Capping PBS medications to $25

https://linktr.ee/sharonclaydon

Sharon Claydon MP speech from the House of Reps 26/08/25

I am very pleased to speak in support of this bill before the House tonight, the National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025. At its heart this bill is about something simple but powerful: making sure people can afford the medicines they need—not in theory, not in a few years, but right now, in the middle of a cost-of-living crunch, when every dollar matters. This is a bill that goes to the core of what we value as Australians: fairness, equity and the belief that no-one should have to compromise their health because of what's in their wallet.

We know the price of essentials has been creeping up, whether it's at the grocery shop, in the electricity bill or on the fuel gauge. For far too many Australians that pressure has included the pharmacy counter. For many Australians medicines are a significant cost-of-living pressure, affecting women at almost twice the rate of men. In fact, in 2023-24, nearly 1.2 million Australians delayed or did not fill a script because of the cost. That's not just a number. That's real people—mums, dads, grandparents—having to make an impossible choice between their health and their household budget.

I've had countless conversations in Newcastle with people who've told me they've had to delay filling a script or cut tablets in half to make them last longer. Imagine being told by your doctor that you need a full dose to stay healthy and then having to take the risk of halving it because you simply can't afford the next box. That's not how a world-class health system should work. You shouldn't have to gamble with your health just to keep the lights on. That's what this bill is designed to fix.

This legislation is practical and targeted. It will cut the maximum PBS copayment. That's the most you'll pay for many common medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This bill will also keep the copayment freeze for concession card holders going even longer, so pensioners, veterans and others on fixed incomes will know that they're not going to be hit with these price hikes. These are practical changes that mean immediate savings for households, without undermining the pharmacies that are so critical to our health system. This is smart, sensible reform that balances affordability for more than 5.1 million patients with sustainability for providers.

I always like to bring these big national reforms home, literally, and look at what they mean for Newcastle. Since Labor first reduced the PBS copayment last year, Novocastrians have saved more than $10 million from more than 1.2 million scripts, under Labor's cheaper-medicines bill, for a maximum $25 copayment. They'll save millions more. That's pensioners in Wallsend who can now afford every script on the list. It's young parents in Mayfield who don't have to choose between asthma medication for their kids and paying the water bill. It's people with chronic conditions—diabetes, high blood pressure, mental health needs—who can stay on track with their treatment instead of ending up in hospital. We know the flow-on effect: healthier people, fewer preventable hospital visits and a health system that works better for everyone. These are the kinds of flow-on effects we really want to see. When you take the financial stress out of filling a prescription, you improve lives and you take pressure off the hospital system, which is something that every government and every hospital administrator wants to see.

Full speech here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_...