Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I am pleased to introduce the Australian Immunisation Register Bill 2015. The Australian Immunisation Register Bill 2015 creates a new, consolidated legislative framework for the establishment and ongoing management of Australian immunisation registers and expands the scope of our two existing immunisation registers.

These changes implement measures announced in this year’s federal budget as part of the government’s focus on improving immunisation rates across Australia and will complement other government initiatives, including 'no jab, no pay' and new catch-up incentives to GPs and other immunisation providers.

The coalition has a strong track record when it comes to improving immunisation rates, successfully increasing vaccination rates from 52 per cent in 1996 up to around 90 per cent, and it was the current Prime Minister, as the then health minister who introduced the human papillomavirus, HPV, vaccination program for school-aged women in 2007. These new measures build on our successful record.

As I mentioned previously, the scope of our two current immunisation registers will be broadened. The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, ACIR, will be expanded to become the Australian Immunisation Register, which will capture all vaccines given from birth to death through general practice and community clinics.

The ACIR currently records vaccinations given to children aged less than seven years. The ACIR will be expanded in two stages. From 1 January 2016, it will expand to collect and record vaccinations given to young individuals under the age of 20 years, enabling implementation of the government’s 'no jab, no pay' budget measure.

From September 2016, it will be expanded further to cover all vaccinations from birth to death given through general practice and community clinics, supporting the addition of the zoster virus vaccine to the National Immunisation Program for persons aged 70 years.

Implementing these changes to our national immunisation registers will broaden and improve immunisation data capture to assist recognised vaccination providers to boost coverage rates.

Additionally, this bill expands the National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program Register to become the Australian School Vaccination Register, which will capture all adolescent vaccinations given through school programs from the start of the 2017 school year.

The HPV register currently only captures administration of the HPV vaccine. Other adolescent vaccinations administered through the school programs that would be captured in the Australian Schools Vaccination Register include varicella (chickenpox) and the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) booster.

Currently, separate legislation within the Health Insurance Act 1973 and the National Health Act 1953 provide the foundation for how the two national immunisation registers are operated. In this context, it is considered timely to consolidate the two pieces of separate legislation for the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register and Australian School Vaccination Register into a new, single piece of legislation to provide for the ongoing management and data capture for both registers.

This bill will lay the foundations for future work to move towards an integrated system that captures and reports on all vaccines given in Australia from birth to death, providing a single ‘front door’ for consumers and immunisation providers.

This bill provides the framework under which Australian immunisation registers are operated and removes obstacles associated with the appropriate collection of personal information. This includes detailing the provisions in which individuals can access personal information, the type of information collected and including offence provisions that detail the offence generated by unauthorised disclosure of personal information.

The bill provides for the establishment of the register and the recording of certain personal information about individuals. The bill also creates an offence for the unauthorised disclosure of personal information contained within the register.

The amendments contained within this bill will commence in three stages. From 1 January 2016 the new Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 will commence and it will facilitate the collection of information of ‘young individuals’ under the age of 20 years to assist the implementation of the government’s 'no jab, no pay' budget measure. At the same time, a number of required consequential amendments will be made to other legislation.

Amendments commencing in September 2016 include amendments to the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 to reflect the name change and expansion of the ACIR to the Australian Immunisation Register and the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010. These amendments will accommodate the government’s approval to list the zoster virus (shingles) vaccine (Zostavax) on the National Immunisation Program for persons aged 70 years.

Finally, from 1 January 2017 onwards, the Australian Schools Vaccination Register will capture all adolescent vaccinations given through school programs from the start of the school year. Provisions of the new bill will apply equally to the Australian Immunisation Register and the Australian School Vaccination Register and part 9BA of the National Health Act 1953 will be repealed.

Through this bill, expansion of the national immunisation registers and the way they continue to operate in the future will not only benefit the health of individuals; general practitioners and health care providers but also provide a consistent way in which immunisation records can be obtained for individuals of all ages, not just the young. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.