CANBERRA – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated on Saturday that if his party wins the May 21 election, the ruling Coalition will invest Australian Dollar 150 million (USD 105 million) to lower out-of-pocket drug expenses starting in 2023.

According to the state report, the maximum cost of all pharmaceuticals funded by the government under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) would be decreased from A$42.50 to A$32.50 under the plan.

Morrison said that the plan would provide 19 million Australians with immediate cost-of-living assistance.  "We saw the need to take action this year in the Budget to provide relief from cost of living constraints, and we know those concerns are real," he told reporters.

"Many things are beyond your control... However, you can make the safety net more generous to aid those who are on these medications, and you can lower the non-concessional charge on each script by A$10." According to polls, the Coalition failed to make major gains over the Labor Party throughout the election campaign.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese was on the campaign trail in Western Australia on Saturday, ahead of the party's official launch on Sunday. On Saturday, he stated that a Labor administration will set up a royal commission to investigate the Robodebt scheme, an automated government system for collecting arrears from welfare users that was found to be illegal in 2019. 

Morrison, who was the Minister for Social Services at the time Robodebt was established, has denied any involvement in the scheme, which chased over 400,000 debts that were incorrectly issued.

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