Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to speak on the National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024. I note, on behalf of the Australian Greens, the amazing work that my colleague from Western Australia, Senator Steele-John, has done as our health portfolio spokesperson, and I echo his sentiments, particularly on the significant health gaps that I see existing as the First Nations spokesperson for the Greens. I reiterate also that we will be supporting this bill today. Anything that keeps the price of medicines under control is a really important part of the tenor of our community. It is an important time, in a cost-of-living crisis, for us to have cheaper medicines. As Senator Steele-John already outlined, we can and should be more ambitious in relation to what we do through the PBS and what we can do to make sure that people are not left in pain and people have access to the medicines that they require in their time of need.

Importantly, as Senator Steele-John already said, this bill does not actually reduce the price of medicines; it just stops it from being subject to inflation. What it does is just to keep the price from rising, just for a short time—five years, I think it was—and then it continues to rise. For most people who don't have a low-income health card—and there are many of those in First Nations communities—the five-year freeze for healthcare cardholders is welcomed, but at the end of the day there is that big-picture view, and Senator Steele-John, in his statement to the chamber today, articulated that so well. Dental care should be put into Medicare. It should be free for everybody.

For First Nations people—who have such a large body of research that talks about the links between lack of good oral health care or dental care, particularly in early childhood, and our chronic diseases and, as Senator Steele-John already said, our mental health—this is critical. In places like the Northern Territory, we are seeing children going into emergency departments to have their teeth removed. Their teeth are rotting inside their jaws and can't be removed by dentists, and they're going into emergency departments. Having cheaper medicines isn't going to make that better. Having early access to free dental is what is going to make a difference.

For many people who live in rural and remote communities—and people who might not necessarily be on a low income but are caring for large families—the cost of medicines can be absolutely crippling, as Senator Steele-John articulated very well. In this country, it is the choice between putting food on the table, having to pay your rent, putting fuel in your car to get your kids to school and having to pay the cost of medicines.

I echo the comments that Senator Steele-John made that the average cost of $41 to see a GP in Western Australia is absolutely unacceptable. There's been a 17 per cent drop in bulk-billing, just in one year in Western Australia. We're often called the 'grateful state' because of the mining boom we have in Western Australia—and I know people like Senator O'Sullivan would agree that we are very fortunate—but it seems different when you're looking down the barrel of having to fork out to get access to a GP. Never mind the money that it costs you, it's also about finding one that's open or that isn't just open nine to five. It's about finding one that has an appointment available so that you are not left in pain. As the mother of two children, I can tell you that nursing my child on my lap while she is in pain is one of the most difficult things to do.

Access to cheaper medicines is just one part of this frame. We can and should do better. I am imploring this government to do that, to be ambitious and to do the things that are required after a decade of sitting here and listening to the lack of focus on our healthcare system. It is the responsibility of all of us here in this chamber, the lawmakers of the nation, to think about what it is that we do have in common—that is, health care. I know several senators in this place needed dental care during our break last year, as did I. We had to access medicines because we were in pain. I spent four hours in the dental chair, and it cost me a lot of money. It was only after I came to the Senate that I was able to afford to do that. I speak to Australians who are in pain because they have an abscess or because they've lost a tooth. They may have to get a temporary plate made that they then have to wear for the next five years and that causes all sorts of other problems, not to mention the intrinsic link to mental health.

This is a serious problem we could solve in this place. We have the power in this place to close those gaps in health care for our Australian constituents. This is what we should be doing: we should be putting dental and mental health into Medicare, into our Australian system that is about free health care for our nation, because at the heart of that is how we see wellness for our community.

When we evaluate the Closing the Gap targets for our nation and our people, in the wellbeing research and evaluation that we do, we should be thinking not just about cheaper medicines, but also about all of the other significant health gaps. I have had wonderful conversations with Senator McCarthy—she is here today—in relation to that, and I acknowledge her work in this area. It is important that we work together across the aisle to ensure that we can close those gaps, as we should. Getting dental and mental health into Medicare should be our priority, and I implore senators to think about, as their legacy in this place, supporting this Greens policy, led by my wonderful Western Australian colleague, Senator Steele-John, and others here on the crossbench. Think about its importance for yourself, for your family, for your children and for future generations of Australians.