On 22nd October, the Health Department announced they were stopping 44 out of 77 PBS medicine submissions being considered at the March 2025 Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) meeting and deferring them to at least July 2025 or later.

In 2011 the Rudd Government deferred listing 7 PBS recommendations. The community rallied to challenge this and since then there has been bi-partisan support to list every PBAC PBS recommendation.

The Albanese Government is now deferring PBAC consideration of submissions before a recommendation can even be made and without consultation with the community. 

Deferring PBS medicine submissions will see patients waiting indefinitely for subsidised access to these medicines, including rare disease, chronic disease and cancer treatments. Patients have no visibility of what treatments that might benefit them are being delayed indefinitely.

Access to new medicines is not a privilege. It is a right that the Australian government should dutifully uphold. Let's remind the government of the importance of timely access to vital medication.

The deferral of new medicines approvals leads not only to delayed access but also hinders the progress of innovative treatments that could greatly contribute to the welfare and recovery of numerous patients across the country.

Please sign this petition and join Better Access Australia in demanding that the Australian government cease deferring the listing of new medicines on the PBS, honouring their long-standing commitments and making patients not process the priority in the management of the PBS.

All submissions to the PBAC must be considered as per their notice of intent and consistent with the processes industry and government determined on patient access in their 2017 Strategic Agreement which were reflected in the legislation passed by the Parliament in 2018. This is the community's health system, and these deferrals are not in our best interest.