Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last year brought a renewed appreciation for our essential services and frontline workers. Tasmanians remain very grateful for the critical contribution that they make to ensure that we can go about our lives safely. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our frontline workers in the essential services for their contribution and all that they have done and continue to do to make our lives that much more safe.

Tonight I rise in recognition of the work that has been done by our pharmacy sector. Since the pandemic broke out more than 12 months ago, our pharmacists have stepped up, taking an enormous burden of responsibility, making an exceptional and necessary contribution to the health care within our local community and to their patients, who literally trust them with their lives.

I have mentioned the COVID-19 outbreak in the North West Regional Hospital in this place previously and our region's remarkable efforts to get this virus under control. Our response has become the gold standard for managing other outbreaks across the country. I know that this wouldn't have happened without the efforts of our pharmacy network. I received a note the other day from Joe O'Malley, a pharmacist from the central coast region in Tasmania, who said, 'The way the community pharmacy network stepped up during the Burnie hospital lockdown was a highlight for the year.' He explained that many prescriptions were held by the hospital and so, as soon as it was locked down, patients couldn't access their scripts. Community pharmacists from right across the north-west and the west coast really had to step up and give patients what they needed, often at their own expense and at their own risk. Joe went on to commend the My Health Record portal, which allowed pharmacists to view the health information of patients and get them the medication that they so desperately needed in this difficult time.

Last weekend, the Tasmanian pharmacist of the year awards was on to celebrate the remarkable contribution that every pharmacist across the great state of Tasmania has made to their local communities over the past year. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of three individual awards. The 2021 pharmacist of the year was awarded to Duncan McKenzie. The lifetime achievement award was awarded to Rhys Jones. Finally, the early career pharmacist award was won by Jack Muir Wilson and Phil Tibbits. They were jointly honoured. Congratulations to the four recipients for their recognition.

This is the first time that the awards recognised two early-career pharmacists. It's with great pride that I advise the House that both are from the electorate of Braddon. Both Jack and Phil are based in Burnie and were recognised for the tireless efforts that they undertook during the north-west regional COVID-19 lockdown. Jack Muir Wilson is the co-owner of Wilkinson's Pharmacy, which is directly across the street from my electorate office. I know Jack well. On presenting him with the award, the Pharmacy Guild branch president Helen O'Byrne said of Jack: 'Jack gave invaluable support to his community during the north-west outbreak, providing advice, essential medicines and vaccinations to an anxious community, juggling all manner of logistical, administrative and clinical requests that presented during the time.' Phil Tibbits is the clinical team leader at the North West Regional Hospital. Helen said of Phil: 'Phil displayed exceptional leadership in managing clinical services leading up to and during the COVID-19 outbreak at the North West Regional Hospital, including setting up a remote clinical pharmacy process that allowed pharmacists from outside of the quarantined area to complete comprehensive medication histories for COVID-19 patients.' I again congratulate Jack and Phil.

The task ahead of us is to immunise the many Australians who want to receive the COVID vaccine in 2021, and our community pharmacists again will play a critical role. With over three million Australians receiving their influenza vaccine from pharmacies in 2020, they are well-versed in delivering these immunisation services. I know the challenges faced by the sector in delivering the vaccine within their communities will be resolved with the same can-do attitude that they've used throughout the challenges of the past year. The challenges of 2020 have brought out the best in our great profession, and I congratulate the pharmacists, their pharmacy assistants and their valuable staff for being an inspiration to us all.