Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I foreshadowed this amendment during the second reading debate. Without wanting to reiterate the concerns I raised in that speech, I would say that this bill will establish a whole new bureaucracy that places a lot of demand on health services, hospitals and other providers to provide data. It will be quite an onerous obligation on them. The burden is unchecked. The amendment proposed by the coalition will at least allow an independent assessment of the size of the task and how much red tape is created in the first 12 months. What our amendment goes to is that the minister must cause an independent review of the performance authority to be undertaken no later than 12 months after the commencement of this section. The review should examine the operations and effectiveness of the authority and provide a written report of the review to the minister. It must also include an opportunity for members of the public and healthcare professionals to make written submissions.

Given the extent of the concerns that were raised by a whole range of submissions both in the House of Representatives examination of the matter and in the Senate examination of the matter, because this bill had to come back and because of—let us say—Minister Roxon's less than efficient way of proceeding with this matter, we have had so many explanatory memoranda in relation to this bill. The minister talks about finally coming on board. Well, if Minister Roxon had got her house in order much earlier, Minister, this matter would have come on, but you had to virtually rewrite the bill: (1) because of the concerns; and (2) because Minister Roxon, as with other matters in this so-called health reform, has not quite got her act together.

Having said that, I did want to clarify the record, because it has not been the coalition that has been tardy in this matter; it has been the minister, because there are so many concerns that have been put on the record in committee hearings in relation to this bill. Through our amendment we propose that the review be completed within six months and, obviously, that a copy of that report be placed before each house of parliament. I move amendment (1) on sheet 7142:

(1)   Schedule 1, item 130, page 50 (after line 8), after section 109, insert:

109A Review of the Performance Authority

(1)   The Minister must cause an independent review of the Performance Authority to be undertaken no later than 12 months after the commencement of this section.

(2)   The review must examine the operation and the effectiveness of the Performance Authority and provide a written report of the review to the Minister.

(3)   The review must include an opportunity for members of the public and health care professions to make written submissions.

(4)   The review must be completed within 6 months of the commencement of the review.

(5)   The Minister must cause a copy of a report prepared under subsection (2) to be laid before each House of Parliament within 5 sitting days after the day on which he or she receives the report.

[review of the Performance Authority]