Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I think all members of the parliament recognise the passionate advocacy of the former member for Bradfield, the former Leader of the Opposition, in this area and a range of other areas in the health sector, but it is rather graceless of the member for Dunkley not to confess to the sin of omission of the previous government in doing nothing in the area of insulin pumps for 11½ years. The member for Dunkley might also like to explain to his constituents who need insulin pumps his view that we should not proceed with the Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2009 pending the health technology assessment, when, if you read the bill, you know that, when passed, it will facilitate the uptake of insulin pumps. Leaving aside the internal inconsistencies and very selective reading of history by the member for Dunkley, I thank members for their contribution to the debate on this bill and particularly note that the government has noted the contribution of the shadow minister to the debate on this bill.

The Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2009 will amend the Private Health Insurance Act 2007. The bill provides for amendments to the act to allow for conditional listing of prostheses on the Commonwealth Prostheses List and to allow the Minister for Health and Ageing to make rules to specify criteria for listing prostheses on the list. Under the act, it is currently unclear whether a prosthesis can be conditionally listed where the prosthesis is provided in circumstances where a Medicare benefit is payable. The bill will allow for the rules to set out criteria that must be satisfied for an application for listing on the Prostheses List to be granted, including different listing criteria for different circumstances. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

See this speech in context