Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

No, sure, if we were to take that on face value—and I cannot. We have discovered here that the access to medicines working group, which is to advise government and the minister on the very matters that we are discussing in this legislation, will come forward with advice if there is agreement. The department can advise the minister—obviously it can—but, as far as this influential group is concerned, if the corporations do not agree, that advice does not go to the minister. Let us make that clear. Yes, it is a discussion group, but it is not discussing things for the sake of having morning tea and pleasantries; it is discussing things because it wants to give advice and recommendations to government about the workings of the PBS and therefore about the best outcomes—as this working group sees it. We have established here that, if the drug corporations, represented by the gentlemen that I have mentioned, do not want advice going forward, the working group does not have agreement and the advice will not go forward from that working group. It is still made from the department, but as far as the working group is concerned it will not proceed. I just ask again whether the senator could tell the committee which corporations the four gentlemen named as representing the industry themselves represent.