SBS News in Easy English 21 July 2025
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Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'Not up for negotiation': Aussies expected to save $200m a year from major cap on PBS-listed scripts despite tariff threats to industry
Millions of Australians are expected to save $200m in vital medication fees as a landmark bill caps the price of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions at just $25, down from $31.60. The bill is set to take effect from January 1, as the Labor government takes the first steps to legislate the bill and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows to keep his election pledge on cost of living relief. The changes mean the cost of medicines on the PBS could be significantly reduced by over 20 per cent. Minister for Health, Mark Butler said five million Australians will feel the relief in their pockets. The cost of medicine for pension and concession card holders will remain frozen at $7.70 until the end of 2029. The bill which was announced by Labor during the May election campaign is expected to cost the budget $690m over four years. Mr Albanese said it built on a pledge for cost of living relief. 'This is another example of cost of living relief that helps every Australian,' he said. 'The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your healthcare. My government will continue to deliver cost of living relief for all Australians.' Mr Butler added general patients' medicines haven't been this cheap since 2004. 'The Albanese Government has been focused on delivering cheaper medicines for Australians," he said. 'Cheaper medicines are good for the hip pocket and good for your health." The Assistant Health Minister, Emma McBride said the bill was set to pass despite US President Donald Trump's 200 per cent tariff threat on pharmaceutical imports. The US is Australia's biggest pharmaceutical export market and if the tariff is implemented it could cost the Australian economy up to $2.8 billion and force pharmas' to hike up their prices. However, Ms McBride said the PBS is not up for negotiation and "it is not a bargaining chip". "Labor introduced the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to make sure that essential medicines were available to all Australians, and with this introduction of legislation to enact our election commitment, it will mean a cap on $25, which will save Australians about $200 million a year, 5.1 million Australians estimated to benefit," she said.
SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Israel announces daily pauses in military bombardment of Gaza as aid airdrops begin
Israel announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight. US President Donald Trump, on a visit to Scotland, said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza, and he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with Hamas. Military activity will stop from 10am to 8pm until further notice in Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian area along the coast, in central Deir al-Balah and in Gaza City, to the north. The military said designated secure routes for convoys delivering food and medicine will also be in place between 6am and 11pm starting from Sunday. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said staff would step up efforts to feed the hungry during the pauses in the fighting. "Our teams on the ground ... will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said on X. In their first airdrop in months, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into Gaza on Sunday local time, a Jordanian official said, adding that those were not a substitute for delivery by land. Palestinian health officials in Gaza City said at least 10 people were injured by falling aid boxes. Work on a UAE project to run a new pipeline that will supply water from a desalination facility in neighbouring Egypt to around 600,000 Palestinians along the coast would also begin in a few days, the Israeli military said. Dozens of Palestinians have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry reported six new deaths over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition, bringing the total deaths from malnutrition and hunger since 2023 to 133, including 87 children. On Saturday, a five-month-old baby, Zainab Abu Haleeb, died of malnutrition at Nasser Hospital, health workers said. "Three months inside the hospital and this is what I get in return, that she is dead," said her mother, Israa Abu Haleeb, as the baby's father held their daughter's body wrapped in a white shroud. The Egyptian Red Crescent said it was sending more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 metric tons of food to southern Gaza on Sunday. Some had been looted in the area of Khan Younis after entering Gaza, residents said. Naima Abu Ful holds her malnourished 2-year-old child, Yazan, at their home in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Source: AP / Jehad Alshrafi Aid groups said last week there was mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people and international alarm over the humanitarian situation has increased. A group of 25 states including Britain, France and Canada last week said Israel's denial of aid was unacceptable. The military's spokesperson said Israel was committed to international law and monitors the humanitarian situation daily. Brigadier General Effie Defrin claimed there was no starvation in Gaza, but appeared to acknowledge conditions were critical. Israel cut off aid to Gaza from the start of March to pressure Hamas into giving up dozens of hostages it still holds and reopened it with new restrictions in May. Many Palestinians expressed some relief at Sunday's announcement, but said fighting must end. "People are happy that large amounts of food aid will come into Gaza," said Tamer Al-Burai, a business owner. "We hope today marks a first step in ending this war that burned everything up." Health officials at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza said Israeli firing killed at least 17 people waiting for aid trucks. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at suspects endangering troops and was unaware of any casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to allow the entry of humanitarian supplies whether it is fighting or negotiating a ceasefire and vowed to press on with the campaign until "complete victory". Hamas said Israel was continuing its military offensive. "What is happening isn't a humanitarian truce," said Hamas official Ali Baraka.
SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Albanese government moves ahead with election pledge to cap prescription medicines to $25
The Albanese government says it will introduce legislation this week to cap the cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions to $25, down from $31.60 from next year. It means the cost of medicines on the PBS could be reduced by over 20 per cent from 1 January, 2026. Pensioners and concession cardholders will continue to pay just $7.70 for their prescriptions until at least 2030. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it builds on a pledge for cost of living relief. "The size of your bank balance shouldn't determine the quality of your healthcare," he said. Health Minister Mark Butler said the general patients medicines haven't been this cheap since 2004. In 2024, Australia exported roughly $2.1 billion of medicinal and pharmaceutical products to the United States, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows. If the US were to put tariffs on medicinal exports, this could make Australian drugs more expensive. Driving down demand could also force manufacturers to move overseas, where the costs of operations are cheaper. The party promised an $8.5 billion boost aimed at strengthening the system and incentivising more clinics to bulk bill. This included $3.5 billion in direct incentives to GPs and medical centres, and $400 million for training more nurses and doctors in primary care settings, outlined in the March federal budget .
