Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

in reply—I thank all members for their contributions, and I thank the member for Shortland for those very kind comments. It is of course a matter of great pride for the government that we are able to pursue so many reforms in health. If this bill, the Health Practitioner Regulation (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2010, is to pass the House today—and we hope it will be supported by the opposition in order to pass the Senate—it will take us one step closer to delivering a national registration and accreditation system for Australia. It will indeed be a landmark reform to our health and hospitals system.

National registration has been a long time coming. The previous government, with the current Leader of the Opposition as the Minister for Health and Ageing, identified it as a goal and then decided to sit on its hands. After years of blaming the states and territories for all the problems in the health system, the then health minister was unable to work with the states and territories to deliver this key health reform. When we came to office we knew that a national scheme would be able to reduce red tape, increase standards and improve safety for the Australian community, and we pursued this within months of being elected, signing an intergovernmental agreement in March 2008. This was an agreement that the previous government had failed to achieve more than a year after announcing a national scheme in July 2006.

As I said, we know that the national scheme will also improve the mobility of the health workforce. It will stop health professionals from having to re-register every time they step across a state border, saving time, money and inconvenience. This will help to boost locum support for rural doctors as doctors become freer to work across state boundaries. I am very pleased to announce that, subject to the passing of this bill here today and in the Senate in the coming weeks, the implementation of this scheme is on track to commence on 1 July 2010.

Legislation is aggressively being introduced in all parliaments across Australia to adopt and apply the new national law. The Queensland, New South Wales, Victorian, ACT and Northern Territory acts have all received royal assent. The requirement to enact consequential amendments to Commonwealth health legislation provided us with an opportunity to streamline current specialist recognition processes under Commonwealth legislation, including for GPs. One of the objectives of the scheme is to improve registered health practitioner workforce mobility across jurisdictions. The proposal to streamline specialist recognition will facilitate workforce mobility and access to Medicare for international medical graduates, in line with the national partnership agreement. It is essential that the extensive systems involved in registration and recognition of practitioners for Medicare purposes are streamlined to ensure the reduction of red tape, currency of the HIA regulations, adequate access to Medicare rebates and the retention of practitioners in Australia.

The implementation of this scheme has much to do with the ongoing valuable input of stakeholders into making sure that this very complex scheme was able to be shaped into one which was practical. I will be moving three minor amendments to this legislation, following feedback from stakeholders that was provided to the Senate committee inquiry. These amendments provide further clarity to the definition of a consultant physician and nursing care and update a provision taken from the Health Insurance Act by widening the scope of sections 19C, 19CB and 19DA to apply to all health professionals who render Medicare rebatable services. Contrary to the assertions of the opposition health spokesperson, who I see is in the chamber now, the Senate inquiry actually reported yesterday. I note that the recommendation of that Senate committee was that the bill be passed. I also note the recommendation that the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency place information on their website that provides clarity for the community on the definition of protected titles and roles. I can advise the House that the government will pursue this recommendation.

Through our amendments we are also addressing the concerns raised in the coalition minority report. I thank those opposite for indicating their support for this important bill. The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions will modernise the regulation of health professionals, ending the duplication of effort and the red tape caused by separate systems in each state and territory, and will improve safety for the Australian community. It is with very great pride that I commend this bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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