Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I will address the access to medicines working group first. The Department of Health and Ageing and Medicines Australia are working together to consider issues relating to timely and appropriate access to effective new drugs on the PBS through the access to medicines working group. The work of this working group will complement other projects currently being progressed between Medicines Australia, the PBAC and the department such as the outcomes of the joint policy conference convened in July 2006 and the development of key performance indicators as part of the review of post-PBAC processes. the group will provide advice and recommendations to the Minister for Health and Ageing for the consideration of the Australian government. The first meeting of the group was held on 24 April this year, and the communique from this meeting is being finalised.