Division Description Changes — Bills — National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024; Second Reading — 27th Jun 2024

Change	Division
senate vote 2024-06-27#7 Edited by mackay staff on 2024-07-04 13:41:05	Title Bills — National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024; Second Reading National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024 - Second Reading - Recognise Pharmacy Guild of Australia Description ~~<p class="speaker">Penny Allman-Payne</p>~~ <p>I rise to speak on the National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024. The Greens will be supporting this bill. This bill does a few things, one of which is to freeze the indexation of patient co-payments for PBS medications. It does that for five years for people who are on income healthcare cards, and it does it for one year after the rest of the community. It also provides assistance to pharmacists who are dispensing 60-day scripts.</p> The majority voted against an [amendment](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Famend%2Fr7206_amend_ecc35329-bc33-4e15-a1b1-b7554cddd5d1%22;rec=0) to the usual second reading motion "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea). The amendment was introduced by South Australian Senator [Anne Ruston](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/sa/anne_ruston) (Liberal) and would have added the text below. ### Amendment text > At* the end of the motion, add “, but the Senate notes that:* > > (a) the measures contained in this bill are only a result of sustained advocacy from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and other groups with the support of the Coalition; > *> (b) the bill is recognition by the Government that its initial approach to 60-day dispensing would have caused damage to all Australians who rely on their local community pharmacist;** and* > *> (c) the ink is not even dry on the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement and the Government is already undermining** community pharmacies by foisting a rushed and ill-conceived vaping model on community pharmacies without their consultation or support”.* <p>I note, as my Greens colleagues have, that the cost of health care is rising, and this is just one step the government should be taking to reduce the cost of health care for people in this country. So we strongly urge the government to, in addition to this measure, take action on things like putting mental health and dental care into Medicare and moving to a position where people can, no matter their income, access the pharmaceuticals that they need.</p> ~~<p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p>~~ ~~<p>The question is that the second reading amendment as moved by Senator Ruston be agreed to.</p>~~ ~~<p></p>~~ ~~<p></p>~~

~~Penny Allman-Payne~~
I rise to speak on the National Health Amendment (Supporting Patient Access to Cheaper Medicines and Other Measures) Bill 2024. The Greens will be supporting this bill. This bill does a few things, one of which is to freeze the indexation of patient co-payments for PBS medications. It does that for five years for people who are on income healthcare cards, and it does it for one year after the rest of the community. It also provides assistance to pharmacists who are dispensing 60-day scripts.
The majority voted against an [amendment](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Famend%2Fr7206_amend_ecc35329-bc33-4e15-a1b1-b7554cddd5d1%22;rec=0) to the usual second reading motion "*that the bill be read a second time*" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea). The amendment was introduced by South Australian Senator [Anne Ruston](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/sa/anne_ruston) (Liberal) and would have added the text below.
### Amendment text
> *At the end of the motion, add “, but the Senate notes that:*
>
> *(a) the measures contained in this bill are only a result of sustained advocacy from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and other groups with the support of the Coalition;*
>
> *(b) the bill is recognition by the Government that its initial approach to 60-day dispensing would have caused damage to all Australians who rely on their local community pharmacist; and*
>
> *(c) the ink is not even dry on the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement and the Government is already undermining community pharmacies by foisting a rushed and ill-conceived vaping model on community pharmacies without their consultation or support”.*
I note, as my Greens colleagues have, that the cost of health care is rising, and this is just one step the government should be taking to reduce the cost of health care for people in this country. So we strongly urge the government to, in addition to this measure, take action on things like putting mental health and dental care into Medicare and moving to a position where people can, no matter their income, access the pharmaceuticals that they need.
~~Sue Lines~~
~~The question is that the second reading amendment as moved by Senator Ruston be agreed to.~~
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