Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Medicare is a Labor creation. Just over 40 years old, it is an institution in this country, the system people rely on, day in and day out, so that they can access the health care that they need—so that they can see a general practitioner, so that they can see a specialist, so that they can have a life-saving or life-changing operation. Labor will always work to ensure the sustainability of Medicare, work to ensure it is fit for purpose and work to ensure it is never taken away or diminished. Medicare works best, Medicare provides the healthcare support and services Australians need and deserve, and Medicare is funded most efficiently and effectively when it is underpinned and shaped by integrity.

Critical to the motivation and necessity to strengthen Medicare is knowing that there are safeguards with respect to the taxpayer funds that reinforce it, and the Albanese Labor government is steadfast in its commitment to doing the work to ensure this. This legislation amendment amends several other pieces of legislation, being the National Health Act, the Health Insurance Act, the Human Services (Medicare) Act and the Dental Benefits Act. Its motivation in doing so is in response to complexities that affect the effective administration of health benefit schemes. These were highlighted by the Independent Review of Medicare Integrity and Compliance, which was undertaken by health economist Dr Pradeep Philip. Commissioned in 2022, the Philip review examined Medicare compliance and integrity, leading to the establishment of the Medicare Integrity Taskforce in 2023-24. We know that the overwhelming majority of practitioners working to support Australians within our Medicare system are honest and prepared to work hard and take care to ensure compliance with Medicare rules. The Philip review, however, illustrated a need for integrity activities in order to identify and respond to those few practitioners working in the system who are unintentionally suffering from compliance failures and to identify and deal with those practitioners who are dishonestly obtaining payments. It is this very small group of practitioners participating in unintentional and deliberate noncompliance who will be affected by this legislation.

A general practitioner who lives in my electorate of Sturt, Dr Sian Goodson, is one of thousands of hardworking general practitioners dedicated to her craft and to serving the healthcare needs of Australians with passion and integrity. Dr Goodson, who is also chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in South Australia, originated from the UK and spent time training in hospital medicine and rheumatology before commencing a career in general practice in 2004. In 2013 Dr Goodson joined a family health clinic in Adelaide's northern suburbs, where she remains some 12 years later, having built strong and enduring relationships with her community and providing bulk-billed health care to her patients. Dr Goodson is also passionate about clinical education and acts as a supervisor to general practitioner registrars in her practice. Dr Goodson is a terrific example of general practitioners who put the healthcare needs of Australians first every day. Dr Goodson understands how precious Australia's Medicare system is and how important it is to ensure the Medicare system is underpinned by integrity and honesty, with taxpayer money used efficiently and effectively. Dr Goodson lives in my electorate of Sturt, which stretches across Adelaide's eastern border from Hope Valley in the south to Myrtle Bank in the north.

My electorate is not regional or remote, but access to health care for regional and remote Australians is an issue close to my heart. Prior to being elected to federal parliament as the member for Sturt I was a volunteer board director on the board of the Royal Flying Doctor Service for South Australia and the Northern Territory. In that role I saw firsthand how important it is for regional and remote Australians to be able to access health care and how important it is that sufficient doctors, nurses and midwives from regional locations are trained so they can return to their communities and contribute to the health and wellbeing of those who live there. An appropriately funded and operational Medicare system underpinned by honesty and integrity is important for Australians who live in cities, and an appropriately funded and operational Medicare system underpinned by honesty and integrity is equally important to Australians who live in regional and remote Australia.

I take the opportunity to share with this house that at this very moment around this great country Royal Flying Doctor Service planes are conducting aeromedical retrieval operations and that at this moment Royal Flying Doctor Service doctors, nurses, midwives and dentists are providing the finest care to the farthest corner, including remote communities in William Creek, Andamooka, Innamincka and Yunta, with planes taking off and landing at bases in Adelaide, Port Augusta and Alice Springs, transporting patients to where they need to go to receive the best health care that this country offers. Those working with the Royal Flying Doctor Service also form part of our national health system and, like Dr Goodson, are honest hardworking healthcare practitioners dedicated to their patients.

The Philip review identified the need for integrity activities to identify and respond to any actors in the system who are unintentionally or dishonestly obtaining payments and further noted that the systems underpinning health benefit schemes require changes to ensure they remain rigorous and effective. In addition the Philip review highlighted the need to ensure patient safety is the first and foremost consideration with respect to all aspects of health services. Although the measures this legislation introduces will only directly affect the small number of practitioners and businesses practising noncompliance and fraud, the measures will also mean that patients and practitioners can expect to benefit from better protected health benefit schemes.

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