Location Rules review panel
November 25, 2015
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
has pledged to work constructively
with the newly constituted
Pharmacy Remuneration and
Regulation Review Panel, “on
the basis that they will take an
objective and evidence-based
approach to their task”.
During her speech at last
night’s Pharmacy Guild Annual
Parliamentary Dinner, Health
Minister Sussan Ley announced the
three members of the Panel who
will undertake the review, with two
having previously expressed strong
opposition to the Location Rules.
The panel will be chaired by
economics professor Stephen King,
while the other members will be
Jo Watson, deputy chair of the
Consumer Health Forum (CHF),
along with respected Victorian
pharmacist Bill Scott.
The Guild issued a statement
saying the CHF has “well known
and frequently espoused views
on community pharmacy
regulation, the Location Rules and
remuneration of pharmacies,”
while Professor King recently stated
in an Australian Financial Review
article that the Location Rules are
“anti-competitive and should be
removed”.
“The Guild trusts that the
panellists are not coming to this
Review with pre-determined
positions, and that all issues will
be considered on their merits,” the
Guild said.
The Review was agreed to during
the Sixth Agreement negotiations
as a means of informing pharmacy
remuneration for the next
agreement and addressing any
anomalies around the Location
Rules which are in place until 2020.
Ley said the review will
“undertake a transparent and
public assessment of the cost
effectiveness of all parts of
remuneration, both to pharmacy
and wholesalers, as well as the
appropriateness of location rules”,
reporting to the government in the
first half of 2017.
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