00:00Well, about $200 million in savings every single year, on top of the $1.5 billion that
00:08people are already saving at the pharmacy counter because of the measures we introduced
00:13last term.
00:14The reason why we've focused so much on cheaper medicines is that it's obviously good for
00:19household budgets, but it's also good for health, because we were hearing too many stories
00:24of people not filling the scripts that their doctor had said was important for their health
00:29because of costs.
00:30And so driving that rate down, in this case down to a rate we haven't seen since 2004
00:37for the price of PBS scripts, is achieving those two aims really, good health and good
00:42for the hip pocket.
00:43What other reforms are to come in this term of parliament?
00:46Because many Australians watching right now would be thinking, I've got to go to the doctor
00:50to get the script, and that's really challenging to do at the moment.
00:53Yeah, we had a comprehensive range of policies to strengthen Medicare at the last election,
00:59as you know, Bridget.
01:00This is delivering on one of them.
01:02We're rolling out urgent care clinics as we speak.
01:04We've got dozens open for tender right now, the 50 additional urgent care clinics we promised.
01:10And on the 1st of November, general practices will receive additional funds if they move to
01:16a full bulk billing model as well.
01:18So that more bulk billing, more doctors, cheaper medicines and more urgent care clinics is really
01:24at the heart of our health care policy, and we're busy delivering on those commitments
01:27right now.
01:29If I can take you, Minister, to the rallies we saw across the weekend, does it concern you
01:34that it appeared relatively easy for white nationalist groups to address large groups of Australians
01:39and even stand alongside some federal politicians?
01:41Yeah, I think these rallies were deeply unsettling for many Australians.
01:48For most Australians who saw from that rally a message of division, intolerance and in some
01:53cases violence, including violence against police, I think they were deeply unsettling rallies
01:58for the vast bulk of the Australian community.
02:00I know that there are investigations underway at state level.
02:04I read that New South Wales Police is investigating whether any hate speech laws in that state were
02:11breached.
02:11There's obviously, as your headlines showed, also an investigation around that attack
02:15on the Aboriginal camp in Melbourne as well.
02:18So there's a lot of water to go under the bridge, I think, about these rallies.
02:22But I think what we want to do from the Federal Government is just reinforce the importance
02:27of social cohesion, the importance of us being a really successful multicultural community
02:32with all of the benefits, economic and social and cultural, that that has delivered
02:37to this wonderful country.
02:38And yet some people don't seem to think it is a major contributing factor to Australian
02:44life.
02:45And I mean, a lot of the rhetoric at the marches was quite confronting to see people go and
02:50attack and violently attack that Aboriginal camp in Melbourne.
02:54Is this a red flag for the government that more needs to be done at that early prevention
02:58level in terms of white supremacist ideals gaining a foothold?
03:02Well, of course, and I think what we need to do, obviously, whether there was hateful
03:07speech, whether there was violence, they need to be confronted and where appropriate laws
03:14need to be enforced.
03:15But the main thing we need to do is counter the hate that came out of so many of those
03:20rallies with a message of tolerance and cohesion.
03:23And I think that's what our government has been trying to do.
03:26That's what so many Australians have been trying to do, to reinforce that the vast majority
03:31of Australians recognise that we are a terrific country, so much richer and more prosperous,
03:38frankly, because of our multicultural nature.
03:41There are some concerning allegations out of Queensland being broken by the ABC over the
03:46last couple of days about serious bungles and lack of oversight at Queensland Fertility
03:51Clinic.
03:52What's happening at a federal level in terms of better regulation of this system?
03:57Well, this is just the latest, really, in a series of stories around the IVF industry
04:01that I think have really shaken tens of thousands of parents.
04:04I'm the father of a beautiful IVF baby myself.
04:07I know the level of trust that the parents or wannabe parents place in these IVF companies.
04:14And they want to know that their systems are really up to scratch and making sure that
04:20they are fully protected.
04:22We've seen these stories over the last few months that I think have triggered a pretty
04:27determined response by health ministers to increase the level of regulation of this sector.
04:33For too long, it's essentially been self-regulated.
04:35As a group of health ministers, we're looking now at whether we take over the regulation,
04:40including lifting it to a national level, particularly whether we take over regulation
04:44of sperm donor laws, because some of these stories are pretty appalling about the operations
04:51of some of the sperm donors.
04:53And only next week, when we get back together as health ministers, we'll be receiving a detailed
04:57report about those proposals.
04:59So you're open to a national regulatory system, potentially?
05:04I definitely am.
05:05I'm very keen to look at proposals to take over regulation from the industry itself.
05:10I think self-regulation isn't working.
05:12And I don't think it's inspiring the confidence that parents need.
05:16But also because of the nature of IVF, it really cropped up in state children's hospitals.
05:20We've got eight different systems of regulation around the country.
05:23I think there's a very strong argument to consider a single national scheme of regulation that
05:29obviously regulates the operators themselves, some of which have come under a spotlight for
05:34very good reason over recent months.
05:36But also things like sperm donor laws, which have been the subject of more recent stories.
Comments