Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Health And Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority, known commonly as the Organ and Tissue Authority, is responsible for the implementation of the Australian government national reform program on organ and tissue donation for transplantation. On 2 February this year, the then minister from rural health, Senator the honourable Fiona Nash, released the findings of the Ernst & Young review of the national reform program on organ and tissue donation for transplantation. The Ernst & Young review examined the respective contributions to the reform program for the Organ and Tissue Authority, state and territory governments, DonateLife hospitals and clinicians. The Ernst & Young review found that the implementation of the national reform agenda had been broadly effective. However, there is scope for improvement in the areas of governance, transparency and accountability.

To improve these key areas in line with review recommendations the bill will establish a board to govern the Organ and Tissue Authority under the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Act 2008. These new arrangements will also improve the strategic oversight of the DonateLife network, as well as the performance monitoring, succession planning and mentoring of the CEO.

As part of the bill, the functions of the CEO will transfer to the board once established. The board will assume the role of the accountable authority under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and be the decision-making body for the organ and tissue donation authority. The CEO, who will have responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the Organ and Tissue Authority, will also be a member of the board. This arrangement has been instituted to improve transparency and operational efficacy of the Organ and Tissue Authority and will ensure that the strategic and policy objectives of the authority are effectively integrated in the day-to-day operations and activities. The board may also choose to delegate some of its functions to the CEO to ensure the Organ and Tissue Authority remains agile and responsive.

The board will have a skills-based membership, harnessing expertise, experience and knowledge from a broad range of areas. The Commonwealth will nominate the chair of the board. The jurisdictions will nominate the deputy chair, with the remaining five members nominated by the COAG Health Council. All board members will be appointed by the responsible Commonwealth minister. The CEO will be appointed by the Commonwealth minister in consultation with the chair of the board. The bill retains the ability for the Commonwealth minister to give policy principles to the authority about the performance of its functions.

The establishment of the Organ and Tissue Authority board will improve accountability and transparency and will better support the authority to be more effective in achieving its strategic goals: saving lives and improving the quality of the lives of more Australians.

I thank the members for Mayo and Makin for their contribution and I would like to acknowledge the member for Port Adelaide for his prize stewardship when he had responsibility for the authority. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

See this speech in context