Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

nator STEELE-JOHN () (): I am speaking on behalf of the Greens in support of this bill, the Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review Scheme) Bill 2023. The bill removes the requirement for the AMA to agree to the appointment of the Director of the Professional Services Review, PSR, on the basis that the current arrangement is inconsistent with public expectations regarding the independence of the PSR. It also amends consultation requirements for appointing other statutory office holders of the PSR to enable consultation with relevant peak bodies directly, rather than via the AMA. They are both very sensible changes.

This bill is the result of recommendations from the Independent Review of Medicare Integrity and Compliance, better known as the Philip review. The report rightly points out that the legislation governing systems processes and tools is currently not fit for purpose and, without significant attention, will result in significant levels of inefficiency and fraud. The PSR is responsible for reviewing the Medicare billing practices of over 150,000 health professionals; however, it examines only about a hundred cases of fraud and inappropriate billing every 12 months, which is less than 0.07 per cent of those it monitors.

The recommendation to remove the AMA's veto power is consistent with public expectations. The PSR should be, in our view, independent and trusted by the public. This measure is an important step, in the view of the Greens, towards the modernisation of Medicare.