Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Aged Care. Minister, how is the Albanese Labor government continuing to deliver cheaper medicines for all Australians? How would this help deliver cost-of-living relief for millions of Australians after a decade of cuts and neglect?

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

I thank the member for Lingiari for her question because, two years ago, she promised members of her community that, if elected, we would make medicines cheaper, and we have been busy delivering on that promise ever since. In our first three months of government alone, we slashed the maximum amount—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals will cease interjecting.

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

that millions of pensioners and concession card holders would pay for all of their medicine needs in a given year by 25 per cent. In our first 12 months, we delivered the biggest cut to the price of medicines in the 75-year history of the PBS, saving general patients more than $20 million each and every month. And, in our first 18 months, we finally allowed doctors to prescribe a range of common medicines for chronic conditions for 60 days' supply, rather than just 30, saving patients time and even more money.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals will cease interjecting.

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

All along we have been committed to a triple bottom line in community pharmacy: cheaper medicines for patients, better health care for patients and, importantly, a strong community pharmacy sector. That is why we reinvested every single dollar the Commonwealth saved under 60-day scripts back into community pharmacies.

This year, for example, for the first time, pharmacies are able to deliver flu shots to pensioners and shingles vaccines to pensioners completely free of charge, paid for by the Commonwealth. It's also why we agreed to bring forward negotiations for a new agreement. Today, we delivered on that commitment, signing a new five-year agreement with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. This new agreement makes medicines even cheaper again, by freezing medicine co-payments for patients for up to five years, increasing the number of free medicine Webster-paks that pharmacies can deliver by 50 per cent, paid for by the Commonwealth. Importantly, this new agreement sets up a strong, secure foundation and future for the thousands of community pharmacies—hardworking pharmacists all across the country—who play such an important role in the health of our nation.

I want to thank the Guild, and I want to thank our department's negotiating team for their hard work. This was a robust negotiation, and so it should be when you're trying to achieve a triple bottom line. Those opposite would have had us give up at the first hint of pressure. Those opposite would have had us leave patients high and dry, as they did in government time and time again, making them pay more for their medicines, not less. But we were determined to deliver an agreement that was good for patients and good for community pharmacy, and today we delivered on that commitment.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Nationals interjected nine times during that answer. If he persists in that course of behaviour, he won't be here for the remainder of question time. He is now warned.

Government members interjecting—

Order! Members on my right may follow shortly.