16 February 2025
Department of Health and Aged Care
Closes: 16 February 2025
About:
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) advises the Minister for Health and Aged Care on which medicines should be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). These decisions are based on clinical efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness compared to existing therapies.
The PBAC is made up of diverse health experts, including medical specialists, clinicians, economists and consumer representatives. Consumer representatives on the PBAC play a central role in ensuring the committee’s decisions reflect the wider community’s needs, experiences, and expectations. Their contribution helps inform the real-world impact of medicines and makes sure that public voices are considered alongside clinical and economic evidence.
The opportunity and your role:
DoHAC is seeking expressions of interest from consumers who would like to join the Committee when opportunities become available. Successful applicants will be placed in a merit pool for consideration.
With the support of the Consumer Evidence and Engagement Unit (CEEU), the role of consumer representatives is to:
Highlight consumer issues for consideration, using feedback from open consultations and reflecting the experiences of diverse community members.
Contribute to discussions on medicines by understanding and appraising clinical evidence.
Help ensure decisions about PBS listings are aligned with the needs of everyday Australians.
Meet three times a year for three-day sessions to evaluate applications for PBS listing. Additional one-day meetings may be scheduled to address policy or other matters. Members may also attend occasional stakeholder meetings.
While prior experience in government committees or advocacy roles is advantageous, candidates with less experience but relevant skills and a commitment to the responsibilities are encouraged to apply.
Consumer representatives must:
Possess the ability to appraise clinical evidence and understand therapeutic outcomes over time.
Bring a broad consumer lens to discussions rather than represent personal experiences.
Demonstrate a willingness to learn about and engage with health technology assessment (HTA) processes and participate in the separate HTA Consumer Consultative Committee, which meets three times annually to discuss consumer engagement and evidence-based decision-making processes.
DoHAC will provide:
A comprehensive induction program covering meeting formats, expectations, and document reviews.
Ongoing support through the CEEU, including access to training materials, introductions to committee members, and collaboration opportunities with co-consumer representatives.
Remuneration as an annual salary.
To apply and for further information:
If you would like to apply, please complete the expression of interest form below.
For further queries, please contact: Consumer Engagement Officer, Morgan Lee-Murphy, at admin@chf.org.au.
An independent panel will assess all expressions of interest to gain a diverse range of perspectives. We will keep the information provided in your expression of interest confidential and it will only be shared with DoHAC for the purposes of facilitating selection and participation.
The closing date for this EOI is Sunday 16 February 2025.
