Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Gellibrand, the shadow minister for health, is unavailable as a result of an electorate commitment; she has leave from the House. My instructions are, as the minister has outlined, that on the face of it these amendments look consistent with the bill and appear to be non-contentious. Certainly, that is the case with those amendments which relate to ‘bioequivalent’ as compared with ‘biosimilar’, and the minister has explained that both in his second reading reply and in his brief contribution on the committee stage amendments.

The more substantive amendments are as outlined by the minister and appear to be consistent with the thrust of the legislation. In any event, as the minister has alluded to, there is to be a Senate inquiry. If there are any technical deficiencies which interested parties see with the amendments, I am sure the minister, in the usual way, will be only too happy to accommodate any technical suggestions which add to the elegance of the bill.

Question agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

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