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The 2025 federal election is fast approaching, with the process due to occur within less than 2 months.
Both the Albanese government and the Coalition have made numerous pharmacist-focused election promises, putting the profession in a strong position for positive outcomes.
Today, PSA launched its 2025 federal election platform, asking political parties and independents to back changes that allow and support pharmacists to play a bigger role in healthcare and help Aussies stay healthier.
‘Australia’s healthcare system is facing growing pressure, with an ageing population and increasingly complex health needs. Pharmacists are a critical, yet underutilised, part of the solution,’ said PSA National President Associate Professor Fei Sim.
‘This election campaign is an opportunity for commitments to be made to break down those barriers, expand pharmacists’ scope of practice, and ensure pharmacists are supported to deliver for Australians.’
Australian Pharmacist has rounded up the key election asks, and what impact they will have on pharmacists, patients and the healthcare system.
Implement all recommendations of the Scope of Practice Review
To address Australia’s healthcare challenges, the Scope of Practice Review’s final report Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce outlined 18 recommendations.
There are two key priority actions that can be rapidly implemented that would lead to significant change.
Upskilling pharmacist workforce to practise at full scope
Over recent years, pharmacists have been integrating into broader primary care environments, such as general practice and Aboriginal Health Services. Community pharmacy pilot programs across various Australian jurisdictions have allowed
pharmacists to extend their responsibilities, responding directly to local health care gaps and community needs.
However, pharmacists often face significant barriers to expanding their clinical roles, with comprehensive training programs necessary for these new responsibilities requiring investment of both time and money.
To address these hurdles, PSA recommends funding for 8,000 pharmacist training positions over 5 years to facilitate complete scope training, encompassing:
- prescribing training programs accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC)
- foundational training for diverse practice settings such as general practices and Aboriginal Health Services
- credentialing programs for Home Medicine Reviews (HMRs) and the Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP).
Enhancing pharmacist capabilities through advanced training will allow pharmacists to provide more comprehensive and preventive care, effectively managing chronic and acute conditions, reducing the workload on other healthcare providers, and increasing healthcare accessibility. This approach can be rapidly implemented, leveraging existing accredited training programs.
Permitting pharmacists to prescribe PBS medicines within their scope of practice
Pharmacists have been increasingly prescribing a broader range of medicines, including treatments for urinary tract infections, skin conditions, oral contraception, and naloxone. However, pharmacist-prescribed medicines are not currently subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), requiring patients to either pay full price or obtain another prescription from a GP or nurse practitioner to access subsidised rates. This arrangement creates inefficiencies, inequities, and delays patient access to necessary treatments.
PSA has called for pharmacists to be officially recognised as PBS prescribers, aligned with their individual clinical competencies, which would allow patients to access necessary medicines at subsidised prices directly from pharmacies .
This approach would promote efficient and cost-effective pharmacist-led healthcare, reducing administrative complexities and enhancing the functionality of the PBS system.
Reducing harm caused by avoidable medicine errors and mistakes
Medicine errors significantly burden Australia’s healthcare system, causing significant, avoidable patient harm and incurring substantial costs annually.
Coroners have frequently identified preventable medication-related deaths, underscoring the urgent need for stronger safety mechanisms.
To address this critical issue, PSA proposes a nationally coordinated medicine safety and pharmacovigilance program. This system would feature mandatory no-blame reporting for all healthcare providers, enabling comprehensive data collection without fear of repercussions – supported by automated technological systems to streamline data collection and reporting.
Countries such as Canada, Ireland and New Zealand have successfully implemented similar mandatory reporting programs, demonstrating significant reductions in medicine-related harm.
Improving access to HMR services
Patients have long faced unnecessary risks from medicines due to delays caused by administrative limits on pharmacist-conducted medicine reviews.
These barriers particularly impact older Australians and patients in rural or remote areas, leading to extended waiting times that can result in serious health consequences.
To improve patient safety, PSA recommends removing monthly caps on HMR services provided by credentialed pharmacists. This change would enhance timely access and reduce unnecessary risks related to medication errors.
Other suggested measures to expand service availability include allowing HMRs to occur at flexible locations, chosen by patients, reinstating telehealth options proven effective during COVID-19, aligning Medicare and HMR program criteria, applying annual indexation to service fees and increasing rural travel allowances.
Timely medication reviews have been shown to decrease hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes. The removal of restrictive caps and adoption of PSA’s proposed measures would also encourage more pharmacists to gain credentialing, increasing overall healthcare capacity.
Accelerating uptake of Aged Care On-site Pharmacists
The introduction of the ACOP initiative in July 2024 aimed to enhance medication management practices in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). But initial uptake has been slow, primarily due to reluctance among long-term providers of Residential Medication Management Reviews (RMMRs).
Many pharmacists remain hesitant to shift toward the ACOP framework due to lower financial compensation and reduced operational flexibility compared to existing RMMR and Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) models. Pharmacists operating within the ACOP framework also have greater accountability and responsibility regarding patient safety and medicine oversight within RACFs, highlighting a critical gap between expectations and incentives.
To overcome this challenge, PSA recommends increasing remuneration for pharmacists participating in the ACOP program by 15% through strategic reallocation within the existing allocated program budget of $333.7 million.
Offering competitive remuneration will attract and retain skilled pharmacists, ensuring better medication management, enhanced quality of care and reduced hospital admissions for aged care residents.
Integrating pharmacists into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face significant barriers in accessing medicines and ensuring their safe and effective use. These include financial limitations, geographic isolation, difficult interactions with healthcare providers, and systemic issues hindering effective communication between community pharmacies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Services.
PSA proposes integrating pharmacists within primary care teams in ACCHOs – as suggested by the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce (2022) – focussing primarily on medicine education, patient support, medication reviews and clinical governance. The preferred funding approach involves directing resources through the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO). This funding would encompass implementation, administrative support, pharmacist education, mentoring and the establishment of a dedicated community of practice.
The efficacy of this integrated pharmacist model was demonstrated through the Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to Improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC) project.
The project highlighted that pharmacists embedded within primary care teams significantly improved culturally safe healthcare delivery, enhanced chronic disease management, facilitated better communication with external providers and boosted patient adherence and understanding of medications.
Incorporating pharmacists within more general practice primary care teams
General practice pharmacists play a crucial role in addressing the challenges posed by Australia’s ageing population by enhancing medicine safety and contributing to more coordinated care. However, the current allocation of Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) funding favours nurse practitioners, who receive over 80% of funded hours, leaving limited support for other vital allied health professionals such as pharmacists. This imbalance restricts general practices from employing pharmacists, despite their proven ability to improve medication management and patient outcomes.
To address this, PSA proposes a strategic expansion of the WIP – including doubling the funding cap to $130,000 and enabling practices to hire on-site GP pharmacists as part of a collaborative healthcare team. PSA also suggests ring-fencing a portion of this increased funding to ensure practices can employ at least 0.3 full-time equivalent pharmacists for every full-time GP.
The proposal is inspired by successful international models, particularly in the UK, where pharmacists are fully integrated into general practice teams. Early adopters in Australia have shown similar benefits, with pharmacists conducting pre-consultation reviews, analysing pathology results and advising on medication adjustments. This model not only improves patient safety and reduces hospital admissions, but also enhances health literacy and professional satisfaction among pharmacists.
PSA’s full 2025 Federal Election Platform is available here.
