During the opening plenary at the Australasian Pharmacy Professional (APP) conference 2026, Pharmacy Guild National President Professor Trent Twomey reminded pharmacists why their work matters, opening with a simple statement: “You chose well.”
It landed because it reflects what the past year has shown — community pharmacy keeps showing up.
Community pharmacy has remained the most accessible primary healthcare destination in the country, keeping doors open through bushfires, floods, public holidays and workforce strain. Patients know their names, rely on their advice, and walk into their pharmacies when other parts of the health system are out of reach.
The President highlighted concrete wins backing that commitment.
The PBS co‑payment reduction is already saving Australians more than $30 million, and the Guild is pushing to freeze the co‑payment until 2030 to keep medicines affordable. The 8th Community Pharmacy Agreement helped rebalance the impact of 60‑day dispensing and supported important women’s health reforms. And when the price of Vyvanse dropped suddenly, the Guild secured a first‑of‑its‑kind agreement to protect pharmacies holding existing stock — a new benchmark for the sector.
Pharmacy has had a tough year, but these advocacy outcomes show a Guild acting quickly when the sector is under pressure, and pushing steadily on reforms that matter.
From dispensing to diagnosing
A major theme in this year’s speech was how quickly the profession is moving into full‑scope of practice.
Just a year ago, only Queensland pharmacists could initiate hormonal contraception. Now, every state and territory except NSW and the ACT is progressing reforms so patients can receive timely care from their local pharmacist. Nearly 200 pharmacists will graduate in the class of 2025 as qualified prescribers — up from just 20 a year. Soon, that will grow to 2000 prescribing graduates annually, a genuinely transformative shift in how pharmacists support patients.
Universities across the country (except the ACT) now offer Graduate Certificates in Advanced Practice and Prescribing, and many practising pharmacists are already combining study with their day‑to‑day work to develop advanced clinical skills. The Guild’s vision under Towards 2035 is clear: 80 percent of pharmacies and 80 percent of pharmacists delivering full‑scope services — treating everyday and long‑term conditions confidently and safely.
Professor Twomey made it clear the next step is embedding prescribing into the base pharmacy degree, so future generations can enter the profession ready to assess, diagnose and treat. It’s the natural progression of pharmacy’s role — and it’s already happening.
What comes next
The President acknowledged the challenges facing the sector — from flat dispensing volumes and ownership concentration to the fallout experienced by pharmacists involved with the Infinity Group. These issues underline why pharmacist‑only ownership and location rules remain essential to preventing pharmacy deserts and protecting equitable access to care.
Internationally, the Guild is more connected than ever through the World Pharmacy Council, bringing home insights from 14 countries and nearly 200,000 community pharmacies. And as the Guild approaches its 100‑year anniversary in 2027, Professor Twomey urged members to help shape the next century by completing the 2026 Member Census — vital data to secure the best possible outcomes in the 9CPA.
To read the full speech transcript, visit the Pharmacy Guild of Australia's website.
