Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Di Natale, move:

That the provisions of the National Cancer Screening Register Bill 2016 and the National Cancer Screening Register (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2016 be referred to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 11 October 2016.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The National Cancer Screening Register legislation needs to be in place to allow for the development of the National Cancer Screening Register, specifically to authorise the register operator to collect and use personal information from the eight separate state and territory cervical registers, the DHS bowel register and the Medicare enrolment data, to allow for the NCSR to operate. The legislation also authorises the migration of identified data from existing state and territory cervical registers.

If the legislation enactment is delayed beyond the end of September, there will need to be consideration of contingencies to support the commencement of the renewed National Cervical Screening Program, including whether it is feasible to delay the MBS items in order to provide adequate time to complete the NCSR build, given that most state registers are not able to support the renewed program. If the NCSR cannot commence operations for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program by March 2017, there will be additional costs to government to continue the current inefficient arrangements with DHS.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Watt be agreed to.