Pharmacy Daily | Budget time

THE Guild is on high alert with the Federal Budget to be brought down by Treasurer Swan at 7.30 tonight. In normal times, one would think that pharmacy remuneration is safe from the usual Budget cycle, with the Community Pharmacy Agreement and the Price Disclosure Memorandum of Understanding still in force. However these are not normal times with the Prime Minister recently proclaiming that “all bets are off” in terms of budgetary commitments. She also spoke of the need for grave and urgent Budget decisions being necessary. The Guild has not been told that the Budget contains any hits on community pharmacy, but it would be foolhardy to be complacent in the current climate. Our view is that the PBS is tracking at sustainable levels, and both pharmacy and the broader pharmaceutical sector have already delivered significant savings to the Commonwealth. The Guild will provide a comprehensive summary of relevant Budget measures to members after the delivery of the Budget.

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