Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise today in support of the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025, which is a bill that delivers on a clear and urgent promise to make medicines more affordable for Australians. This bill reduces the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the PBS, general co-payment from $31.60 to $25. This is a meaningful change that will ease the burden on families, pensioners and all Australians who are struggling to afford the medications they desperately need.

For many, this change is not simply a policy adjustment. It is a lifeline. In the past year alone, eight per cent of Australians delayed or went without their prescription medicine due to cost concerns. That's nearly one in 10 Australians being forced to choose between their health and their household budget. And, under Labor's watch, those choices are becoming more painful by the day. This bill honours the coalition's election commitment to guarantee cheaper medicines. We were the first to commit to lowering the PBS co-payment and we remain steadfast in our belief that no Australian should have to skip a script because they can't afford it.

This bill is part of a broader story—a story of a government that keeps promising to strengthen Medicare but, instead, has presided over its decline. Under the Albanese government, bulk-billing has plummeted. GP bulk-billing has fallen from 88 per cent to 77 per cent, and Australians are now paying 75 per cent more in out-of-pocket costs. In fact, 1.5 million Australians avoided seeing their GP last year because they simply couldn't afford it. The Prime Minister told Australians, 'All you need is your Medicare card, not your credit card.' He said that 71 times during the election campaign, but the facts tell a different story.

In May alone, Australians paid $166 million in out-of-pocket costs at the GP, and, while the Prime Minister waves around his Medicare card, Australians are waving goodbye to affordable health care. The coalition's record, however, stands in stark contrast. In government, we made 2,900 new or amended PBS listings, investing $16.5 billion to ensure Australians had access to life-saving treatments. We listed every medicine recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. Labor, on the other hand, capped the number of medications considered for listing, which caused harmful delays.

We saw this again with Ryeqo, which is a treatment for endometriosis. It was recommended for PBS listing for over a year before Labor finally acted. Why should the hundreds of thousands of Australian women suffering from chronic pain every day accept this sort of unnecessary delay? And let's not forget mental health. The Albanese government has cut Medicare funding for mental health support in half, ignoring expert health advice and leaving vulnerable Australians behind. Access to Medicare mental health support is now at its lowest point in a decade.

The situation in Tasmania, my home state, is even more dire. According to the Cleanbill 2025 blue report, there are no clinics in Tasmania bulk-billing new adult patients. Tasmanians are now paying an average of $54 per GP visit—the highest in the country. This has forced more people into emergency departments for non-urgent care, increasing weight times and straining our health system. The Tasmanian government has had to step in with $40 million in primary care funding just to keep clinics open. That's money that should be coming from Canberra.

Australians deserve better. They deserve a government that acts, not one that reviews endlessly and delays progress. The health technology assessment review, for example, which was commissioned by the coalition, remains untouched. We know the challenges, we have the data and we've heard the voices of patients. Now is the time for actions. This bill is a step forward, a step toward restoring trust in our healthcare system and a step towards ensuring that Australians can access the medicines they need without having to choose between their health and their groceries.