Residents forced to pay for 'forever chemicals' clean-up at local rubbish tip
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia.
But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes.
Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27.
Levels were higher in older people and in males.
But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents.
Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored.
In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year.
The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said.
And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price.
"Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission.
"It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years."
Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle".
He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW.
"The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said.
Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission.
But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS.
It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said.
In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW.
Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag.
"The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote.
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products.
"I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said.
"PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage."
Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025.
"Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said.
"In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do."
The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025.
Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia.
But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes.
Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27.
Levels were higher in older people and in males.
But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents.
Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored.
In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year.
The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said.
And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price.
"Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission.
"It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years."
Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle".
He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW.
"The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said.
Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission.
But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS.
It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said.
In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW.
Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag.
"The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote.
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products.
"I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said.
"PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage."
Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025.
"Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said.
"In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do."
The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025.
Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia.
But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes.
Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27.
Levels were higher in older people and in males.
But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents.
Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored.
In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year.
The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said.
And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price.
"Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission.
"It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years."
Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle".
He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW.
"The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said.
Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission.
But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS.
It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said.
In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW.
Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag.
"The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote.
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products.
"I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said.
"PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage."
Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025.
"Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said.
"In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do."
The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025.
Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia.
But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes.
Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27.
Levels were higher in older people and in males.
But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents.
Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored.
In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year.
The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said.
And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price.
"Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission.
"It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years."
Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle".
He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW.
"The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said.
Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission.
But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS.
It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said.
In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW.
Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag.
"The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote.
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products.
"I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said.
"PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage."
Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025.
"Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said.
"In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do."
The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Why are there still hepatitis C deaths?
Every so often, a medical breakthrough reshapes the health landscape and offers new hope. The cure for hepatitis C is one such medical breakthrough - as significant as the discovery of penicillin. It has saved millions around the world from developing severe liver disease and liver cancer by curing their hepatitis C. It is the first ever drug to cure a virus and completely cure a chronic disease, and has been declared an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organisation. It forms the backbone of treatments offered to people living with hepatitis C in Australia today - a painless cure of one tablet per day for up to 12 weeks. It's a simple molecule that blocks the virus from replicating and is very effective, has minimal side effects, and is vastly superior to previous treatments like interferon. Since it became available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016, 62.9 per cent of all people living in Australia with hepatitis C have received the cure. Yet despite this, about 70,000 Australians still live with hepatitis C. Why, in a country with universal health care and a commitment to disease elimination, are so many people still being left behind? New analysis done by Hepatitis Australia shows that 84 per cent of people now living with hepatitis C no longer inject drugs or contracted the virus in other ways: through blood transfusions before blood screening was introduced in 1990; unsafe tattooing; or medical and dental procedures overseas in countries with less rigorous infection control. In Australia, hepatitis C has primarily been associated with injecting drug use. Significant progress has been made in working with people who inject drugs through community-led outreach, peer programs, and harm reduction services like needle and syringe exchanges. With almost 30 per cent of the prison population injecting while they are incarcerated, prisons are the primary sites of transmission for hepatitis C. Our analysis shows that in NSW, 40 per cent of all hepatitis C retreatments are delivered in prisons, and needle exchange programs are needed to prevent transmission and reinfection. Australia's response to viral hepatitis needs to adapt to the changing nature of the population. While people who inject drugs must always be a priority in our work to eliminate viral hepatitis, a new focus is needed on the many people who might not realise they live with hepatitis C or were told in the past that there was nothing they could do about it. Community hepatitis organisations create stigma-free pathways for people to seek testing and treatment for hepatitis C. When we look at the demographics of this "missing group" of about 59,000 people, they are on average aged 40 to 65, are predominantly male and might have injected drugs, even just once, in their youth or had a tattoo overseas. Hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb that slowly damages and inflames the liver, leading to serious liver disease and, potentially, cancer if left untreated. Most people have no symptoms of hepatitis C for many years until their liver is seriously affected. No one should die from a curable disease because of stigma, silence or a missed opportunity. Australia has what it takes to eliminate hepatitis C. We must act with urgency and compassion to make sure no one is left behind. Every so often, a medical breakthrough reshapes the health landscape and offers new hope. The cure for hepatitis C is one such medical breakthrough - as significant as the discovery of penicillin. It has saved millions around the world from developing severe liver disease and liver cancer by curing their hepatitis C. It is the first ever drug to cure a virus and completely cure a chronic disease, and has been declared an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organisation. It forms the backbone of treatments offered to people living with hepatitis C in Australia today - a painless cure of one tablet per day for up to 12 weeks. It's a simple molecule that blocks the virus from replicating and is very effective, has minimal side effects, and is vastly superior to previous treatments like interferon. Since it became available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016, 62.9 per cent of all people living in Australia with hepatitis C have received the cure. Yet despite this, about 70,000 Australians still live with hepatitis C. Why, in a country with universal health care and a commitment to disease elimination, are so many people still being left behind? New analysis done by Hepatitis Australia shows that 84 per cent of people now living with hepatitis C no longer inject drugs or contracted the virus in other ways: through blood transfusions before blood screening was introduced in 1990; unsafe tattooing; or medical and dental procedures overseas in countries with less rigorous infection control. In Australia, hepatitis C has primarily been associated with injecting drug use. Significant progress has been made in working with people who inject drugs through community-led outreach, peer programs, and harm reduction services like needle and syringe exchanges. With almost 30 per cent of the prison population injecting while they are incarcerated, prisons are the primary sites of transmission for hepatitis C. Our analysis shows that in NSW, 40 per cent of all hepatitis C retreatments are delivered in prisons, and needle exchange programs are needed to prevent transmission and reinfection. Australia's response to viral hepatitis needs to adapt to the changing nature of the population. While people who inject drugs must always be a priority in our work to eliminate viral hepatitis, a new focus is needed on the many people who might not realise they live with hepatitis C or were told in the past that there was nothing they could do about it. Community hepatitis organisations create stigma-free pathways for people to seek testing and treatment for hepatitis C. When we look at the demographics of this "missing group" of about 59,000 people, they are on average aged 40 to 65, are predominantly male and might have injected drugs, even just once, in their youth or had a tattoo overseas. Hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb that slowly damages and inflames the liver, leading to serious liver disease and, potentially, cancer if left untreated. Most people have no symptoms of hepatitis C for many years until their liver is seriously affected. No one should die from a curable disease because of stigma, silence or a missed opportunity. Australia has what it takes to eliminate hepatitis C. We must act with urgency and compassion to make sure no one is left behind. Every so often, a medical breakthrough reshapes the health landscape and offers new hope. The cure for hepatitis C is one such medical breakthrough - as significant as the discovery of penicillin. It has saved millions around the world from developing severe liver disease and liver cancer by curing their hepatitis C. It is the first ever drug to cure a virus and completely cure a chronic disease, and has been declared an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organisation. It forms the backbone of treatments offered to people living with hepatitis C in Australia today - a painless cure of one tablet per day for up to 12 weeks. It's a simple molecule that blocks the virus from replicating and is very effective, has minimal side effects, and is vastly superior to previous treatments like interferon. Since it became available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016, 62.9 per cent of all people living in Australia with hepatitis C have received the cure. Yet despite this, about 70,000 Australians still live with hepatitis C. Why, in a country with universal health care and a commitment to disease elimination, are so many people still being left behind? New analysis done by Hepatitis Australia shows that 84 per cent of people now living with hepatitis C no longer inject drugs or contracted the virus in other ways: through blood transfusions before blood screening was introduced in 1990; unsafe tattooing; or medical and dental procedures overseas in countries with less rigorous infection control. In Australia, hepatitis C has primarily been associated with injecting drug use. Significant progress has been made in working with people who inject drugs through community-led outreach, peer programs, and harm reduction services like needle and syringe exchanges. With almost 30 per cent of the prison population injecting while they are incarcerated, prisons are the primary sites of transmission for hepatitis C. Our analysis shows that in NSW, 40 per cent of all hepatitis C retreatments are delivered in prisons, and needle exchange programs are needed to prevent transmission and reinfection. Australia's response to viral hepatitis needs to adapt to the changing nature of the population. While people who inject drugs must always be a priority in our work to eliminate viral hepatitis, a new focus is needed on the many people who might not realise they live with hepatitis C or were told in the past that there was nothing they could do about it. Community hepatitis organisations create stigma-free pathways for people to seek testing and treatment for hepatitis C. When we look at the demographics of this "missing group" of about 59,000 people, they are on average aged 40 to 65, are predominantly male and might have injected drugs, even just once, in their youth or had a tattoo overseas. Hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb that slowly damages and inflames the liver, leading to serious liver disease and, potentially, cancer if left untreated. Most people have no symptoms of hepatitis C for many years until their liver is seriously affected. No one should die from a curable disease because of stigma, silence or a missed opportunity. Australia has what it takes to eliminate hepatitis C. We must act with urgency and compassion to make sure no one is left behind. Every so often, a medical breakthrough reshapes the health landscape and offers new hope. The cure for hepatitis C is one such medical breakthrough - as significant as the discovery of penicillin. It has saved millions around the world from developing severe liver disease and liver cancer by curing their hepatitis C. It is the first ever drug to cure a virus and completely cure a chronic disease, and has been declared an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organisation. It forms the backbone of treatments offered to people living with hepatitis C in Australia today - a painless cure of one tablet per day for up to 12 weeks. It's a simple molecule that blocks the virus from replicating and is very effective, has minimal side effects, and is vastly superior to previous treatments like interferon. Since it became available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in 2016, 62.9 per cent of all people living in Australia with hepatitis C have received the cure. Yet despite this, about 70,000 Australians still live with hepatitis C. Why, in a country with universal health care and a commitment to disease elimination, are so many people still being left behind? New analysis done by Hepatitis Australia shows that 84 per cent of people now living with hepatitis C no longer inject drugs or contracted the virus in other ways: through blood transfusions before blood screening was introduced in 1990; unsafe tattooing; or medical and dental procedures overseas in countries with less rigorous infection control. In Australia, hepatitis C has primarily been associated with injecting drug use. Significant progress has been made in working with people who inject drugs through community-led outreach, peer programs, and harm reduction services like needle and syringe exchanges. With almost 30 per cent of the prison population injecting while they are incarcerated, prisons are the primary sites of transmission for hepatitis C. Our analysis shows that in NSW, 40 per cent of all hepatitis C retreatments are delivered in prisons, and needle exchange programs are needed to prevent transmission and reinfection. Australia's response to viral hepatitis needs to adapt to the changing nature of the population. While people who inject drugs must always be a priority in our work to eliminate viral hepatitis, a new focus is needed on the many people who might not realise they live with hepatitis C or were told in the past that there was nothing they could do about it. Community hepatitis organisations create stigma-free pathways for people to seek testing and treatment for hepatitis C. When we look at the demographics of this "missing group" of about 59,000 people, they are on average aged 40 to 65, are predominantly male and might have injected drugs, even just once, in their youth or had a tattoo overseas. Hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb that slowly damages and inflames the liver, leading to serious liver disease and, potentially, cancer if left untreated. Most people have no symptoms of hepatitis C for many years until their liver is seriously affected. No one should die from a curable disease because of stigma, silence or a missed opportunity. Australia has what it takes to eliminate hepatitis C. We must act with urgency and compassion to make sure no one is left behind.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
A smile, though endometriosis is no laughing matter
Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Mr Butler said about 23 per cent of practices were expected to continue mixed billing, meaning pensioners and kids would be bulk-billed while others might be charged a gap fee. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
A smile, though endometriosis is no laughing matter
Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Mr Butler said about 23 per cent of practices were expected to continue mixed billing, meaning pensioners and kids would be bulk-billed while others might be charged a gap fee. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN.
