Thursday, 14 August 2025

Community pharmacists

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:36): (1851) If I could perhaps shift the focus of the adjournment debate back into this century – we know the Liberal Party love to dwell in the past. We know they love to take us back to the 1950s and who knows how much earlier. That is just what they do. But I would actually like to talk about something that is happening in this century, Mr McCracken, and that is to do with the innovative ways in which this government is providing healthcare access to Victorians. My adjournment, therefore, is to the Minister for Health in the other place, and the action that I seek is an update on all the very many ways in which we are providing better healthcare services to Victorians where and when they need it.

We know of course about Victoria’s virtual emergency department, which is providing great services to people already and providing that additional level of care for people and that additional level of triage as well so that they can be supported either in the VED or in an actual ED if so required. We have had very interesting evidence in the Ambulance Victoria inquiry about this as well, and we look forward to seeing the outcome of that report and the many ways in which that is also supporting Ambulance Victoria.

The particular update I seek information on is the community pharmacy program. It is a wonderful initiative. It has been backed in by pharmacists enthusiastically across the state.

Melina Bath interjected.

Michael GALEA: And Victoria is in fact, Ms Bath, the only state in which this program is being rolled out completely free of charge to those accessing the services. Those appointments in the pharmacies are fully free of charge to access, which is really important in not just providing additional healthcare access – the healthcare access that Victorians need – but doing so in a way that is not hurting the hip pocket. We have seen from the former federal Liberal government a complete assault on bulk billing and on affordable access to health care, and it is great to see the federal Labor government do some steps to return that. We look forward to much more action in that space.

At this level, though, the urgent care clinics were initiated by the state government here in Victoria – and indeed even by the Liberal government in New South Wales, mind you, because even they recognised that the federal Liberals were completely useless. We have done the urgent care clinics. It is a great program. The community pharmacy copilot program – a wonderful initiative. And Mr McGowan, when we go on our bus trip in the south-east we can stop in at all the various pharmacies that have already taken up this wonderful program. In between our stops on that bus trip we can go and see the many ways in which this is working. So the action that I seek is an update on these and any other ways in which this government is providing innovative and modern, 21st-century access to health care for all Victorians.