Kerrynne Liddle (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

We know that ensuring continued and improved access to affordable medicines is now more important than ever, with the cost of living continuing to put significant and rising pressure on all Australians. It was great to see the government pass the coalition's amendment to the National Health Amendment (Effect of Prosecution—Approved Pharmacist Corporations) Bill last week, which noted the coalition's strong record of affordable medicines and called on the government to intervene in the removal of Fiasp from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, to urgently list Trikafta for children with cystic fibrosis and to commit to listing on the PBS all medicines that have been recommended by PBAC.

It is important to acknowledge the importance of the government's continuing the former coalition government's record on the PBS, which has ensured affordable access to critical medicines for all Australians. The coalition is proud of the fact that, in government, it listed almost 3,000 new or amended medicines on the PBS. This represented an average of around 30 listings or amendments per month, or one each day, at an overall investment of nearly $15 billion. That is a lot of people who were helped to get greater access to medicine.

However, we remain concerned by Labor's record on affordable medicines, noting that they had to stop listing new medicines when they were last in government because they couldn't manage the money. We know that Labor went to the election with a promise of cheaper medicines, but it seems they have already broken this promise, because they have decided to remove from the PBS a life-changing diabetes drug, Fiasp, that is relied upon by 15,000 Australians who suffer from type 1 diabetes. The coalition government listed this very important diabetes medicine on the PBS in 2019. The coalition 'understood that Fiasp is an innovative mealtime insulin that improves sugar blood levels at a faster rate than other diabetes medications, resulting in improved quality of life for the people who take it'. But Labor, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, has made the decision to remove affordable access to a life-changing drug that's been relied on by 15,000 Australians with diabetes.

The most concerning part is that we know that Minister Butler as the Minister for Health has the ability to intervene but, so far, he has chosen not to. Ministerial discretion to ensure critical medicines, like Fiasp, can remain commercially viable on the PBS and, therefore, affordable to the Australians who rely on them. Minister Butler must explain to the 15,000 Australians with diabetes who rely on Fiasp why he is refusing to exercise that discretion to solve this issue.

To add further concern, in November last year the PBAC recommended that the innovative drug Trikafta be added to the PBS for treatment of children, with cystic fibrosis, aged six to 11 years. However, government has, so far, failed to add this life-changing medicine to the PBS, despite the months that have passed since it was recommended.

Under the coalition we listed every medicine on the PBS that was recommended by PBAC, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The government must do the right thing by the 500 children with cystic fibrosis who would benefit from affordable access to this life-changing medicine and list this medicine on the PBS. Time and again, this government continue to prove that they are all talk and no action. There is no more critical a time to ensure affordable access to medicines than right now, with the cost of living skyrocketing under this government.

Labor continues to prove that they will say one thing to get elected and then turn around and do the opposite when in government. Their broken promises are adding up. They promised cheaper mortgages. That hasn't happened. They promised to lower inflation. We've seen that go up. They promised real wage increases. No, that hasn't happened. To borrow their phrase, 'Right now, everything is going up except for wages.'

Question agreed to.