When you’re at home in Victoria, which community pharmacy do you rely on, and what personal memories stand out about the role it has played for you and your family?
I am very fortunate that where I live in Wangaratta, we have several wonderful community pharmacies where I receive health advice, vaccinations and purchase prescription medicines.
When I first moved to Northeast Victoria, I lived in Chiltern which has a proud history of community pharmacy with Dow’s Pharmacy which was part of the community for more than 160 years. For a time, it was run by David J. McEwen, father of former Prime Minister John McEwen after which Hilda Dow took over. After she married her husband John Dow in 1932, he became her apprentice.
The pharmacy ran from 1929 until 1969. It remains almost completely intact and is now cared for by National Trust. I had the great privilege of getting to know Mrs. Dow when I was the Director of Nursing of the Chiltern Bush Nursing Hospital. She was greatly loved and admired and emblematic of the deep, personal connections that local pharmacies have within their communities.
From your perspective, which areas of Australia’s healthcare system have seen the most meaningful progress in recent years?
Prior to being elected to the Federal parliament, I spent 30 years working both clinically and as research academic in rural health. Over the course of that time the most meaningful progress has been in the implementation of evidence to care. I have seen such a shift in how clinicians now routinely ask the question “what does the evidence say?”.
With the advent of integrating genomics and bioinformatics into clinical care and diagnostics there is real promise in delivering highly targeted personalised care but with that comes the challenge of ensuring that people who live in rural communities such as mine have access to such therapies in the same way as people who live in the cities.
We have a long way to go in meaningfully addressing serious health inequities in outcomes and funding between regional and rural Australia and metropolitan Australia.
Since becoming the independent Member for Indi in 2019, what are the three biggest personal or professional changes you’ve experienced?
- I have had to change how I navigate and live with social media — It can be a power for good in communicating with a wide range of people but sadly a force for evil in spreading misinformation and disinformation and social division.
- We have no federal laws to ensure truth in political advertising, and this creates a significant professional challenge both during election campaigns and between them. We need to change this.
- Finding the balance between life as a public figure and being an ordinary human with family, friends and carer responsibilities has meant many changes in my daily life. I have learnt to quarantine time for both but accept that even when I am out and about with my family, I may be stopped and asked about a particular issue.
What feedback have you heard from community pharmacists and people in Australia about the recent bipartisan-supported reduction in the PBS co-payment?
In regional areas, as many as one in three Australians skip or delay filling a script because of the cost of medication. Constituents often contact my office or stop me in the street to tell me the sacrifices they make to afford their medications or sometimes, the sacrifices to their health they make to afford to keep a roof over their head. I know pharmacists in Indi hear stories like this every day. They want medicine to be affordable for all Australians. I supported the Cheaper Medicines Bill to reduce the PBS co-payment as a meaningful policy that will tangibly improve health outcomes for rural communities.
Looking ahead, what further improvements would you like to see to strengthen the PBS?
The PBS would mean nothing if we did not have a fantastic workforce of dedicated pharmacists to deliver it. The Government should be doing all they can to make sure we continue to train the next generation of pharmacists to care for us. Initiatives like expanding Commonwealth Prac Payments to include all allied health professions, including pharmacists, is one way we can improve the PBS by making sure we have the workforce to make it happen.
How do you view the role of community pharmacists in addressing what you’ve called the postcode lottery in Australia which affects access to quality healthcare across the nation?
Rural Australians travel extraordinary distances to access services that our city cousins take for granted. But one thing we often have is a local pharmacist. They are at the heart of rural communities — they know everyone, and everyone knows them. Having trusted pharmacists who live in our communities and who understand the joys and challenges of rural life is one way we can start and are addressing the postcode lottery. We need a whole lot more of them too.
You’ve been a strong advocate for expanding the Commonwealth Prac Payment program. What changes would you like to see to ensure pharmacy students are properly supported as part of any reform?
Students studying allied health and medical courses - including pharmacy - are required to undertake hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of mandatory placement to complete their degrees. When we’re experiencing a crippling health workforce shortage, it’s unacceptable that students are effectively paying to train. We need a fair, nationally consistent system that provides financial support during placements so students can focus on learning, not on how they’ll make ends meet.
Given your professional background and public role, how do you think about modelling good health and wellbeing — and what are your top three tips for our readers?
Well, nothing new from me. My tips are consistent with long-term public health evidence and importantly I don’t always succeed, so big tip is be kind to yourself and keep trying.
- I try hard to have a balanced diet with as little highly processed food as I can.
- I keep my body moving by exercising in some way, every day and even better if I can do that with people whose company I enjoy. That’s great for both my physical and mental health. If I can’t do a lot, I do a little. Some days it might only be a ‘Sun Salutation’, other days it might be a decent bike ride or Pilates.
- I like to have a laugh. I enjoy Australian comedy and honestly some of the antics in Australian politics is laughable.
When you think about your work, which issues weigh you the most?
It’s the persistent disadvantage experienced by far too many rural, regional and remote Australians — whether in accessing healthcare, education or well-paid secure employment opportunities. Australians have experienced a lack of long-term policy solutions from successive governments and that has real consequences. Those of us living outside metropolitan Australia have shorter life expectancy, and that’s simply not good enough. It’s something I carry with me every day in this role.
Looking back on your time in politics so far, what are you most proud of?
I am very proud to be the Member for Indi - to have both local impact and national influence. I am so proud of the way my office works with thousands of constituents to resolve Commonwealth issues.
One case that’s stayed with me is helping a family caring for their son who lived with significant disability. When the family came to see me, they were deeply distressed and exhausted by both Centrelink and NDIS. I was able to resolve their issues and now that young man is flourishing in a traineeship, his mother has returned to the workforce and the family is thriving. I see them from time to time, and it gives me a great sense of purpose that I can make a difference to people’s lives.
I’m proud of the work I took on after my predecessor Cathy McGowan to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Our community — and the nation — had seen a serious decline in trust in government, and establishing the NACC was an important step towards restoring integrity and accountability to federal politics. My work to establish the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which is helping households lower their energy bills while contributing to the clean energy transition is an example of the pragmatic solution focused work I bring to the massive global challenge of climate change.
