PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen I'd like to first of all thank Baptist Homes and Ms Heinrich and John Church for allowing us to come to this facility in my electorate of Bennelong. I have been here before. It's a wonderful example of an aged care facility and I have brought along a younger and more handsome member of the Government in Tony Abbott. And we have a little announcement to make and then we're going to move around and meet you and have a cup to tea and wish you all a very merry Christmas.
But I am very happy to announce two very important measures that the Government is adopting to help people who suffer from osteoporosis, which is a bone brittle disease which does affect a lot of people as the years go by. And we have decided to do two things; we are going to put Alendronate, which is a wonderful drug for treating osteoporosis on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, so it will be fully subsidised in accordance with the rules of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. And the other thing we are going to do, we're going to provide that for anybody over the age of 70 whose doctor thinks they may be at risk, they can have a bone density test on Medicare. And those two measures together will put Australia, so I am told, in the forefront of the treatment of this enfeebling disease around the world.
So the drug, the very fine drug Alendronate, I think I have pronounced it correctly, but Mr Abbott will correct me if I haven't. It will go on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme list and then in addition to that, if your doctor thinks and you're over 70, and your doctor thinks you may be at risk, he can have the bone density test. That will be covered by Medicare and if you are below a certain level then you become eligible for the drug. And that will covered by the PBS.
So it does, together, represent a very significant advance in the treatment. It will cost about $255 million over a period of four years but there is always a cost involved. But it's a cost the community is very happy to bear because these are important changes that will make life more enjoyable for people who suffer from this disease. And it does represent a very, very big step forward and I'm delighted to have Tony with me. Tony has lobbied and advocated and he didn't, on this occasion he didn't need to twist the arm very, very much, because once we were satisfied it stacked up in accordance with the PBS requirements, we were very, very pleased.
But I am very happy to make that announcement this morning. Tony may want to add something to what I have said. But can I just finally say to all the wonderful people here, have a wonderful Christmas and this is a great facility. I have visited it on numerous occasions over the years.
I know of the wonderful work of Baptist Homes, and I know of the wonderful work of, I think it was John's father Fred, who was such a driving force and founding father, if I can put it, of Baptist homes here in New South Wales and around Australia. And I occasionally encountered him when I tried to practice law about 30 or more years ago, but he's made a wonderful contribution, the family has, and to Baptist Homes generally. And June Heinrich of course is one of the pillars of the aged care industry movement. I prefer movement, industry sounds a little too vulgar for such a compassionate pursuit.
So to all of you, thank you, God bless, and merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you all during the year. But Tony my good and younger friend may want to have something to say. Tony.
MINISTER ABBOTT:
Well thanks very much PM and it's very good of you to have a political colleague into your political parish like this. John, thanks for welcoming me into your electorate. Look I feel very excited about this because as the Health Minister, all sorts of people come up to you all the time with very good ideas and often you can't do what they want you to do straight away. But we have a good system in place and invariably over time, our system does accommodate nearly every self evidently sensible idea that is put forward.
Plainly it does make sense to pursue the principle that prevention is better than cure. Plainly it did make sense to put Alendronate onto the PBS for people at risk of a fracture, before a fracture has actually taken place. It plainly made sense, and I am delighted that our system has now accommodated that a couple of years after Osteoporosis Australia started campaigning for it.
So to Judy Stenmark and to Professor Phillip Cambrook from Osteoporosis Australia, I think this would be quite a professionally satisfying day for you and I am delighted that the Government has in this way been able to deliver this additional service to older Australians who very much need it.
So great day for older people and I think, if I may say so, more good news from the Howard Government.
Thank you.
[ends]