Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Dunkley, who has been a great advocate for patients such as Fiona. Fiona has been battling chronic myeloid leukaemia. She has been supported under the PBS with medicines that would otherwise cost over $60,000 a year. We heard yesterday that he's also been a great advocate for patients such as Ally Clarke—and Spinraza. She has been supported under the PBS with her spinal muscular atrophy battle, with extraordinary steps forward. Also, the member for Dunkley has been advocating for patients right across the spectrum in relation to new medicines.

On Friday, I was fortunate to meet with Geoff Carson, who is a 70-year-old former engineer, having worked with the CSIRO for over 30 years. He's been battling acute myeloid leukaemia. It is a condition that can have catastrophic impacts. It's a cancer of the blood and of the bone marrow. In particular, he has been given early access to Rydapt, a medicine we have now made available, as of Saturday, under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This medicine will help 200 patients, and it is potentially life saving or life changing. It's a medicine that goes to the very heart of what this parliament aspires to achieve through a strong economy, through compassion and through action, all being brought together. The PBS in that respect represents the very best of what this parliament can achieve when we put the country in a position where it's able to pay for those actions. In particular, Geoff was excited and delighted that other patients would have access to that which is helping him with his journey and his battle and his life. Whether it is pancreatic cancer or neuroendocrine tumours, which are also supported with other medicines, these are the types of things which we are able to support. I am pleased, proud and determined about the fact that this government has made the commitment that, if the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommends it, we will list the medicines that they bring forward. That is our commitment. We know, though, that it can only be done with a strong economy. We know that that has not always been the case, sadly. In 2011—

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