Nat Barr confronts Albanese government with important Donald Trump question

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has insisted Donald Trump's determination to slash cause costs successful the US won't thrust up medicine prices for Aussies.

Trump claims his latest enforcement order, signed connected Tuesday, volition chopped cause costs for Americans by up to 80 per cent arsenic the US Government buys medicine drugs consecutive from manufacturers astatine the 'most-favoured federation price'.

The determination to bargain medicines astatine the lowest terms they're being bought for successful different countries has sparked interest that pharmaceutical companies volition effort to recoup their costs successful different countries, including Australia.

'How volition you guarantee the terms of medicines don't skyrocket present successful effect to the cuts successful the US?' Sunrise big Natalie Barr asked Mr Chalmers connected Tuesday morning. 

'Obviously we've seen the announcements retired of the US and we'll enactment done them successful the accustomed way,' the treasurer said.

'But we've made it truly wide and I'll marque it wide again today, that our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is not up for negotiation.

'We are making medicines cheaper successful this country, not much expensive. The PBS is simply a truly arrogant instauration of Labour successful government, it's thing that we cherish.'

Mr Chalmers added that the Labour authorities would bash 'everything to protect' the PBS.

Asked if the Australian payer would person to whitethorn much to 'prop up' the PBS, Mr Chalmers said the implications of Trump's announcement were 'still unclear'. 

'Some of those consequences for different countries are being speculated on, but are not needfully locked in. 

'We've made it precise wide publically and privately that we won't beryllium changing the PBS astatine the behest of different countries, and that remains our position.' 

The PBS was a cardinal pillar of Anthony Albanese's predetermination campaign, arsenic helium vowed to slash the maximum outgo of medicine medicine nether the strategy to $25. 

Meanwhile, 'big pharma' successful the US called connected Trump to enforce further tariffs connected Australia due to the fact that it subsidises medicines.

The cause companies lodged a ceremonial ailment with Trump's commercialized main successful March, calling for an extremity to the 'damaging pricing policies' successful Australia.

It's imaginable the US volition effort to usage punitive tariffs to unit Australia to wantonness its medicine subsidies, and let those companies exporting medicines to Australia to complaint overmuch more.

But Labor has vowed to support the PBS disconnected the array successful immoderate commercialized talks with the Trump administration.