Wed 13 August 2025

Policy and Advocacy Impact: July 2025

Latest updates from AdPh's Policy and Advocacy team

It was a busy few months for our Policy and Advocacy team, with the Albanese Labor Government introducing legislation to deliver on its election commitment to reduce general co-payments for PBS medicines to $25 from 1 January 2026, an initiative AdPha was proud to support leading up to and during the election campaign.

In the first sitting fortnight, Chief Executive Kristin Michaels FAICD, and Head of Policy and Advocacy Jerry Yik FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, PublicHlth) met with Greens and Labor MPs, including AdPha member Assistant Minister Emma McBride FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MentalHlth), discussing rural and regional health workforce, pharmacist's role in lifting productivity through workforce and scope of practice initiatives and the next hospital funding agreement.

AdPha also advocated for members on pharmacy workforce investment, retention and recruitment issues with Ministers and ministerial advisers in New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory in the past month, all of whom face unique challenges where the demand for pharmacy services is high.

In other member-led advocacy:

• AdPha’s Palliative Care Leadership Committee Chair Josephine To and other palliative care stakeholders had another progress meeting with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) to discuss PBS Palliative Care Schedule, with various listing changes to make it more practical and fit-for-purpose.
• On behalf of our Mental Health Leadership Committee, chaired by  Viando Borja FANZCAP (MentalHlth, Lead&Mgmt), we have written to DHDA to amend PBS restriction criteria for clozapine to support expanded community access in the initiation phase, which will be discussed by the PBAC executive next month.
• Members of AdPha’s Transitions of Care and Primary Care, Pharmacy Informatics and Technology and Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committees participated in a consultation with the Australian Digitial Health Agency on improving medicines information sharing, which involved a wide-ranging discussion on the My Health Record, Pharmacist Shared Medicines List (PSML), and interoperability with other health technologies AdPha members use.