16 News

As part of the 2020/21 Budget, the Morrison Government will provide more than $600,000 to the Leukaemia Foundation as part of Australia’s first National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancer.
Blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, are estimated to account for more than one in 10 cancer deaths in Australia this year.
The number of blood cancers diagnosed each year is on the rise, from around 12,500 new cases in 2010 to an estimated 17,300 in 2020. While survival rates are improving, it is estimated that there will be more than 5,600 deaths from blood cancer this year.
The National Strategic Action Plan will deliver continued support for people battling blood cancers.
Throughout the Blood Cancer Awareness Month of September, there is no better time to shine a light on the tireless work of the Leukaemia Foundation and its efforts to bring Australia’s first comprehensive plan to improve outcomes for people diagnosed with blood cancer to life.
Our Government is committed to ensuring Australia is equipped to deal with the challenges of blood cancer and the need for a coordinated and strategic national response.
This funding will deliver Optimal Care Pathways for blood cancer patients, and enable the Blood Cancer Taskforce to continue its vital work, providing strategic oversight of the implementation until the end of next year.
Optimal Care Pathways will provide wide ranging, evidence-based recommendations for best practice care, from the point of diagnosis, through treatment, survivorship and end-of-life care.
The Blood Cancer Taskforce, made up of representatives from leading Australian haematologists, researchers, and cancer charities, will continue in their roles of coordination of the blood cancer community and implementation of actions in this National Action Plan.
This announcement builds on the $150,000 provided in 2019-20 to establish the expert Blood Cancer Taskforce to develop the National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancer.
The plan was developed in consultation between governments, researchers, non-government organisations, health care professionals, industry, patients, carers and advocacy groups.
This commitment adds to our Government’s significant investment to combat blood cancer, including more than $310 million for blood cancer research from 2013-2019, through the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund and Cancer Australia.
The Morrison Government has also delivered more than $5 billion for blood cancer medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from 2013-14 to 2018-19.
Our Government recently provided access to ground-breaking CAR-T cell therapy for several types of Leukaemia and lymphoma.
CAR T-cell therapy uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. The patients T cells are extracted from the body, genetically reengineered and programmed to recognise and destroy cancer cells, and then reimplanted into the body.
Together with states and territories, the Government currently provides access to Kymriah, a CAR-T cell therapy, through specialist hospitals.
We thank the Leukaemia Foundation for their advocacy and look forward to continue working with them and other partners in implementing this Strategic Action Plan.
The National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancer is available at www.leukaemia.org.au

Greens Economic Justice spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim, responded to reports today that the government will loosen lending standards and relieve the banks of responsibility for determining a customer’s loan capacity to service a loan.
“Today’s announcement shows exactly where this government’s allegiances lie,” Senator McKim said.
“The day after Westpac received the largest corporate penalty in Australian history, the government is changing the rules to benefit the banks.”
“Looser lending standards will result in higher profits, higher dividends, and more money to flowing into the most overpriced housing in the world.”
“This will perpetuate the cycle of high household indebtedness, falling home ownership, and greater financial instability.”
“This is not the pathway to recovery.”
“We’ve just had a Royal Commission that showed the banks’ blatant disregard for the welfare of consumers and their willingness to engage in unlawful and predatory lending.
“And what’s this government’s response? Instead of making the banks abide by the law, they’re changing the law to abide by the banks.”
“Switching the onus of evaluating loan serviceability onto customers will mean the banks shove money down the throat of anyone with a heartbeat.”
“This is foie gras for banking.”
“I am hopeful that the Senate crossbench will join the Greens in opposing the overturning of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act.”
“So I ask Labor today: Whose side are your on? Consumers or the banks? The real economy or real estate speculation?”

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Mehreen Faruqi has said a report of the government-dominated Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee into the Job-ready Graduates legislation is flawed and highly partisan.
The inquiry process was highly problematic, with a 22-day total inquiry period, only two days of hearings, and with no time allowed for discussion on Greens amendments to the report.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This is a flawed and highly partisan report. The Government have used their majority to ignore witnesses, rig the process and recommend this unfixable package be passed. The crossbench should see right through it.
“The report does not fairly convey the level of dissent to the bill heard by the committee. The report leans heavily on the approving comments of some stakeholders while failing to fairly include the more critical comments of others.
“The report fails to acknowledge that numerous key organisations did not support the bill, or only gave their support contingent on substantial amendments.
“Job-ready Graduates is terrible legislation. For no good reason, it will raise student fees and cut billions from Commonwealth contributions to teaching and learning.
“The Senate has the power to bin this bill. I call on all crossbenchers to fully consider the awful impacts of this austerity package for students, staff and universities.
“If passed, the legislation will damage higher education in Australia, possibly irreparably.”
Full Australian Greens Dissenting Report: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Educatio…

The Morrison Government will invest $25 million through the landmark Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) for research to improve the safe use of medicines and medicines intervention by pharmacists.
The new Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Medicine Use and Medicine Intervention by Pharmacists MRFF Grant Opportunity will support the Quality Use of Medicine and Medicine Safety National Health Priority, and is part of the Governments significant ongoing investments aimed at improving access to medicines and the safe use of medicines in the community.
On World Pharmacists Day, our Government acknowledges the outstanding work of Australia’s pharmacists and pharmacy staff in communities across the nation.
Community pharmacies have kept their doors open to support Australians throughout some of the most challenging times in our recent history, including bushfires, floods, drought and a global pandemic.
The Landmark $18.35 billion Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA) signed in June 2020 with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (Guild) and for the first time, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), strengthens the critical community pharmacy sector for the benefit of all Australians.
Two key improvements to community pharmacy programs through the 7CPA have now been finalised:

• From 1 January 2021, to help people take the right dose of medicine at the right time, changes to the Dose Administration Aids (DAA) program will increase the base cap of 30 to 60 services per week. This means pharmacists will be able to provide this important service to more patients each week
• From 1 January 2021 the Government will be boosting its investment in the Rural Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance (RPMA), to ensure people living in rural, regional and remote Australia have access to medicines and pharmacy services.

Our Government continues to provide essential support to Australia’s pharmacists through the COVID-19 National Health Plan.
The existing medicines related COVID-19 measures, including the Home Medicines Delivery Service and Continued Dispensing emergency arrangements will also continue for a further six months in line with other COVID-19 health measures.
The Home Medicines Service, introduced in March 2020 as part of this Government’s response to COVID-19, will continue to the end of March 2021 so people in home isolation or other vulnerable people can get the medicines they need delivered to their front door.
More than 1.1 million deliveries have been made by more than 4600 pharmacies through this service.
We have also extended the Continued Dispensing emergency arrangements to 31 March 2021, so people with chronic conditions can obtain their usual medicines at PBS prices, if they are unable to visit their doctor to get a new prescription. These emergency arrangements were implemented during the bushfires and will continue to provide additional flexibility for people during COVID-19 outbreak.
To better support telehealth arrangements as part of the COVID-19 National Health Plan, the Government has worked with the Australian Digital Health Agency, the Guild and the PSA, to fast track the implementation of Electronic Prescribing.
This will make it more efficient for pharmacists to dispense medicines and reduce prescribing and dispensing errors.
There are now more than 1,830 pharmacies across the country that are actively supplying medicines from electronic prescriptions with this number growing daily.
On World Pharmacists Day, the Australian Government thanks Australia’s pharmacists and pharmacy staff for their work in supporting their patients and their community.

I am pleased to announce all Australian governments have agreed to fund a new treatment for haemophilia patients, through our national blood arrangements.
Hemlibra®, also known as emicizumab, will be made available to eligible patients free of charge through the National Blood Authority (NBA), which is jointly funded by the Australian Government and all states and territories.
This breakthrough treatment would be out of reach for most people at over $675,000 per year, however with funding from governments this will now be available for free for eligible patients.
Approximately 800 patients are expected to benefit each year.
Hemlibra provides relief for patients with haemophilia A, who can suffer life-threatening and severely disabling internal bleeding and joint damage as their blood does not clot.
Currently, these patients require frequent intravenous infusions with clotting factor. If they develop antibody responses to this treatment, they require high cost bypassing agents.
Hemlibra is easier to administer and is only required by patients once a week compared with more frequent and more intrusive alternatives. It is also more effective than current clotting products in reducing bleeding incidents when patients have problems with antibodies.
The National Blood Authority is currently finalising arrangements with Roche, with 63 per cent of costs to be funded by the Australian Government, and 37 per cent by states and territories.
Regular supply of Hemlibra is expected to be available by December 2020.
The haemophilia community has called for this treatment to be provided through the NBA to ensure better treatment is available for affected individuals and families.
I would like to thank state and territory governments for supporting this decision, which will ensure Australians with this serious and debilitating condition can obtain the best possible treatment.