Safe and quality use of medicines the focus of new parliamentary friendship group
19 August 2026
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), the nation’s peak professional body representing Australia’s 42,000 pharmacists, has supported the launch of the inaugural Parliamentary Friends of Safe and Quality Use of Medicines event and used the opportunity to call for a stronger national focus on helping Australians use medicines safely, effectively, and appropriately.
The event was held at Parliament House in Canberra on the evening of Tuesday 18 August, with the Parliamentary Friends group, co-chaired by Mr Steve Georganas MP and Mr Cameron Caldwell MP.
It provided a non-partisan forum for political and industry stakeholders to discuss the crucial role pharmacists play in ensuring the safe and quality use of medicines, including the fact that Quality Use of Medicines and Medicines Safety is Australia’s 10th National Health Priority Area.
PSA National President, Professor Mark Naunton MPS, opened the event by addressing delegates, highlighting that the safe and quality use of medicines remains one of Australia’s most significant health challenges and opportunities.
“The safe and quality use of medicines is one of Australia’s top ten national health priorities,” Professor Naunton said.
“Pharmacists are accessible, highly trained medicines experts. We see the real-world impact of medicines, help prevent medication-related harm, and ensure our patients and communities get the best from their medication regimens.”
Professor Naunton also discussed newly released data on pharmacist-led interventions for preventing preventable hospital admissions.
“Medicine-related harm contributes to around 650,000 hospital and emergency department visits every year, costing the health system an estimated $2.1 billion annually. Importantly, around half of these medicine-related hospital visits are considered avoidable,” Professor Naunton said.
“Research shows that pharmacist-led post-discharge interventions can generate net savings of around $5,000 per patient, while broader pharmacist-led services such as Home Medicines Reviews could reduce the burden of preventable medicine-related harm by an estimated $140 million to $315 million every year.
“It’s important to continue to focus on the critical role pharmacists can play in our health system and in promoting safer and quality use of medicines. I hope the establishment of this Parliamentary Friends group will do just that.”
Mr Steve Georganas MP, Professor Mark Naunton, and Mr Cameron Caldwell MP
Mrs Bridget Totterman, the Hon. Emma McBride MP, Mr Chris Campbell, and Mrs Brooke Shelly
The Hon. Emma McBride MP, Mr Steve Georganas MP, Professor Mark Naunton, Mr Cameron Caldwell MP, Mrs Bridget Totterman, and Mrs Brooke Shelly
Media contact: Leah Jacobsen
E: leah.jacobsen@psa.org.au or media@psa.org.au
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is the only national peak body that represents all of Australia’s pharmacists across all practice settings. We want every Australian to have access to the best healthcare, and this must include optimising access to pharmacists’ knowledge and medicines expertise at the forefront of our healthcare system.
