Senate Division 7 · 1 Sep 2025

National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - in Committee - Further reducing general patient charge

Negatived 15 aye · 27 no

What this vote was about

The majority voted against a request for amendment moved by West Australian Senator Fatima Payman (Australia's Voice), which means it failed.

Senator Payman explained that:

The amendment calls for the proposed general patient charge amount of $25 to be reduced to $20. The Pharmacy Guild advocated to reduce it to $19 for it to truly be effective for Australians who are struggling to put food on the table and pay for their medications. This would massively help them with affordability and the cost-of-living crisis.

Amendment text

That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendment:

(1) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 6), omit "$25.00", substitute "$20.00".

Statement pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000

Amendment (1)

Amendment (1) is framed as a request because it amends the bill to further reduce the proposed general patient charge amount from $25.00 to $20.00. The amendment will increase expenditure to subsidise the cost of medicines above the general patient charge amount. The amendment would therefore increase the amount of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme payments made from the Medicare Guarantee Fund (Health) Special Account.

As the effect of this amendment is to increase payments made from the Medicare Guarantee Fund (Health) Special Account, it will increase expenditure under the standing appropriation in section 80 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 or in certain circumstances the standing appropriation in section 18 of the Medicare Guarantee Act 2017.

Statement by the Clerk of the Senate pursuant to the order of the Senate of 26 June 2000

Amendment (1)

If the effect of the amendment is to increase expenditure under a standing appropriation, then it is in accordance with the precedents of the Senate that the amendment be moved as a request.

Context written by They Vote For You volunteers (ODbL), reproduced unchanged.

Committee of the whole: The Senate examines a bill in detail as a committee of the whole. Divisions at this stage decide specific amendments to the bill's text.

Related bills

National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025

By party

Party	Aye	No
Australian Labor Party	1	23
Australian Greens	10	1
Pauline Hanson's One Nation	3	0
Liberal–National Coalition	0	3
Jacqui Lambie Network	1	0

Every vote

Divisions this sitting day

Every division the Senate held that day, in order; the one on this page is marked.

Division 1 Budget — Consideration by Estimates Committees Negatived Senate 26–33
Division 2 Budget — Consideration by Estimates Committees Carried Senate 32–24
Division 3 Budget — Consideration by Estimates Committees Negatived Senate 24–32
Division 4 National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Criticism of Government Negatived Senate 22–34
Division 5 National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Supply of medicine Carried Senate 28–24
Division 6 National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Dentistry Negatived Senate 12–24
Division 7 National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - in Committee - Further reducing general patient charge Negatived Senate 15–27
Division 8 Motions - Australia: Racism - Condemn Negatived Senate 13–38
Division 9 Motions - Australia: Racism - Free speech and lawful assembly Negatived Senate 28–37
Division 10 Motions - Australia: Racism - Camp Sovereignty Carried Senate 39–28
Division 11 Motions - Australia: Racism - Reject and condemn Carried Senate 39–28
Division 12 Motions - Australia: Racism - Reject and condemn Carried Senate 39–28
Division 13 Documents — National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan; Order for the Production of Documents Carried Senate 36–22
Division 14 Matters of Urgency - Gas Industry - Fix leak Negatived Senate 12–28

National Health Amendment (Cheaper Medicines) Bill 2025 - in Committee - Further reducing general patient charge

Related bills

By party

Every vote

AYE (15)

NO (27)

Divisions this sitting day