public health care and disability supports while keeping those systems sustainable for future generations. The Commonwealth has committed an additional $25 billion for public hospitals—three times more than under the previous five-year agreement. Commonwealth funding will reach $219.6 billion between 2026-27 and 2030-31. That includes $24.4 billion through base funding and more than $600 million in targeted investment.

The Albanese government is backing in Medicare and our public hospitals, and this bill forms part of that wider commitment to strengthen our health system. For communities like mine, that means stronger regional services and better connected care. It means urgent care clinics working alongside hospitals, it means general practices supported by nurses and able to provide greater access for people to get the health support they need, and it means families having confidence in the future of our health and disability systems.

Taken together, this bill and the government's wider agenda reveal a clear and determined focus. We are strengthening Medicare. We are investing in the workforce. We are expanding access to health services in the community, and we're doing so responsibly, safely and with patients at the centre. This is not about grandstanding; it is about fixing everyday problems that are barriers to health and wellbeing, it is about reducing waiting times, it is about improving affordability and it is about securing the system for decades to come.

This bill is sensible and necessary. It empowers highly trained nurses, it improves access to PBS medicines, it relieves pressure across the system and it strengthens Medicare for the future. It reflects this government's commitment to evidence based policy and patient centred care. For these reasons, I commend the bill to the House and urge all members to support its passage.

David Moncrieff (Hughes, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last year this government was re-elected with a clear commitment to strengthen Medicare, expand access to affordable medicines and ensure our health workforce can work to its full scope of practice. The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 is part of that commitment of the Albanese Labor government. It delivers on the government's commitment to ensure our health workforce operates at full scope, enhancing safe and timely access to medicines. It's a win for nurses and a win for all Australians.

At its core, this bill is about supporting and promoting access—access to care, access to medicines and access to a health system that works when people need it, not weeks later and only if they can afford to wait or travel. It recognises the truth that communities across Australia, including my electorate of Hughes, understand too well: as demand for primary health care grows, workforce pressures are becoming more acute and our system needs to make better use of the skilled professionals we already have. It was a truth not recognised by those opposite during their near-decade in office—a period during which the Leader of the Opposition, as health minister, distinguished herself as the only health minister in the history of Medicare never to increase the rebate for Medicare once—a goose egg! The health minister who went out for a duck on Medicare and extended Peter Dutton's Medicare freeze from two years to six years now leads the opposition. That shows Australians that what those opposite value: when you cut access to health in the Liberal Party, you get promoted. We are still cleaning up the mess that those opposite left in health and medication.

This bill represents part of those efforts to restore trust in affordable and accessible health care in Australia. It supplements our commitment to cheaper medicines. Since 1 January, medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme have cost no more than $25, a price they haven't been since 2004. It was action on our commitment to cheaper medicines, and this bill adds to that commitment.

This bill introduces historic reforms that empower nurses to work to their full scope of practice and improve access to medicines for people across Australia. Specifically, the bill amends the National Health Act 1953 to allow registered nurses who are endorsed under the new registration standard for scheduled medicines to become authorised prescribers for certain medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This means prescriptions written by designated registered nurse prescribers can attract a Commonwealth subsidy through the PBS, ensuring medicines remain affordable for patients.

The bill also amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to ensure that prescribing services provided by designated registered nurse prescribers fall within the Professional Services Review Scheme. This ensures oversight, accountability and integrity within the system. These are sensible, measured reforms. They are firmly grounded in years of research, consultation and agreement across government and the health sector.

Since 2017, extensive research and consultation has been undertaken on how registered nurses can safely and effectively contribute to prescribing within their scope of practice. That work culminated in December 2024, when Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers approved a new registration standard, 'endorsement for scheduled medicines—designated registered nurse prescriber', under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009. That standard came into effect in September 2025. It sets out clear, rigorous education and qualification requirements that a registered nurse must meet to obtain and retain an endorsement.

The first cohort of designated registered nurse prescribers is expected to complete their education, receive endorsement and begin prescribing from July 2026. This is a reform that hasn't been rushed. It's not an experiment; it's a carefully designed, nationally agreed framework. Importantly, it has been developed with extensive stakeholder consultation. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia consulted with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Medical Association, palliative care services, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives and the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association.

Medical professionals have expressed support for designated registered nurse prescribing on the basis that it occurs in partnership with an authorised health practitioner under an active prescribing agreement. That partnership model remains central to this reform. Designated registered nurse prescribers will not operate in isolation. They will practice within clearly defined clinical governance arrangements that support patient safety and quality care. Primary care stakeholders expect that designated registered nurse prescribers will be able to prescribe PBS subsidised medicines in primary care, aged care, disability services, mental health settings and in acute hospital environments, particularly to support discharge processes and outpatient management.

For the people of Hughes, this means more timely care in the places they already access. It means community health clinics, aged-care facilities and hospital outpatient services can operate more efficiently. It means fewer unnecessary delays, fewer repeat appointments for administrative reasons and better coordination across the system. Currently, many registered nurses in primary care are highly skilled, highly educated and deeply experienced yet remain underutilised. Allowing them to prescribe certain medicines under the PBS boosts efficiency and allows GPs and nurse practitioners to focus on patients with more complex needs. That is good for patients. It's good for clinicians, and it's good for the sustainability of Medicare.

Designated registered nurse prescribing strengthens the health system by easing workforce pressures and building long-term capacity. It helps ensure the right professional is providing the right care at the right time. This is especially important in areas facing workforce shortages, including outer metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities. The community at the southern tip of Sydney in Hughes is not immune to these pressures. Older Australians managing chronic conditions often need timely access to medicines. Carers and families balancing work and care responsibilities need health services that are responsive and accessible. As a result of a decade of neglect of Medicare, residents face long waits for appointments, particularly bulk-billed services, but bulk-billed services are coming back in Hughes. I've been visiting bulk-billing practices across my electorate that are seeing the value in Labor's investment in bulk-billing for patients and for doctors and healthcare professionals. There's more work to do, but it's work that this government is committed to doing, and this bill is part of that commitment.

Improved access to primary health care reduces avoidable hospital visits and preventable hospitalisations. When people receive timely treatment in the community, it reduces pressure on emergency departments and inpatient services. This bill supports that outcome. It also aligns with the Albanese government's commitment to cheaper medicines and the objectives of the National Medicines Policy. By enabling PBS subsidised prescribing by designated registered nurse prescribers, we ensure that medicines remain affordable and accessible. The list of medicines that designated registered nurse prescribers will be able to prescribe under the PBS will be determined through the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. This ensures decisions are evidence based, clinically appropriate and subject to rigorous assessment.

Affordability matters in health care. For families in Hughes, the cost-of-living pressures are real. Health costs are not abstract. They are felt at the pharmacy counter, at the GP clinic and when people delay health care because they're worried about cost. This government is doing something about it, and we're doing it despite those opposite opposing every cost-of-living measure put forward by this government in the last term. Ensuring PBS subsidies apply to medicines prescribed by designated registered nurse prescribers removes unnecessary financial barriers.

This reform also supports continuity of care. In aged care and disability settings, designated registered nurse prescribers can respond more quickly to changes in a person's condition. In hospital settings, they support timely discharge and follow-up care, reducing the risk of re-admission. In mental health services, they can improve access to treatment and reduce delays that exacerbate distress. These are real, practical benefits that flow directly to patients.

The bill also ensures integrity and safety through appropriate oversight by amending the Health Insurance Act 1973 to include registered nurses under the Professional Services Review Scheme. This bill ensures that prescribing services are subject to peer review and accountability. This protects the integrity of the PBS and maintains public confidence in the system. Targeted consultation has occurred between the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Services Australia, the Professional Services Review and the Department of Veterans' Affairs to ensure alignment and smooth implementation.

States and territories are also doing their part. All jurisdictions are currently amending their drugs and poisons legislation to enable designated registered nurse prescribing by July 2026. This national alignment makes delivery of health care more streamlined right across this continent. It ensures consistency, clarity and safety across Australia.

This bill is not about replacing doctors; it's about supporting the entire health workforce to work together more effectively. It recognises the expertise of nurses and the vital role that they play across every part of the health system. It reflects the reality that modern health care is delivered by multidisciplinary teams, not in silos.

For the people of Hughes, this reform means a stronger, more responsive health system in southern Sydney. It means care that is closer to home, delivered sooner and more affordably. It means nurses who already provide trusted care in our community will be empowered to do more within a safe and regulated framework.

This bill is another example of the Albanese government delivering on its commitments to strengthen Medicare, support the health workforce and put patients first. It's a win for nurses, it's a win for patients and it's a win for the sustainability of our health system. I commend this bill to the House.

Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak in support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. This bill is about making sure Australians can get the medicines they need when they need them without unnecessary barriers standing in their way. It really builds on our government's investment in health care and Medicare over the past few years. Of course, as we've heard from many of the speakers, we did have a decade of neglect under the Liberal and National parties when they were in government. It's taken a long time to build back and invest in Medicare and in health services. This bill today is part of our reforms to make sure that people can access health care when they do require it, particularly those in rural and regional areas. Our reforms have made a huge difference, and I'll go through some of the details later on about that.

This bill proposes amendments to the National Health Act 1953 and the Health Insurance Act 1973 to enable authorised nurse prescribers to prescribe certain medicines under the PBS. Under existing law, prescribing rights are confined largely to medical practitioners, dentists, optometrists, endorsed nurse practitioners and midwives. The reforms in this bill will mean that nurses are empowered to provide this care directly to the community, reducing the need to visit a GP or attend a hospital emergency department. It'll make a huge difference.

The reforms in this bill support the broader health workforce reform agenda of ensuring that health professionals are enabled to work to their full scope of practice. For a health professional, 'scope of practice' means the activities which they are competent and authorised to perform. As identified in the Strengthening Medicare taskforce report and the subsequent Unleashing the potential of our health workforce review, removing barriers and increasing incentives for all professionals to work to their full scope of practice is necessary in delivering better health outcomes. These reforms recognise that, while our registered nurses are highly educated and skilled, their skills have been underutilised in the primary health care system. The reforms also recognise that empowering nurses to work to their full scope of practice will strengthen our healthcare system by removing barriers, easing pressures on the workforce and building long-term capacity and sustainability.

Under state and territory legislation, some nurses are already prescribing medicines, particularly in primary care, community health and regional settings. But, without PBS prescriber status, their patients are forced to pay full price for their medicines. Two patients with the same condition, seeing two different qualified health professionals, should not face different out-of-pocket costs simply because one prescriber is recognised under the PBS and the other one is not. This bill closes that gap by creating a new category of prescriber under the PBS. The bill also contains very important safeguards to ensure that only nurses with appropriate training and professional qualifications are in fact authorised to prescribe.

Improving access to health care has been a key priority of the Albanese Labor government. We know the demands on our health system continue to increase. We have an ageing population and a growing number of people living with complex and chronic conditions. It has been at the heart of so much that our government has done in reforming health care and providing more services. The changes that I refer to today in this bill build on the work that we've done to deliver cheaper medicines, a stronger Medicare and just greater access to health care across the board. In fact, just recently we increased hospital funding. Record funding is another initiative of our government that's making a huge difference.

Of course, in 2022, we reduced the eligibility threshold for the PBS safety net to ensure that even more Australians had access to cheaper medicines and lower out-of-pocket costs. This included a 25 per cent reduction in the number of scripts a concessional patient must fill before the PBS safety net actually kicks in. We further slashed the cost of medicines in 2023, making the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the entire history of the PBS. This was the first time in 75 years that the general patient co-payment was reduced, and it saw the maximum cost of a general script falling about 30 per cent from $42.50 to $30.

We also introduced 60-day prescriptions to enable Australians with chronic or ongoing health conditions to get twice the medication on a single prescription. This means a reduction in the amount that people pay for medicines, fewer trips to the doctor and fewer trips to the pharmacist as well. And we froze the cost of PBS medicines for pension and concession card holders so that prices will stay at a maximum of $7.70 until the end of the decade. For areas like mine—we are very fortunate to have a high proportion of seniors in northern New South Wales—it makes a huge difference to have the certainty that it is $7.70 they will be paying. So many locals have told me the difference that makes to them and to their health care. Starting from 1 January this year, we delivered even cheaper medicines for all Australians by reducing the PBS general patient co-payments from $31.60 to $25. It's so low.

In my electorate of Richmond on the north coast of New South Wales, I'm very proud to have delivered on my 2025 election commitment, which was that a re-elected Albanese Labor government would deliver a Medicare urgent care clinic in the Tweed region. When I was campaigning, people were very keen to have this in place, knowing how well the urgent care clinics provide support and the difference that makes. When we talk about the urgent care clinics, we say that all you need is your Medicare card, not your credit card. That's the reality—just walk in there with your Medicare card. The one we have, the Tweed Heads Medicare Urgent Care Clinic, is based at the Tweed Health for Everyone superclinic. Our superclinic was delivered by a previous Labor government and provides wonderful services for the community. The urgent care clinic provides locals with the free, urgent care they need fully bulk billed, and it's open seven days a week from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm.

We officially opened the urgent care clinic last December. Since then, so many locals have told me that it's really filled a very crucial gap in the provision of healthcare services in our community. I've been told that since it's opened, there's been a daily average of 38 presentations. They have been incredibly busy providing that service, and it is making a massive difference. Nearly 60 per cent of patients who visit the Tweed Heads urgent care clinic would have otherwise gone to the emergency department of the Tweed Valley Hospital to access the care they need. So this shows this clinic in Tweed is easing the pressure on our local hospital. That is the feedback that I'm getting from health professionals and locals. It is making a massive difference for so many people—locals, seniors and families.

We're also delivering access to free walk-in mental health care for locals, with planning underway for a Medicare mental health centre in Tweed. The centre will be open for extended hours with no appointment or referral needed to access those services. A number of years ago, we opened the new headspace in Ballina. That's providing important support for younger people. We have an existing one in Tweed Heads, which does a remarkable job as well, but it's important that we have all these services here. As I said, that planning is underway for the Medicare mental health centre. It will make a huge difference in the community to have that operating.

We're also delivering on our election commitment to expand bulk-billing, and this has been an absolute game changer in my electorate and across the country. It's part of the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation 40 years ago. For the first time, Labor has expanded bulk-billing incentives to all Australians and created an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient. We've tripled the bulk-billing incentive for people who need to see their GP most often—pensioners, concession card holders and families with children. From 1 November 2025, we expanded those incentives to all Australians. It has been a huge success in my area and, I know, right across the country. We also introduced a new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient. Since 25 November, a new bulk-billing practice incentive program is supporting practices that bulk bill all their patients. This is on top of the bulk-billing incentive, so fully bulk-billed practices receive an additional 12.5 per cent loading on their Medicare rebates.

Towards the end of last year, I visited the Wollumbin Medical Centre in Murwillumbah, where GPs informed me they were universally bulk billing, and that was due to two reasons. First of all, there were our increases to the bulk-billing incentives, but another major change that our government made was reclassifying the town of Murwillumbah from metropolitan to regional for healthcare services. I want to again acknowledge all of the community that worked so hard to make this happen. The fact that the previous Liberal-National government had classified it in that way, as a city, really inhibited a lot of people's capacity to access healthcare, so we changed that. I give special thanks to the health minister for that. Having that change is so important. That, combined with our bulk-billing incentives, means that places like Wollumbin Medical Centre fully bulk-bill everyone. I also invited the Minister for Health and Ageing back to the North Coast in October to visit the Tweed Banora Medical Centre in Tweed Heads South and speak to GPs who also started bulk-billing all their patients on 1 November.

Thanks to all these changes that our government's made, we now see right throughout the North Coast these wonderful signs in front of GP practices. They say, 'Medicare bulk-billing practice'. How great is it to see that sign? People know it's there. They know they can go in. They know they'll be bulk-billed. Those signs are now in the front windows of more than 20 bulk-billing practices, so it has expanded very quickly. That's going from Tweed Heads to Byron to Ballina, right throughout my electorate. We're seeing more and more practices that are fully bulk-billing.

Of course, on 1 January this year we also launched 1800MEDICARE, a free, nationwide, 24/7 health advice line and after-hours GP telehealth service. And now, of course, we're seeking to make health care more accessible through all the measures that we have in this bill. The reforms that are contained within this bill will also make a huge difference, and it's important because registered nurses are the most geographically dispersed health profession in Australia and comprise around half of the entire Australian health workforce. By enabling authorised nurse prescribers to prescribe certain medicines under the PBS, people will get better access to medicines closer to home. They won't have those associated costs with travelling further to see a doctor, and the delays in waiting for an available appointment will all be reduced. Again, this will also be another game changer when it comes to delivering health care. Of course, preventable hospitalisations that result in delayed access to medicine will also be reduced as well, and these reforms are the result of work already undertaken to improve access to timely, affordable and safe medicines and alleviate pressure on our health workforce as well.

Of course, there's been extensive research and the consultation that's been led by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Offices. This work led to the development of new standards for designated registered nurse practitioners, and in December 2020 for Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers approved the new registration standard to enable nurses to become authorised prescribers. From July 2026, it's expected the first cohort of nurse prescribers will complete their additional education and receive endorsement. That's just great news, particularly, as I say, for those of us in regional and rural areas. The reforms in this bill help align our health legislation with modern clinical practice. They strengthen patient access to subsidised medicines and support the evolution of the health workforce. And, of course, the bill complements existing practice by enabling a broader range of health providers to contribute effectively to patient care. And this is very important in context where medical workforce shortages can lead to delays or inefficiencies.

Ultimately, this whole bill is about putting patients first, and that has been our whole agenda with all of our healthcare reforms making sure we are putting patients first. It also, very importantly, recognises the skills of our nurses. And I do want to compliment all of our nurses in my region and across the country—both nurses and health professionals—for the remarkable work that they continue to do all of the time. This is a recognition of that. So it recognises the skills of our nurses, trusts the evidence and removes barriers that, quite frankly, don't make sense. It doesn't make sense that this had not been in place before. It's about ensuring that where a person lives or which qualified health professionals they see doesn't determine whether they can afford the medicines that they need, that they need then and there. By modernising our laws to reflect contemporary practice, we're strengthening Medicare; supporting the health workforce; and making our health system more responsive, more equitable and more sustainable into the future, because we do have that ageing population and we do have increasing clinical and complex care needs that are there. These investments right across the board are vitally important. I commend the bill to the House.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to follow the member for Richmond. Having heard her contribution and how well she summarised the importance of this legislation, the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, I feel she's left me with very little else to say!

I commence my own remarks by thanking the nurses in our health workforce—over 400,000 of them across the country, and, as the member for Richmond quite rightly pointed out, the most evenly spread and the largest health force sector we have in the country. Every day they provide patient care that is second to none in terms of the relationships they build with patients, the confidence they give them, and the counselling and support they give them to get through, in many cases, very difficult health issues. It's not surprising that, given the work they do, they are probably rated as the most trusted profession across all professions in the country.

That says a lot about the confidence the community has in nurses. That is not surprising when you think about the work they do, dealing each and every day with sometimes incredibly difficult situations—dealing with patients that have got very serious injuries, horrific injuries at times. They have to face that on a regular basis, whether it's drug-affected people or people with serious disability or even dementia; they're dealing with people who don't know what they're doing, and it's incredibly difficult and draining work. In particular, it can also be very risky work. I note that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of South Australian nurse Gayle Woodford, in the outback in South Australia. I well remember that incident. That highlights the work nurses do and the risks they often take. I'm pleased to say that, as a result of what happened to Gayle, the laws were changed to try and provide a little bit more support and security for our nurses at the time.

Australia's health system is indeed one of the best in the world; again, we can attribute much of that to the work of the nurses and what they do. But even though it is a good health system here in Australia—and I think that would be widely accepted and recognised—the reality is it is under stress. We have an ageing population and a shortage of health professionals right across the health profession spectrum. Trying to fix that is not something we can do overnight, because, in each case, health professionals need years of training in order to do the work they do. The fact the sector is under stress is not good for patients, because at times they can't get in to see their GP or the health professional they need. Nor is it good for the health workforce themselves, who are put under incredible pressure and often have to work long hours in order to try and fit in demands from the patients that want to see them. Neither side wins unless we can fix the system.

Whilst it is something that will take time to fix, there are things we can do right now that will make a difference. The Minister for Health and Ageing, since his appointment as health minister, has been methodically working through the steps we need to take in order to bring the health system back to the level at which we would all like to see it. Empowering nurses to prescribe medications is one of those things we can do right now and are doing right now; I commend everyone who was involved in that decision and, having made that decision, bringing it to the House in the form of this legislation.

Not only do nurses have, in my view, the professional qualifications and, as I said earlier on, the confidence of the community to do what they do; their daily experience in dealing with the patients they deal with each and every day matters. It's sometimes the experience of being in the job that teaches you more than any academic training you get in universities. Whilst they are out there every day doing the work they do, they're learning on the job each and every day, which, in my view, makes them thoroughly accredited to prescribe and give medications to their patients. They know what will work as well as anybody else. They know what a patient needs when they see a patient as well as anybody else. Whilst this legislation does bring in some additional appropriate safeguards to ensure that nurses get additional training and oversight by a health professional working with them, it enables them to do what they know needs to be done—that is, when a patient needs certain medication, they are able to prescribe it for them.

In doing that, there are an enormous number of benefits. Firstly, the patient benefits because the patient gets immediate access to what they need. Secondly, it takes pressure off the health system because the patient doesn't have to wait for a doctor to come in—a doctor who may also be working long hours and unable to get there when the patient does. So it takes pressure off the doctor or the GP or whatever other health professional might have been called in. It also takes pressure off our emergency departments in our hospitals. For example, quite often people in aged care, where we now have registered nurses on duty 24 hours a day, need medical assistance. If the aged care premises can't get a doctor—and many doctors are not able to attend—then people are simply sent to the nearest hospital. That ties up medical staff at the hospital, and it ties up hospital beds as well. Having a nurse able to prescribe the medication that the patient needs will relieve an enormous amount of pressure on a whole range of different people within the health network more broadly.

It also means that, for people in remote and rural areas—which is where nurses play a particularly important role—there will be additional services. When you go into remote and rural areas, the chances of finding a doctor are very, very difficult; in fact, those are some of the areas where we have the least number of doctors. What we do have across the country is nurses in those places. Those nurses provide literally all the medical care that people need because there's no-one else. Again, enabling them to be able to prescribe medications is critical to them being able to do their job and to do it well for the patient. Apart from the fact that there are no doctors, the reality is that, for many of those people, travelling to the nearest centre where there is a GP practice or a hospital is sometimes impossible. In remote areas, travel isn't easy, and, even if people can get to a centre, it is costly. So this will save people both money and time. That is indeed a good thing.

As I said earlier, these decisions are not made flippantly. There is a process in place whereby nurses will get additional training. I understand that the first cohort of nurses providing prescriptions will be able to do so from 1 July. There is oversight. As I said earlier, they are working in partnership with an authorised health professional. These are some of the security measures that have been implemented as part of this legislation, and they are responsible measures. The nurses themselves, even before they get to this step, have had to show a level of experience within the workforce. I think they have had to have been a registered nurse for at least three years. So they're already experienced people, but that additional training and oversight ensures that there aren't any risks being taken.

I'm going to close with perhaps what all other speakers on this side of the House have closed with. This is another step in trying to reform our health system in this country. It is a health system that—as I have said from the outset—is good but can be better. We are getting there one step at a time. The 122 urgent Medicare clinics that have been opened across the country and the 15 clinics that are about to open will make a difference as well. The workforce is growing thanks to this government. We are slowly getting more doctors into the system. I understand that some 17,000 have been added in the last two years. We've tripled the GP bulk-billing incentive for pensioners, concession cardholders and kids, and since November that has been expanded to all Australians. The proportion of bulk-billing has risen from around 20 per cent in 2025 to now 40 per cent. We have literally doubled the number of GP practices that are now bulk-billing. That's all because we've tripled the incentive. As has been said time and time again, the price of PBS medicines has been reduced to $25. For concession card holders, the price will be $7.70 right through to the end of this century. The most recent hospital agreement means record funding for our hospitals.

I close with this comment: there's probably nothing more important to families than good health. Particularly when someone is unwell, there is nothing else that matters in their life other than their health because, without their health, they literally have nothing, so the health system does matter to people. We have a good health system. This is going to make it better. I commend this legislation to the House.

Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When this government was elected in 2022 and then re-elected in 2025, Australians made it clear that they wanted Medicare—the entire system—to be strengthened, not just protected but made to work better in practice. Of course, they were responding to nine years of Liberal neglect of Medicare, where the Medicare rebate was frozen for six long years by the former leader of the opposition and the current Leader of the Opposition. Left alone, the cost of medicines at the pharmacy would have reached $50 without Labor's intervention. Bulk-billing clinics were harder and harder to find.

People elected us to reform Medicare and to reverse that neglect because Medicare is something that people rely on every single day. In my electorate of Bennelong, strengthening Medicare has meant real and measurable change. It has meant millions of dollars saved on cheaper medicines and visits to a bulk-billed doctor for local families and retirees, providing real cost-of-living relief. We hear a lot of that term and this is real progress in families' budgets, where they're not spending as much on pharmaceutical medicines, where they're not spending as much to go and see a doctor. It has meant more people being able to see their doctor, being able to look after their health without reaching for their credit card, without punching a hole in that weekly or fortnightly pay packet, and it's meant real cost-of-living relief delivered through a health system that people trust and that Australians expect to have their back.

Since coming to government, our cheaper medicines reforms alone have saved billions of dollars nationally and, as I said, millions in my electorate. The cost of PBS medicines on 1 January dropped to $25, the lowest it's been since 2004. As I said earlier, had we not come to government in 2022 and incrementally reduced that cost, medicine today without Labor's intervention would have been close to $50 in out-of-pocket costs. Today it's half of that—$25 for people to get the medicines they need. Pensioners and concession card holders continue to pay no more than $7.70. A few years ago we froze that for five years.

Ask any pharmacist about this, about what our investments in Medicare have meant. Katrina from Blenheim Road Pharmacy, Rebecca from Eastwood Pharmacy, and George from Boronia Park and Gladesville pharmacies have all told me that these changes delivered by a Labor government that cares about Medicare meant that families haven't had to pick and choose what medicines they need to provide for their kids or provide for themselves. People used to go up and say, 'Well, I can't afford $42 this week across three medicines. Can you tell me which one I can skip?' Or they would say, 'My kids need some more medicine this week. I'm going to go without for the next fortnight.' That's all but gone now, because Labor has halved the cost of prescription medicines at pharmacies.

But it's not just about cheaper medicine or more bulk-billing; we're committed to reforming this Labor creation—Medicare—created in 1984. It's about reforming the system so it's fit for purpose today and is ready for the future of health care. It's about how easily people can access care and how smoothly the system works when they need to access care. Even with these reforms, people still tell me there are moments where the system gets in its own way, where they're seeing a qualified health professional, receiving appropriate care but yet still facing unnecessary delays, unnecessary appointments or avoidable inconvenience. That's exactly the kind of friction that our long-term health reform agenda is designed to address, and this bill is designed to reduce that friction. It builds on the work we've been doing to make Medicare more accessible, more flexible and better aligned with how care is actually delivered in a community like mine in Bennelong.

The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 is very important. It makes a targeted, practical change to the way medicines are accessed under the PBS. It amends the National Health Act of 1953 to allow designated registered nurses to prescribe certain medicines that are subsidised through the PBS. It also ensures that, when those medicines are prescribed, patients can access the same PBS subsidy that they would otherwise receive if those medicines were prescribed by a doctor. This isn't a broad rewrite of Medicare. It's not a change to who oversees primary care. It doesn't replace the role of doctors, particularly at initial prescription, but what it does is remove a barrier that no longer reflects how health care needs to be delivered on the ground. It gives easier access to medicines in a streamlined and more cost-effective way, not only for the system and the taxpayer but also for family budgets, meaning you don't need to go see a doctor to get a script for certain medicines. You'll be able to see a nurse to get that done—a huge change.

This change is needed because, in suburbs in Bennelong like mine, the demand for primary care continues to grow. Suburbs like Ryde, Lane Cove, Eastwood and Macquarie Park are all seeing general population growth because—let's face it—it's a great place to live, I've got to say, in Bennelong and some of those suburbs. We see a growth in population, and we also have an ageing population, so people need more access to primary care, when, as we've heard, there are constraints in the supply of qualified people to provide it.

Registered nurses are ready to serve more. They already play a critical role in access to primary care and aged care and in community health settings. In many cases, patients are already receiving appropriate care from these very highly trained nurses, but they still need an additional appointment or referral just to access a prescription. In 2026, I don't think that makes sense anymore. This bill will reduce that duplication. This reform will remove another friction point for people accessing primary care. It means that this care can be delivered more efficiently and without compromising safety standards. For older residents, it means fewer appointments at the doctor, less back and forth. Travelling to and from a doctor can be of concern for some of our older residents. This will help them with that. For working families, it means quicker access to treatment without having to take time off work, without eating into an already packed weekend. It means those families can get quicker access to the medicines they need.

This is a careful and deliberate reform. Only registered nurses who meet strict education, training and endorsement requirements will be authorised to prescribe. Prescribing will occur under a national registration standard, approved by health ministers, which is now in effect. Nurses will only prescribe within their scope of practice, clinical setting and level of competence. Prescribing services provided by nurse prescribers will be subject to existing professional oversight arrangements. These safeguards are important because they ensure prescribing is appropriate, evidence based and consistent with PBS requirements. The first nurse prescribers are expected to commence from July this year, following the completion of required education and training, because we understand that patient safety remains central to this reform, just as it is across every form of Medicare supported care. Australians should and can have confidence that the same standards will apply regardless of which health professional is providing this care and which health professional is prescribing these medicines.

This bill is not an isolated reform. This is a deliberate next step in the agenda that the government has to strengthen Medicare, things we've been doing progressively since we were elected in 2022. Rightly, we started by tackling affordability, cutting the cost of medicines and easing pressure on household budgets. We backed that up by expanding bulk-billed care, tripling the incentive for concession card holders and children under 16 and then making sure that tripled incentive was available to every Australian with a Medicare card. That's seen real results. Since 1 November last year, we've gone from nine bulk-billing practices in Bennelong to 14 bulk-billing practices in Bennelong, and we expect more to follow in 2026, meaning that more families, the elderly and other residents of Bennelong can access free bulk-billed care right across the community.

We've invested in Medicare urgent care clinics. Overdelivering on our promise to do 50, we have hit over 100 open right across the country—importantly, one in Top Ryde and one in Chatswood, promised and delivered by this government. We've expanded access to Medicare mental health centres so people can get the support they need without long waits or complex referrals through the mental health network. The Ryde mental health centre is now under construction and is expected to open in the first half of this year.

This is what strengthening Medicare is all about. It's about making sure that our system works, that it's fit for purpose in 2026 and that it's set up for the future. It's a system that should work for patients and for the clinicians delivering care. It's about getting people the right care in the right place at the right time. And in Bennelong, just like right across the country, those investments are making a huge difference, taking pressure off emergency departments with our urgent care clinics' open extended hours from 8 am to 10 pm in most cases; giving locals more options for free care through more bulk-billing; through the passage of this legislation, making it easier for people to get prescription medicine; and, of course, making that prescription medicine cheaper.

The future will put pressure on Medicare, and we need to make sure that our entire health system can respond to what will be challenges in our health system. Australians are living longer. More people are managing chronic and complex conditions, and demand on primary care will continue to rise. We can see that happening. Instead of cutting funding from Medicare, instead of neglecting Medicare, instead of freezing rebates like the Liberals and Nationals did for nine years with the same warnings we're getting now, we're setting up Medicare to ensure that it can deliver the care that Australians expect, just having that green and gold Medicare card. We'll continue to remove unnecessary barriers to help ensure that the system remains responsive and sustainable, particularly for growing communities like mine in Bennelong. And this will mean fewer delays. It'll mean better use of our health workforce, and it will give us a Medicare system that works the way people expect it to. The health legislation amendment bill is a practical continuation of the reforms that we've been putting in place since 2022, and I commend the bill to the House.

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to make my contribution to the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025. Australia arguably has the best health workforce in the world. They are well trained, up to date and regulated to ensure that best practice is followed. On the occasion when things do go wrong, we must admit and then do something about it. Our health system has checks and balances to ensure that the independent investigations are undertaken and appropriate measures are implemented to ensure better outcomes in the future. The demands of our health system are constant. We're all living longer and largely healthier lives, but, with an increasing population, this inevitably places more pressure on our system, particularly at our emergency departments and hospitals.

The Albanese government has implemented many initiatives since being elected to ensure that Australians can see a doctor when they need to and that they have the appropriate care that is required. Just last week, the Medicare urgent care clinic promised by the Albanese government in Werriwa opened for patients. It is opening extended hours, and it means that people seeking medical assistance for things like stitches or illness will not face the long wait in emergency departments. The government has made the biggest investment into the health system in decades, prioritising primary health care with bulk-billing initiatives. There are so many pillars to our health system. I've already mentioned EDs, hospitals and primary care, but there's also the PBS system, Medicare, bulk-billing, urgent care clinics, gold card benefits for veterans and the National Immunisation Program. Underpinning all of this is the world's best-trained health workforce.

The bill before us seeks to support our health workforce by amending the National Health Act 1953. Specifically, the bill supports the Albanese Labor government's election commitment to prioritise implementation of scope-of-practice reforms for nurses and midwives. In practical terms, the bill proposes to amend the National Health Act 1953 to allow a registered nurse endorsed against the registration standard to be an authorised prescriber. This will allow them to prescribe certain medicines that can be supplied under the PBS. Further, the bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to include registered nurses to enable review of the provision of their prescribing services by the Professional Services Review Scheme.

The government has consulted widely with groups including the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the AMA, palliative care services, the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives and the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association. I am pleased that medical professionals support the designated nurse prescribing based on the requirement that they must practice in partnership with an authorised health practitioner under the active prescribing agreement.

It is anticipated that the first cohort of designated nurse prescribers will complete their education and receive endorsement from July this year. In anticipation of this, all states and territories are currently amending their drug and poison legislation to enable registered nurses to prescribe, to meet that 26 July timeframe.

Australia deserves the world's best health system, and, as part of this, we need to ensure that all Australians, wherever they live, can get affordable medicines when they need them and have them prescribed by someone they trust. This bill will help to deliver on this aim. Under this bill, highly trained designated nurses will be able to extend their scope of practice, primarily in primary care and aged-care services. This is good news for designated registered nurses, good news for patients, particularly in rural and remote areas, and good news for stressed primary and aged-care health settings in the rest of the country. I commend the bill to the House.

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

I thank the member for Werriwa and all of the other members for their contributions to this important piece of legislation.

The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill amends the National Health Act 1953 to authorise designated registered nurses as prescribers under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS. These nurses will be able to prescribe specific medicines that qualify for Commonwealth subsidy under the PBS. This bill advances scope-of-practice reforms identified by the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce review, as well as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.

Since 2017, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and chief nursing and midwifery officers have conducted extensive research and consultation on nurse prescribing models. The NMBA, the board, developed these standards for designated registered nurse prescribers through multiple rounds of public consultation, which received strong and broad support. All health ministers endorsed the scheduled medicines standard, which came into effect in September 2025, with the first cohort of nurses expected to complete their education and receive endorsement by July this year.

By enabling designated registered nurse prescribing under the PBS, the bill supports safe, timely and affordable access to medicines. Registered nurses can already prescribe. This bill enables them to prescribe under the PBS, improving affordability for consumers. It enables registered nurses to better meet community health needs and strengthens the health system by addressing workforce shortages and building long-term capacity and sustainability. As with other prescribers, the list of medicines that will be able to be prescribed under the PBS by a designated registered nurse prescriber will now be considered, if this bill passes, by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

This reform aligns with the objectives of the National Medicines Policy, promoting equitable, affordable and timely access to high-quality medicines and related services. It also supports the government's commitment to deliver cheaper medicines to the Australian community. The bill also amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to ensure that nurse prescribing under the PBS is also subject to the Professional Services Review Scheme. This peer review mechanism safeguards the integrity of the PBS and other Commonwealth programs.

Designated registered nurse prescribers must maintain an active prescribing agreement with an authorised health practitioner, like a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner, ensuring appropriate oversight and collaboration in care delivery. This legislation supports the government's commitment to enabling Australia's health workforce to operate at full scope of practice. It delivers better access to cheaper medicines under the PBS.

I thank the member for Mackellar and the member for Mallee for their proposed amendments to the bill. The government will not be supporting these amendments. The bill has already undergone extensive consultation, as I said, going back to 2017. I also thank the member for Mackellar for her contribution, particularly on maintaining patient safety, which this government is committed to. That's why, only in the past week, I announced steps to deliver a national medicines record, ensuring that patients and their care teams can have accurate and up-to-date medicines information. A consultation process on the design of that medicines record will commence very soon, and, obviously, we'll take account of the change to nurse prescribing under the PBS, if this bill passes. I thank all members for their contributions to the debate on this important bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.