Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. How is the Albanese Labor government making it more affordable for Australians to access essential medicines through the PBS? Has the government encountered any obstacles in making medicines cheaper for Australians?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calwell for her question. I know what a passionate advocate she is, particularly for the health and dignity of older Australians in her electorate, which is why I know she was so delighted by our government's decision to give five million older Australians access to the latest, cutting-edge shingles vaccine completely free of charge. Before 1 November they were paying $560, but now they have access to the most comprehensive shingles vaccine program on the planet. This is just one part of our commitment to strengthening Medicare through cheaper medicines.

Already this year around two million pensioners and concession cardholders have benefited from our decision last year to cut the maximum amount they pay for all their medicines by 25 per cent—the first wave of our cheaper medicines policy. That's two million pensioners and concession cardholders paying up to 25 per cent less for their medicines this year. General patients are getting cheaper medicines too through the biggest cut to the price of medicines in the 75-year history of the PBS from 1 January—the second wave of our cheaper medicines reforms. This year general patients will have saved almost $¼ billion from that measure alone. From 1 September four million Australians were able to go to their doctor and ask for a 60-day prescription for around 100 common medicines for ongoing health conditions—the third wave of our cheaper medicines reforms.

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How's that going, brother?

Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals asks how that's going. Already more than 600,000 60-day prescriptions have been issued for the price of a single script, saving people money, saving people time and freeing up all of those desperately-needed GP consults. That's why so many other countries have been doing this for years. It's why every doctors group and every patient group supported the government's policy.

I was asked by the member for Calwell about obstacles. Five years ago the former government made a deliberate decision to reject the expert advice to introduce 60-day scripts, making patients pay hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars since that time that they didn't have to pay. Only a few months ago the coalition showed that they have learnt nothing, by voting time and time again in the other place to block access to cheaper medicines for millions of Australians. This is perhaps not surprising from a party led by a man who when he was the health minister tried to abolish bulk-billing altogether and make people pay every time they go to a doctor, tried to cut $50 billion from hospitals and also tried to jack up the price of medicines by up to $5 a script.