Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

in reply—I would like to thank firstly the members and senators for their contributions to the debate on this National Health and Hospitals Network Bill 2010. I note that the opposition moved a second reading amendment in the House to delay the passage of this legislation until the legislation to consider the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority and the National Performance Authority is debated by the parliament. Once again the opposition is playing its usual game of ransom with important health bills. How could the opposition possibly view this bill as controversial? After all, Mr. Abbott set up the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care when he was the Minister for Health and Ageing. The opposition knows it has no future plans for issues such as safety and quality in health care. It only has one strategy in health care for the next three years and that, unfortunately, is to block everything.

Establishment of the commission as a permanent body is a critical component of the new COAG health deal. These national health reforms will call for greater transparency and accountability of health services to the public. The national body dedicated to monitoring safety and quality in health care is thus a key part to assist in holding health services to account. One in 30 adults contract an infection while in hospital and 12,000 of these are severe hospital acquired bloodstream infections and up to a quarter of these patients regrettably will die. The number of patients who die from hospital acquired infections is approximately double the number of deaths on our roads. This is a concerning statistic but one that the commission can address, ultimately promoting better health in our hospitals.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care is not another layer of bureaucracy that wastes public resources, as the opposition would have us believe. Its release last year of the national hand hygiene guide and the Australian Infection Control Guidelines will be pivotal in our fight against major health issues such as hospital acquired infections. Leaving the commission as a temporary advisory body hampers its ability to give independent and informed advice to all healthcare providers and thus drive continuous quality health improvements for all Australians. Only its establishment as an independent and permanent body can best realise its full potential for ensuring patient safety and improving quality in health care.

This government will bring the legislation to establish the National Performance Authority before this parliament next week and the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority in due course. We have consulted with states and territories on the terms of reference for these bodies and are bringing these bills to parliament as planned. There is no reason why the parliament should not consider the legislation for this safety and quality commission, which is currently in operation as a temporary body and providing an excellent service for the Australian health system, a body that has also been supported by the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee in their report on the bill released last year. The National Health and Hospitals Bill 2010 marks an important development in reforming Australia’s health system. By establishing a permanent, independent safety and quality body, it formalises the government’s commitment to drive continuous improvements in quality and safeguard high standards of care for all Australians.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.