Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I'm pleased to introduce the Health Insurance Amendment (Administrative Actions) Bill 2022.

The bill streamlines Medicare administrative processes to reduce the administrative burden on Services Australia.

The bill provides the ability for Services Australia to develop a system to place a doctor on, and remove a doctor from, the Register of Approved Placements.

Specified bodies like the Department of Health and the general practice colleges are responsible for determining if a doctor is eligible to be placed on the Register of Approved Placements.

The specified bodies will notify Services Australia of their decision, and Services Australia will place doctors on, and remove doctors from, the Register of Approved Placements accordingly. Currently, the act does not allow for this step of the process to be automated through a computer system.

This bill enables Services Australia to achieve efficiencies by developing systems that support an automated approach: specifically, systems to support placing doctors on, and removing doctors from, the Register of Approved Placements, once a decision has been made by a specified body.

Conclusion

The efficiencies that can be realised through implementation of this bill may lead to reduced processing time frames, and allow doctors to start work at a medical practice and provide services to patients in the community sooner.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.