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

The answer to that question is no, not at all. The decision we took was to support pharmacies with this change, particularly those in regional and rural areas, but at the same time to accept that this is a genuine cost-of-living measure for Australian households, particularly those that rely on regular medication to save them from paying unnecessary costs associated with managing their illness. I know that 200,000 scripts for 60 days have been issued in the first month of operation, so there are many individuals who will have benefited from that arrangement, in terms of the money that they have to provide. But it was always cost-of-living relief for individuals and households. It was always at no save to the budget. The extra investment went into addressing some of the concerns that pharmacies had raised. (Time expired)