Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing, Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

When you arrive at work, have a look on the fax machine and find another amendment to a piece of legislation and are seeking advice from others on how you might consider this, it means the consultation process is not just truncated but nonexistent. I know that Senator Humphries’s amendments are extremely well intentioned, but it is impossible for any senator in this place to try and get a view from anyone if they find an amendment on their fax at 25 past nine for a bill that is to be dealt with at half past nine.

I agree that this issue was raised, albeit fleetingly, in submissions to the Standing Committee on Community Affairs and that there does seem to be a potential conflict between the Corporations Law and what is proposed in the legislation. However, I think we do have to consider the obligation of directors to policyholders. Obviously directors have responsibility to shareholders under the Corporations Law, but there needs to be some recognition of the responsibility of directors of private health insurance companies to the people who are insuring with them. I will be interested to see what the government intends to do with Senator Humphries’s amendments. Labor is of a mind to support them, but I may reserve that right until I have heard from the Minister for Human Services.