Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for the question, and it is an important one—the changes that we are introducing around 60-day dispensing—because it will make medicine cheaper for more than six million Australians. I note that the Pharmacy Guild has commissioned a report as part of their opposition to this change. I haven't had time to go through it all, but I am advised that the government does not agree with the assumptions underpinning the report and the conclusions drawn from it. Senator Ruston and I did have quite a lengthy session on this at estimates, where we went through the impact analysis that had been done. We did discuss issues around pharmacy and pharmacy viability. I think that the work that the government has done through its impact analysis is clear. This will save—