Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens have always supported cheaper medicines. In a cost-of-living crisis where people are literally making choices between paying rent, paying for their medicines, paying their bills or putting food on the table, the Greens have been supportive of measures that will ease these cost-of-living pressures. The government has informed the community that the purpose of the proposed changes to the PBS is to make it easier and cheaper for people to access the medicines that they need. Making it easier and cheaper for people to access medicines that they need is obviously something the Greens support. We believe in the depths of our souls in the importance of the public healthcare system, of a universal healthcare system that covers everything from your teeth to your brain—every part of your body—free at the point of use for all.

As part of our consideration of 60-day dispensing, I have spoken with pharmacists all over the country and heard many concerns about the impact that they feel these measures may have on the local pharmacies they run and also on community members who rely on community pharmacies. After hearing these pieces of feedback from people, I would very much agree that the Albanese government has not consulted effectively with community pharmacists on how these changes will impact on them. I have heard that there will be significant impacts. It's my view that a way forward would be for the government to bring forward the negotiation of the community pharmacy agreement and start talking with pharmacists now to minimise any adverse impacts from this measure.

One of the concerns raised by pharmacists is on the impact of reduced dispensing fees. We are encouraging the government to find a way forward on this, for the minister to consider the doubling of dispensing fees until a new pharmacy agreement has been finalised or to commit to reimbursing any losses at a community pharmacy that can be proven as an unintended impact of the 60-day dispensing measure.

The Greens will not be supporting this urgency motion today, but I do want to reiterate—and I want to speak directly to the minister in this statement—that this should not be taken as a final position of the Greens in relation to the proposed regulation. The Greens party room will continue to negotiate to ensure that these regulations do not have unintended consequences and that they actually achieve their intended goal. (Time expired)