Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

On the government’s argument you would also remove the clause that gives PHIAC responsibility for ‘protecting the interests of consumers’. We are not talking here about giving control to the council to set premiums. That is not what this amendment is about at all. If the minister reads the bill, he will see we are talking here about the objectives of the council, not controls or powers, so you would think that everything the council does ought to be considered in the light of the question of minimising premiums. This amendment seems to accord with the government’s approach to private health insurance across the board. It is quite consistent with what is being put forward and does not indicate in any way that the council has control of premiums.