Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I extend my apologies to the member for Boothby. I had understood that that process was underway, but obviously there has been an issue in terms of communication around those amendments. I am just seeking to make sure that you now have available, via the clerks, a copy of those amendments. Obviously you may want to take some time to look at them.

The government amendments to this bill, as I stated, are not controversial. They are around the issue of product information—the document that contains important technical information. They are about making sure that that product information cannot be changed without the approval of the Secretary to the Department of Health and Ageing. The government amendments also make changes to the act relating to the business process reforms, which have been widely canvassed in the Australian community. I understand that the opposition is aware of the business reforms that have been undertaken by the TGA and I am quite sure it would have received representations from industry around those as well because it has been a lengthy and ongoing process in which a large number of consultations have been undertaken. There is also just a small clarification of the operation of section 9D of the act, which relates to requests for the variation of entries in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and how they can be made.

As I said, these amendments are not controversial. They are amendments that have been supported by industry and they have certainly been supported by consumer groups as well. I certainly think that they should be supported by the opposition.

Question unresolved.

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