Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no question that community pharmacies are a vital part of our primary healthcare ecosystem. That has been the case for a long time. It was brought home to all of us with even greater clarity through the experience of the pandemic, and I know that pharmacies in Fremantle, East Fremantle and Cockburn are building blocks of wellbeing in the communities I'm fortunate to represent. The Albanese government sees two things very clearly. First is the fact that our primary healthcare system as a whole needs some fairly urgent remedial care and attention after a decade of neglect.

Second is the fact that cost-of-living pressures are causing too many Australians to choose between important medicines or perhaps to skip taking these medicines altogether. In the budget that has just been handed down, we have put in place a phased transition to 60-day dispensing arrangements for a range of medicines that Australians need for the management of chronic health conditions. This motion, while apparently supporting the change, calls on the government to strongly guarantee various things. Perhaps those opposite should reflect on the fact that their government completely failed to provide full-cycle funding for the programs under the seventh community pharmacy agreement.

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