Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I think there is a lot of misinformation being put into the public domain that patients' access to cancer treatment in the private sector is going to be reduced. That is not true. The Australian government meets the full cost of chemotherapy drugs supplied under the PBS. There are a range of separate clinical services that pharmacists provide in the treatment of cancer. These are not related to the supply of the PBS drug, but are separately funded through the hospital system. How these are funded is a matter for each individual hospital service. It is very important to separate out what the Commonwealth does. We have expanded the services in this area significantly. We have provided $1.3 billion to ensure improved cancer services. There has been no budget reduction in this area. What this government has done and continues to do— (Time expired)