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

I am seeking further clarification on the same amendment—amendment (7). Proposed section 62(1) talks about the scope of the reports prepared by the performance authority and specifically about the entities or facilities which it can report on and it says in paragraph (e):

any other body or organisation that provides health care services.

As we stand here today with the current COAG agreements, are there any bodies or organisations that are covered by this paragraph? Is this just a catch-all paragraph that will allow any future decisions of COAG to include things? Does it include, for example, local government authorities that are offering immunisation services? Does it cover, for example, the Royal District Nursing Service? Does it cover things like home visits by nurses as well? I am seeking clarification from the minister as to the scope of proposed paragraph (e), which states:

any other body or organisation that provides health care services.

On reading it, it could be extremely broad. From what the minister has said, it is not envisaged that a number of the areas I have mentioned—such as the state primary healthcare services and general practice—are included by this paragraph. So what is included by this paragraph?

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