It’s really great to have the opportunity to speak to you one final time before the election.
I think many of us thought that we already would be in election campaign mode proper, but a certain cyclone had other ideas.
And, obviously, we're very happy to say that Australia is safe from that cyclone.
But it is a timely reminder to us, in terms of national disasters, that community pharmacy is the shop front to primary care, and you are there at times of disaster, and your existence is absolutely critical to the communities that you serve.
Not having access to things like toilet paper and your favourite breakfast cereal might be a bit of an inconvenience when you're faced with a natural disaster, but not having access to your medicines could well be fatal.
You guys do the yards for your community when times are tough, whether that be disasters, whether that be the pandemic, or even when it's after hours and you're the only health professional open, or perhaps the only health professional in town when it comes to rural and regional communities.
I'm sure your communities don't forget what you do for them, even when sometimes Canberra does.
Can I thank the Guild, as always, for your absolute fearless advocacy on behalf of your members.
You're ably led by the gentleman that just introduced me. You will never find a more formidable advocate on your behalf in Canberra than Trent Twomey.
Can I say from the outset I have no intention of resorting to gutter politics just because an election is imminent.
Health is way too important and, quite frankly, Australians deserve better than lies and scare campaigns about their health.
Much has happened since I last saw you on the Gold Coast last year.
There’s been some significant challenges, there's been some quite notable victories on behalf of the Guild, but there's also still so much to be done to make sure that Australians get easy and timely access to efficient and effective primary care.
So today is a great opportunity for us to discuss some recent events, some as recent as this morning, to reflect on three years of this parliamentary term, but also to look to the future, to what pharmacy could and should look like into the future.
So firstly, I'm pleased to announce that a Dutton Coalition Government will commit to reducing the PBS general co-pay to $25.
That’s $689 million to support cheaper medicines for Australians, because we know that healthcare has never been more expensive.
And shockingly last year, 8% of Australians said that they didn't fill their script because they simply couldn't afford to do so.
We should never be in a situation in Australia where people are forced between their medication and putting food on the table.
The Coalition has always supported Australians having affordable access to medicine, with our proud track record of supporting a strong PBS.
Today's commitment builds on that record, and we're committed to continuing that record into the future, both here domestically and internationally.
And I think our record, in that regard, speaks for itself.
The Coalition successfully negotiated the Free Trade Agreement with the US whilst ensuring the PBS was protected.
So, you can be assured, we do not support President Trump's tariffs and we would not support any proposals that would increase health care costs for consumers and the Australian taxpayer.
And we will continue to protect Australians' access to affordable medicines through the PBS, including making sure that Australians are getting earlier access.
As you know, I don't come from a health background, so I've spent the last two years, nine months, three days, and I think about 25 minutes getting my head around this complex and often combative landscape that is Australia's health care ecosystem.
And boy, have some things become very clear to me.
Firstly, the importance of consultation.
Genuine, engaged consultation where you listen to your stakeholders and you include them in the process from the beginning.
Not a bureaucratic tick-and-flick after the decision's been made, which often leads to unworkable policies like the chaotic vaping policy and the unconsulted dispensing policy.
Let me be absolutely clear, the Coalition supports Australians getting access to affordable medicines.
No one disputes the benefits of that access.
But expecting you guys to pay for it, and then claiming it as a victory for themselves, was a bit rich of the Government.
So, to that end, I will commit today that if we have the privilege of being elected at the next poll, a Dutton Coalition Government will always work closely with Australia's community pharmacies on any changes that will affect your sector.
And I make that promise not just in the interests of good governance, but as a reflexion of the extraordinarily important role you play as community pharmacists in the critical system of primary care in this country.
A system that is in crisis right now.
It has literally never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor and the statistics are really, really disturbing.
Bulk billing rates have plummeted, out of pocket costs have skyrocketed to the highest they have ever been, and more than 1.5 million Australians last year avoided seeing a doctor because they said they couldn't afford to do so.
Made worse by a GP shortage here in Australia, a problem that only gets worse the further you get away from the capital city.
And in the midst of a primary care crisis, we need all of our health professionals working to their full scope, including our community pharmacists.
Especially when you're often, as I said, the only health professional in town, as is many cases in rural and regional Australia.
And the current shortage of health professionals simply does not afford us the luxury of turf wars over scope.
Quite frankly, Australians deserve better.
I acknowledge the work of some states in expanding the clinical role of pharmacy.
I know speaking to many people here in Queensland and right around Australia, the expanded scope that has occurred in the states to enable pharmacies to prescribe, dispense and administer has been hugely, hugely welcomed by the public.
Whether that be seasonal flu vaccines, blood pressure or blood glucose checks, COVID-19 shots, treatments for UTIs or prescribing contraception.
Not only does it improve accessibility for patients, but it can avoid presentations with our hospital system, and we know that that's under extraordinary pressure right now.
And we welcome the opportunity to support pharmacists in your work to accelerate action on women's health by providing accessible community-based health solutions for women around Australia.
Most particularly, the national capacity for pharmacy-initiated prescribing of treatments for UTIs and contraception.
Women should never have to choose between their health and financial stability, and neither should they be forced to wait for a treatment if they can get it safely prescribed when they walk up to their pharmacy.
So, if we are actually going to remove the arbitrary barriers to better and accessible patient care, we need to prioritise every single health professional working at the top of this scope.
But there's so much more we can do to focus on delivering accessible care.
As I mentioned, with the recent challenges of Cyclone Alfred, we also saw the benefit of supporting our pharmacists to step up and improve access to health care during these really difficult and trying times.
And I know that continued dispensing allows you to step up where there's an immediate need for medicine in an emergency situation, when no script is readily available.
But we need now to ensure contingencies are in place when someone has been caught short because they haven't been able to get to see their GP for their regular medication.
So as we head into the campaign, can I say thank you to so many in this room who have afforded me an incredible amount of time over this term of government to get me up to speed on our world class but exceedingly complex health system.
Can I assure you the Coalition is absolutely focused on how we can return prevention, early intervention and primary care to the heart of Australia's health care system, whilst ensuring affordable and accessible care for all Australians.
We have an opportunity to bring our health care system back to one that focuses on good health, not one that nearly responds to sickness.
If nothing else, COVID taught us that we can be agile and we can be innovative when we need to be.
And that means embracing new technologies and practises like telehealth and point of care testing so that they can be real game changers when it comes to the delivery of primary care, particularly when you live in the bush.
As was mentioned this morning, this kind of point of care testing provides us with immediate access and speedy results.
And there's so many things that pharmacy can do to make sure that they are best placed to deliver the best possible care to incentivise a healthy Australia.
And the business case absolutely stacks up.
For the consumer, most particularly, because they're getting quick access to early care so that they're not finding that their condition is deteriorating to a more serious condition.
But it's also good for the budget. It just makes sense.
So going forward, we must focus on making Australians the focus of our health care system.
That is so important.
There's still much work to be done and I really look forward to working with you to get the job done.
[Ends]
@Anne_Ruston
/AnneRuston