Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Van for what I consider to be an incredibly important question. Listing medicines on the PBS is a clear sign that the government is on the side of Australians. I am very pleased to inform the Senate that the coalition has invested over $10.6 billion in life-saving and life-changing medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

What that translates down to is: this is over 2,100 new or amended listings. And we know what those listings will do for the lives of so many Australians. These are listings that actually change lives—in particular, for people who could not afford these drugs if they were not subsidised. Those drugs can cost everyday Australians who so desperately need them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. To be able to stand up and say as a government we have listed over 2,100 drugs does show we are on the side of Australians.

We are currently averaging approximately 31 new or amended listings per month. That is approximately one new drug listed every single day. We will continue to list drugs and invest in medicines that are for the benefit of Australians. For example, in this year alone we've listed a drug like Bavencio. This is a drug for treating metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. It is a rare and highly aggressive form of skin cancer. If you didn't have that drug listed you probably wouldn't be able to access the drug itself.