The Federal Health Minister Mark Butler (pictured) has warned of impending “legal chaos that would unleash on thousands of general practices and pharmacies” if on 04 Sep another disallowance motion against the 60-day dispensing (60DD) is lodged, while on 01 Sep the measure takes effect. Butler, speaking in the media this week, emphasised that 60DD “will certainly take effect”. “It’s really gob-smacking that the Coalition would continue to try to block access to these cheaper medicines for six million patients. “But that’s what they did on the last parliamentary sitting week… but…then the Senate voted on that motion, and the majority of the Senate supported our measure, so it will go ahead on the 1st of Sep.” Butler shared that Ruston, the Shadow Health Minister is “intending to lodge another motion to try and block this again, but that obviously can’t be dealt with until after the measure has already taken effect”.

“The legal chaos that would unleash on thousands of general practices and pharmacies, and more importantly, millions of patients, really boggles my mind,” said the minister exasperatedly. “So, after the circus of the last couple of days, and after the clear expression of the will of the Senate, why the Coalition would want to continue to stand alongside the pharmacy lobby instead of alongside patients and try to scuttle this really important cost-of-living measure is beyond me,” Butler stressed.