James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Cash. Minister, can you outline for the Senate how the Morrison government's plan for a stronger economy is guaranteeing essential services, including by maintaining and improving capacity in our health system throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McGrath for his question. In what has been one of the most intense periods in Australia's history, our health system has performed remarkably well. It has been by all assessments the envy of the world in the way that it has been able to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The way that our primary-care system has responded to COVID-19 has been outstanding. Our doctors, our nurses, our pharmacists—supported of course now by telehealth—our hospitals, our hospital workers, our carers, our cleaners, our administrators: they have worked tirelessly to manage the cases that have arisen and increase our capacity to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

I am pleased to advise in relation to the aged-care network that, as of yesterday, there are no active cases of COVID-19 in any aged-care facilities in Australia. As of yesterday, we have now reduced the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 to 17 and the number in ICU is now at four.

Australians have also seen the positive results of our testing regime and our collective success in flattening the curve. Our testing regime has now seen over 1.8 million tests conducted across Australia. Of those, approximately 7,335 Australians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and, sadly, as we know, 102 have lost their lives. The rate of positive returns has now dropped to 0.4 per cent across the 1.8 million tests, and, of those, 62 per cent of cases have come from overseas.

As a result of Australians working together to suppress COVID-19, our health system and those who work tirelessly in it— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, a supplementary question?

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the government has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the government continued to invest in our health system to ensure it is resourced and ready for future challenges?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throughout the course of COVID-19, the Morrison government has continued to ensure that Australia's health system capacity will meet future challenges. We have reached a new national hospital reform agreement with the states and territories. Under this new agreement the Commonwealth will increase its investment from $100 billion to $131 billion. At the same time, we're delivering a new five-year community pharmacy agreement that expands remuneration for the dispensing of subsidised PBS medicines, community pharmacy medication management programs and services—to $18.349 billion over the five years of the agreement. This is up $1.5 billion from the Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement. Again, Australians can be assured that throughout the COVID-19 crisis the Morrison government continues to invest in the health system.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, a final supplementary question?

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise the Senate how this work has improved access to medicines?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think this is one of the great success stories of the Morrison government, and that is of course that as a government we continue to make more medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Since 2013, because of our strong economic management, our government has approved more than 2,400 new or amended listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This represents an average of around 30 medicine listings or amendments per month, or one each day, for an overall investment by the government of $11.6 billion. Australians with asthma and multiple myeloma will have broader access to life-changing medicines as a result of expanded medicines listings on the PBS from 1 June 2020. Our government, the Morrison government, are committed to ensuring that Australians that need to access affordable medicines are able to do so. (Time expired)