Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, it is peculiar. I was paired while these things happened in the chamber earlier today, so I was very pleased to have a chance to participate in bringing the disallowance to a vote. But it was recommended that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee introduce 60-day dispensing. We have seen the coalition delay it over and over again. Media reports earlier today had reported that rural doctors were relieved that the coalition was going to withdraw its 60-day dispensing disallowance motion. It's all very well for those opposite to point the finger at me for seeking to reflect on the need for the federal government to be able to get on with delivering this policy outcome and to stop the other side from equivocating, but I had seen reports that those on the other side were going to withdraw or no longer wanted to support the disallowance. But, here in the Senate this afternoon, we have cleared a path towards implementing our very clear policy intent, which is most definitely in the interests of patients right around the nation.

The move to 60-day dispensing, from 30 days to 60 days, means that patients get more medication for less money, with fewer visits to the pharmacy. These are not small changes in the context of people with busy lives, managing, sometimes, two or three different medications. I myself have three or four regular medications that I take, so it's not uncommon for me to need to go to the pharmacy on a weekly basis because they run out at different times. For me, 60-day dispensing will be a great convenience and a money saver because I will be able to access those medications in, frankly, a more timely, not less timely, way because I will not run out of medication as often.

As the rural GPs said: why should our elderly rural patients have to travel for hours to collect their medication from the chemist every month when there's no good reason this can't be every two months? Why should this unnecessary burden on patients and GPs continue when the pharmaceutical benefits authority has made it very clear that the move is safe and benefits the community? We have put in place measures to ensure the sustainability of remote and regional pharmacies. We've seen an announcement that the regional pharmacy maintenance allowance, for very remote pharmacies that have limited dispensing activity, will increase to just over $100,000 annually per pharmacy. This is incredibly important because we believe that our regional and remote pharmacies must be sustainable and must be integrated with other local remote and regional health services. To add to that sustainability, we've seen fee-for-service options for pharmacists to include all vaccinations. We've seen this in addition to items they already have. (Time expired)