Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been over one month since Labor's cheaper medicines became even cheaper, with us capping the most you'll pay for medicines on the PBS at $25. Millions of Australians are now paying less for medication that they rely upon every day, including in my electorate of Bendigo. For concession card holders, it's just $7.70, with us freezing the price of medicines on the PBS for concession card holders for five years. The last time that PBS medicine cost no more than $25 was 2004. That's more than 20 years ago. This is one of the key measures that our government has introduced to help people with cost-of-living pressures.

I've had the opportunity, since the announcement of this policy, to meet with local pharmacies to discuss how this will make a difference to the patients and to their customers that they see each and every day. In Eaglehawk I visited David and the team at the EUFS pharmacy, a critical pharmacy that serves so many people in the local community. I met with Sanjay at TerryWhite Chemmart White Hills and Dan from the pharmacy in Flora Hill. All of them told a similar story. They strongly support our government's recent changes to the PBS co-payment of $25 from 1 January. They see it as a meaningful step to ease the cost burden on hardworking Australians with cost-of-living pressures. They also mean that their pharmacists won't have those silly or tough conversations about what you can and can't afford when people present their scripts.

I stand here today proud to say that cricket is now being played on the Huntly North Cricket Club's second oval. It was a disused oval not up to playing standards for many years. To the frustration of the club, particularly the junior cricket players, it had basically been relegated to a car park. But, after a commitment that I made in 2022, just under $500,000 and the work of the local government, that ground is now up to playing standards. It was wonderful to see the father-son team playing at their home ground, not being allocated to another ground somewhere else in greater Bendigo. Women and juniors are also playing on the oval. The oval will also be ready for the football season that is coming up soon. This is just one way in which our government is working to hear the local needs of the community, helping to deliver the sporting infrastructure that we need to make sure young players, female players and all players can play their way in their community and not have to travel great distances for home games.