Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to acknowledge and thank the community pharmacists for the work that they have done collectively to ensure the success of the vaccine rollout, particularly in regional and remote Australia where, at times, getting access to doctors is very limited. I'd also like to extend that thanks to the hardworking staff in those pharmacies and acknowledge that it would have been a difficult time for them.

In the country, we know that a pharmacist is so much more than someone who dispenses scripts. They are quite often somebody who is a trusted confidant of our medical information, our medical conditions, a counsellor and a carer—particularly to the elderly—most of which is done for the benefit of the individual and the benefit of the community.

I would also like to take this opportunity to call for equity in payment for community pharmacies for the rollout of the booster program. Currently, pharmacists are paid $17 to administer the booster, which in most cases is not enough to cover costs. Doctors receive $38, plus many charge a consultation fee. We must remunerate pharmacies adequately or risk their withdrawal from the program and, consequently, undo the great work that we as a nation have done over the past 20 months. It is only fair that community pharmacies receive fair payment for such an important role.

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