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

I thank Senator Polley for her question and for all her work over many years on the community affairs committee and on other committees that have looked at issues around affordability and accessibility of health care and medicines for Australians. The PBS is one of the most important pillars of our health system. This has been recognised by Labor governments stretching right back, including those who introduced Australia's first scheme designed to ensure that Australians would be given access to affordable medicines.

Labor remains committed to providing Australians with access to affordable medicines, and community pharmacies, as Senator Polley said in her question, play a vital role in our health system. This includes ensuring pharmacies can work to the fullest extent of their skills and training to build the strength of the sector. We want more Australians to benefit from the experience and the care that is provided by community pharmacies in more ways than they already do. For the past 30 years, since they were introduced by the Hawke government, a series of community pharmacy agreements have outlined the way in which the government reimburses community pharmacy for dispensing subsidised medicines on the PBS, providing medication management programs and services. As the government strengthens Medicare and reforms primary care, there is a renewed focus on how every health worker, including pharmacists, can contribute to the health of Australians.

The Minister for Health and Ageing has announced that the government will soon begin negotiations for an eighth community pharmacy agreement and this agreement will support the government's ongoing commitment to improving patient health outcomes and providing cheaper medicines for all Australians. As I said yesterday, the 60-day dispensing is an important cost-of-living measure that will ease the burden on household budgets by some $180 per medicine, per year. This is an important cost-of-living measure and the Senate should support it.