Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (10:03): I am pleased to rise today to speak in support of the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. People in my community, like so many around Australia, are struggling with the cost of living. Medicines and health care are the No. 1 issue for so many people and making sure our country doesn't go the way of others, where it is only those who can afford health care who receive it. I am truly proud to be part of a government that is doing everything it can to ensure that people in my community get access to cheaper medicines and more affordable and equitable health care.
This bill is not our first to reduce the cost of medicines. Since our government was elected in 2022, we have been working hard to help local people save on their medicines. We promised we would, and we have delivered on that promise time and time again. In July 2022, we lowered the PBS safety net threshold by the equivalent of 12 fully priced scripts for concession cardholders, saving them up to $81.60 per year. This also saved general patients up to $85 a year—the equivalent of two fully priced scripts. In January 2023, we delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS. We reduced the maximum cost of a general script from $42.50 to $30—a massive saving, particularly for people who are taking multiple medications every day. This bill takes that one step further, but we'll get there in a minute.
Another one of our great cost-saving measures that has been saving money for patients in the Cunningham community since September 2023 is 60-day dispensing, which helps local people with chronic ongoing health issues to get two months worth of medicines for the price of one. Not only does it save money but it also saves time, reducing trips to the pharmacy and, importantly, reducing trips to the GP. Everyone knows it's been getting harder and harder to see a GP. This measure saves you time and saves you money, and it frees up GPs to see even more patients who really need their care. I know what a difference it makes to the people of the Illawarra.
But, wait, there's more. In January of this year, we froze the cost of PBS medicines, with co-payments not rising with inflation for the first time in 25 years. For concession card holders, the co-payment for PBS medicines has been frozen at $7.70 until 2030. It means a sigh of relief and certainty for so many people. In my electorate of Cunningham alone, local people have saved $10.7 million on more than 2.2 million cheaper scripts, all thanks to these policies making medicines cheaper for all Australians. That is just incredible. These policies are making a real and tangible difference in the lives of local people, saving them money and making their health care more accessible, because no-one should be worried about how they are going to afford their medicine. That's just a little, short wrap-up of what we have already done to reduce the cost of medicines.
Now there is this bill, which takes that a step further, again. Under this bill, the general patient co-payment for medicines listed on the PBS will be reduced from $31.60 to $25 per script. Remember, when we came to office, that figure was $42.50. We reduced it to $30 in 2023; now, it will be $25. This delivers on our election commitment and our ongoing commitment to the Australian people to make medicines cheaper and support them to help with the cost of living. Medicines have not been this cheap since 2004—21 years ago. This is a more than 20 per cent reduction in the maximum cost of PBS medicines and will save Australians over $200 million every year.
As I said, no-one should be choosing between medicine and food, electricity or rent. Health care absolutely must be accessible and affordable to everyone. Our government has taken so many steps to reduce the cost of health care. We've been working hard to add new medicines to the PBS to help people with a range of conditions. Since 1 August, Australians with Parkinson's disease, neuroblastoma, endometrial cancer, cystic fibrosis and melanoma have been able to access new and expanded medicines under the PBS. Without being listed on the PBS, these medicines can cost people living with these conditions hundreds of thousands of dollars. Families of children suffering from neuroblastoma have enough to be worried about. They should be able to afford medicine that can help prevent this awful cancer from returning. This life-saving medicine will soon cost $25 instead of $417,000, and that's just one example.
Last year, we made medicines cheaper for over 100,000 Australians living with type 2 diabetes and with high risk of heart disease by expanding medicines available under the PBS. The expanded medicine listings mean that these treatments are available to patients earlier from their GP or specialist without having to wait for their blood sugar to increase to seven per cent. Since we were elected, we have added hundreds of new medicines to the PBS, which has made medicines more affordable and more accessible for all Australians, and we are always looking at ways to help reduce this burden further.
Another area of health care that I am so proud that our government has prioritised is women's health. In February of this year, we added the first PBS listings for new oral contraceptive pills in more than 30 years and the first PBS listings for new menopausal hormone therapies in over 20 years. The tens of thousands of women who use these drugs will be able to save more than $250 a year, thanks to this change. This is part of a $573 million package that is delivering more choice, lower costs and better health care for women.
I recently met with a really interesting local academic, Theresa Larkin from the University of Wollongong, who came to talk to me about hysterectomies. We all know what a tonsillectomy, appendectomy or lumpectomy is. We all know what they are: a surgical removal of the named body part. It's clear from the name what is being removed and the surgical procedure has a title based in logic and reason. That is until you reach the uterus. Then, all of a sudden, its medicinal removal becomes instead about the so-called hysteria of women, an historical condition only for women from the 5th century that we have since shown does not exist. So why is the removal of the uterus still tied to hysteria rather than following the template of every other surgical removal? What about a 'uterectomy'? It's one of the many lingering biases in women's health care. That bias extends further than the name and has impacted women's access to contraception and to treatment for menopause, perimenopause and conditions like endometriosis and led to a struggle for so many women to get the help that they need to deal with pelvic pain. Too often, their pain and suffering has been dismissed, diminished or ignored—that 'hysteria' bias creeping in again.
Associate Professor Larkin has a keen interest in this field of study. Together with Associate Professor Laurencia Villalba, these two incredible women undertook a study which demonstrated a treatment for cardiovascular patients could also provide life-changing relief for women suffering pelvic pain. The study looked at 113 women aged between 17 and 88, some of whom had been suffering pelvic pain for 25 years. It showed that a minimally invasive procedure which blocked pelvic veins in a similar way to the treatment for blocked arteries provided significant and sustained pain relief for close to 100 per cent of the patients. That is absolutely incredible. It is one of the so many examples of the amazing research abilities of the University of Wollongong.
The women who participated in the study gave an average pelvic pain score of seven out of 10, with 10 being the most pain possible. That is what women are experiencing. It is real, it is debilitating and it needs serious attention. After this treatment, most of the patients had full resolution of their pain—fully gone—with the rest having a score of less than three out of 10. Pelvic pain can be reduced or even cured. It is not in your head. Treatment can change lives. I really want to thank Associate Professor Larkin and Associate Professor Villalba for their truly remarkable and valuable work in this field.
I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work of the former assistant minister for health and aged care, Ged Kearney, among several others. Minister Kearney has been a fierce advocate for women's health and she has worked incredibly hard to make some big improvements, like the $570 million women's health package I mentioned earlier. Not only has this added new oral contraceptive pills; it has also provided choice and access to a range of women's health care. As part of this package, we have provided better access and lowered the cost of long-term contraceptives, with larger Medicare payments and more bulk-billing for IUDs and birth control implants. This will save around 300,000 women a year up to $400 in out-of-pocket costs. We've provided better support for women experiencing menopause, with a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments, funding to train health professionals and the first ever clinical guidelines. It will see more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics open around the country. This package will transform menopause care. It will help women who are suffering get the help that they need sooner without having to constantly justify their pain to doctors who don't believe them. It will help women access the contraception that works for them and help those suffering UTIs to get treatment more quickly.
Fundamentally, this is about saying to women that we are serious about improving access and fairness in our health system. Having a period isn't optional. Going through menopause and perimenopause isn't optional. Every woman should be believed when she says she is suffering from pelvic pain, and she should get the treatment and help quickly.
Two out of three women reported healthcare related bias and discrimination as part of the first Australian #EndGenderBias survey. This is shocking and completely unacceptable. Bias against women in our health system means worse outcomes for women and, ultimately, a bigger burden on our healthcare system and economy. We are committed to addressing gender bias in our health system. It has gone straight back into household budgets, easing the pressure on local families, supporting pensioners and supporting those living with chronic health conditions.
By capping PBS medicines at $25, we are helping Australians save a further $200 million every year. Only Labor can deliver cheaper medicines, only Labor will build a stronger Medicare and I am delighted to support this bill. I commend the bill to the House.
