Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

In Australia, the safety of medicines is not determined by politicians or even by individual doctors. It's assessed by the independent experts at the Therapeutic Goods Administration. There's a reason for that, and that reason is thalidomide. Before thalidomide, there was no independent assessment of medicines in Australia. Thalidomide was successful in dealing with morning sickness, but it had tragic side effects. Those in this House who argue that we should return to the days of doctors being able to prescribe whatever they want are arguing for a return to the pre-thalidomide era. In response to thalidomide, the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee was established in 1963, and this evolved into the TGA. The TGA says, 'It strongly discourages the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent COVID-19.' There are tragic consequences when the independent advice of experts is ignored. The Vice-President of the AMA said today: 'It can cause your heart to stop.' The members for Hughes and Dawson need to reflect on why the TGA exists and why they are continuing on their dangerous crusade. Trumpian rants have no place in our public health response, and the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health need to care more about defending and protecting the TGA than they do about protecting their rogue backbenchers.

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