Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move opposition amendments (4), (5) and (6) as circulated in my name:

(4)    Part 3, page 7 (after line 27), after clause 11, insert:

        11A Publication

                 The CEO must cause a copy of any advice or recommendations made in undertaking the CEO’s functions under subsection 11(1) to be published on the ANPHA’s website within 14 days of providing the advice or making the recommendations.

(5)    Clause 29, page 14 (line 11), omit “and”.

(6)    Clause 29, page 14 (line 13), at the end of paragraph 29(c), add:

                      ;

             (d)    at least one, but no more than 2, members who are industry representatives; and

             (e)    at least 1, but no more than 2, other members representing consumers or consumer health organisations.

These amendments relate to the publishing advice for the CEO. The National Preventative Health Task Force recommended a high level independent statutory body. Instead, the government is making this agency an arm of government. We believe that the recommendations and advice should be as transparent as possible. They should be transparent and open to public scrutiny.

The changes that the coalition is proposing will increase the transparency of this body, and I emphasise that this measure is taken from an amendment which was moved by Senator Xenophon during the debate on this bill in the Senate last year. These changes will mean that the CEO must publish a copy of any advice or recommendations on the agency’s website. This is about the future health of our nation and as such it should be subject to public scrutiny and debate.

Amendments (5) and (6) relate to the need for broad representation on the advisory council. The government has acknowledged in the explanatory memorandum that the advisory council could include industry representatives. The minister, I believe, said so in her second reading speech. So we need to look at the membership structure of the advisory council. We believe that it is important to get outcomes in preventative health whereby you have a focus; where you do have representation from industry representatives and also consumer health organisations. We believe it is important that by working with industry and preventative health experts we get these outcomes. I encourage members to support these amendments.

See this speech in context