Howard missing the point over FTA and patent law: expert; Medical lecturer discusses the FTA

• Published in: PM - Australian Broadcasting Corporation p. 1
• Main Author: Kirk, Alexandra
• Format: Transcript
• Language: English
• Published: Sydney Australian Broadcasting Corporation 05.08.2004

[Alexandra Kirk]: Dr [Tom Faunce], the Prime Minister says he sought advice from five government departments, and that all have now told him that it isn't possible to draft an effective legislative amendment to deliver on Mr Latham's policy, that is, to stop drug companies lodging spurious or dodgy patent applications. TOM FAUNCE: He's not helping, is he? I mean, Latham's trying to come up with solutions; he's trying to work his way through it. All John Howard is being is negative. He doesn't really care that Australians are going to face drug prices that are not only four times the co-payment that they've got now, but if the PBS collapses, it's four times the price that the Government's paying that individual citizens are paying. That's a huge problem. Why shouldn't he be helping the Labor Party come up with a solution? [MARK COLVIN]: Dr Tom Faunce is a lecturer in the law faculty at the Australian National University, and also a Senior Lecturer at the Medical School at the ANU. He was talking to Alexandra Kirk.