Stewart Barbara: Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill — First Reading 
Stewart Barbara: Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:636;Page:7076] 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of New Zealand First to support the Therapeutic Products and Medicines Bill going to a select committee. This bill has had a long and complex history. The idea of a joint agency to regulate pharmaceuticals medical devices and complementary medicines has been around for over 6 years. It is not new. During this entire time—and even today—it has been a topic of hot and impassioned debate but also one where the facts have often been ignored. 
We must be clear about several critical aspects of this matter. The first is that the pharmaceuticals and medical devices industries are generally supportive of this move while the complementary medicines industry is totally divided. New Zealand First has been lobbied by both sides each urging us to support or not support this bill. We have heard from manufacturers of therapeutic goods consumers and lobby groups. 
New Zealand First has held several well-publicised concerns about the establishment of a joint regulatory agency with Australia and has worked with the Minister to have these concerns resolved. The very first of our issues was the issue of sovereignty. We were very concerned about this particular issue. We were not content to see New Zealand confined to the status of an Australian state in any regulatory regime. That is the case under Food Standards Australia New Zealand—we have only one voice whereas we should make up half of the total number of the committee. This issue has now been resolved and under the proposed regime New Zealand will have equal status with Australia. A range of checks on the new agency will be held in New Zealand hands including the ability to have the agency appear before a select committee. 
This is where much of the misinformation on this proposed agency kicks in. This is not an Australian takeover; we are assured of that. It is a genuine joint agency with New Zealanders looking after New Zealand interests and Australians looking after their interests despite the information that is being heard to the contrary. The most crucial aspect of this shift is that it has fundamentally altered the way that Australia will enter its negotiating position on joint future regulatory regimes—that is no longer will New Zealand settle for anything less than equal status. We want equal status. This is a significant shift and it is one that New Zealand First has helped to secure. 
The other issues relate to the cost of the proposed agency and the impact of this on the local complementary medicines industry. Two background matters have to form part of these considerations. The very first is that the situation of an unregulated complementary goods industry would have ended one way or another. It would not have continued. If the joint agency did not proceed then a local regulatory regime was to be implemented. Both would add costs to the industry. Both would see some products removed because they did not meet the regulatory standards. From a health and safety point of view this is vital. Consumers need to know that what is written on an ingredient label is what is actually contained in the product and at the level specified. 
The costs need to be put into perspective. The total cost of the proposed new agency for complementary medicines is around $9 million. A 50 percent subsidy has been offered which brings the cost to $4.5 million. Given that 60 percent of New Zealanders use these products—we have heard in the House even today that some people do not use them and some people do—this equates to a minimum cost per person per year. A cost of around $2 per person has been estimated which is an increase yes but not the huge increase that some people are making it out to be. This will also be phased in over 5 years; there will be time to adjust. 
We must also acknowledge that the complementary medicines industry does not appear to be unified and that the claims and counterclaims of all sides are quite exaggerated. Regulation was going to come anyway and the new agency provides a high standard of regulation at a lower cost. Some parts of the industry want to join the joint agency and some want no regulation at all which is not an option. Those companies that export to Australia and Europe have to meet equivalent standards and they are generally supportive of the joint agency. For many years the complementary products industry has been caught up in smoke and mirrors and has been fighting shadows associated with this proposed agency. At last the legislation is on the table so that it can actually be discussed. It needed to happen. 
New Zealand First has ensured that those opposed to the regime have a further chance to have their say at the select committee. This bill is not being rushed through under urgency so submitters have an opportunity to have a say. Ultimately this is a case of balancing widely different views on the way forward. For New Zealand First the achievement of a 50 percent subsidy and the protection of New Zealand’s sovereignty tips the scales in favour of supporting this bill going to a select committee so that constructive debate can begin. We look forward to the public and those most affected by this bill having an opportunity to put forward their submissions.