Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. Minister, Australia is facing a dangerous shortage of saline IV fluids, which is forcing doctors to ration supplies in every hospital across the country. Despite having been worried about it last year, your government did nothing. This is a national crisis of your government's own making, but, in question time yesterday, you again continued to pass the buck to the states and territories. Will the government finally take responsibility and show some leadership by using the National Medical Stockpile to secure our supply of saline fluids?

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

Again, here we have it. I don't agree with the question that has been put. I agree there's a shortage of IV fluids, but it is being managed appropriately. I don't agree with the negative slant from those opposite. All they know is how to be negative, how to divide, how to raise fear, how to raise concern and how to raise the temperature. That's all you know. I was just reading a statement from the AMA, which has had to respond because of the level of concern that has been raised in the media. People think that they are not going to be able to access IV fluids. That is not the case. I listen to the AMA before I listen to the opposition when it comes to health matters—that's for sure. They have said the coordinated response—

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What do the doctors say?

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

They are the doctors, Senator Cash. The AMA is the peak doctors body, and it has acknowledged the coordination efforts on the IV fluid shortages to ensure that patients don't miss out. Some of the stirring and the raising of fear that you have been doing has raised concerns in the community, as it always does in the health area. The AMA has made a statement to reassure the Australian people that the fluid shortages are being handled appropriately, that governments are working together to make sure that no patient is impacted and that, at the same time, all efforts are being used to make sure that if there are ways to alleviate the shortage, it can be done. This was discussed by health ministers on Friday. The matter is in hand. There are processes established across the health system to deal with shortages, and they are being followed.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Askew, first supplementary?

Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, this crisis has now exposed major supply shortages in other critical areas such as oral liquid morphine, as reported in the Australian today. What action has the government taken to address this reported shortage of morphine which is causing distress amongst patients?

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

Again, the word 'crisis' being used for this is not right. There is a shortage of IV fluids that is being managed appropriately so that patients don't miss out. Using language like that creates concern, which the AMA is now trying to deal with. It wants people to be reassured that the IV fluid shortage is being handled. In relation to morphine, a similar process is being handled. This is what health systems deal with all the time. It would have dealt with it when you were in government. The Medicine Shortages Action Group—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

From time to time there are shortages, and they get dealt with properly by health professionals who understand the health system, not by people sitting in here and using the word 'crisis'. It is irresponsible, it damages confidence, and it worries people. It's being managed properly across all governments.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Askew, second supplementary?

Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has also been reported that patients are waiting on average nearly 600 days to access medicines that have been approved by the TGA through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Will the Albanese government apologise to the Australian public for failing to safeguard their access to essential medicines?

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

I completely disagree with that question. It's just wrong. We are adding medicines to the PBS all the time. In every budget, the most significant investments are going in to listing new medications. There is a process where it comes from the approval committee to be listed. We have a fund that we use to fund those arrangements. There is pressure on it, as there is in every area of government, because there are new medications coming all the time that people would like listed. They need to go through the process that was in operation when you were in government. It is being managed properly. Not only are we listing new medicines; we've made medicines cheaper. Do you remember who voted against that? On 60-day prescriptions they said the sky would fall in. People are saving a lot of money. We've put the freeze on scripts, in this budget, and we've lowered the price of scripts overall. We're doing everything we can to support people with medicines.