Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. I'm certainly confident about Australia's future. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is working to make it even better through its plan to secure essential medicines for all Australians? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

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

I want to thank the member for Higgins, because I'm confident, too, that we are making life better for Australians through the provision of essential services and, in particular, essential medicines. I do absolutely say 'making life better', because, as the member knows as well as anybody here, there was a time when a previous government, not that long ago, stopped the listing of essential services, stopped the listing of medicines. As the budget of the day said: 'Due to fiscal circumstances, the government will defer the listing of some new medicines until fiscal circumstances permit.'

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur on a point of order—and he'll need to state the point of order.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker—on relevance. Is the minister aware that, at the present time, there is a complete—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur will resume his seat. A point of order can't be stated and then a question asked.

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

And those medicines which were deferred—as the member for Macarthur, amongst others, would well know—included medicines for endometriosis and IVF, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, schizophrenia and severe skin conditions. But things have changed, including the pace at which these medicines are being listed. There has been a 40 per cent reduction, I'm advised by the department, in the time to list new medicines under this government. This year there have been 334 new and amended medicines on our watch, in our time, making a difference to patients. Over the course of the life of this government, there have been 2,285 new and amended medicines. That includes where we started this year, with the Prime Minister: the listing of Tagrisso, a medicine that would otherwise have cost over $88,000, for genetic based lung cancer, for over 400 patients, and medicines such as Opdivo for melanoma, which would have cost over a quarter of a million dollars, and Ibrance for metastatic breast cancer, a life-saving, life-changing medicine that will help over 3,000 women save over $55,000 a year.

Perhaps the thing of which I am most proud during the course of this year is what, as a government, we've been able to do to assist patients with cystic fibrosis, with medicines such as Orkambi and Symdeko, which would otherwise cost over $250,000 a year, or Kalydeco, at $300,000 a year. Those three medicines together will help over 1,400 patients, many of them beautiful children who would otherwise never have had the opportunity to live the rich, full life which is now before them. That's what essential services are about. That's what a strong economy is about—so we never again face the alternative of denying people medicines which are fundamental, essential, life-supporting. That is the difference as to why a strong economy matters.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon is warned!

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

That is the difference in terms of what we actually deliver, and that is why we do what we do.