Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I thank both the opposition and the Greens for their support of this bill. The Medicare program provides universal access for all Australians to most healthcare services. The Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review Scheme) Bill 2023 is a timely and appropriate response to issues raised in the independent review of Medicare integrity and compliance.

The bill removes the veto power of the Australian Medical Association over the appointment of the director of the Professional Services Review, known as the PSR. The bill also amends consultation requirements for appointing other statutory officeholders of the PSR, enabling direct consultation with relevant peak bodies. This will ensure the regulator can operate with impartiality and independence and improve public perception of the fairness and integrity of Medicare. The bill also allows the appointment of associate directors of the PSR, which will provide for alternative decision-makers to manage conflicts of interest, unexpected absences and workload pressures for the director. This will allow PSR members to be finalised more quickly in some cases.

One of the key issues identified in the review of Medicare integrity and compliance was the length of time the compliance processes currently take. Both practitioners under review and the community will benefit from faster resolution of compliance issues.

Finally, the bill will remove the need for engagement with stakeholder groups before requesting documents, which will improve processes used to audit payments relating to Medicare services. This will also strengthen and speed up Medicare compliance functions without limiting the types of documents a person may provide during an audit. The person being audited will continue to have an opportunity to make submissions about the compliance matter and provide any relevant information or documents. The measures in this bill will strengthen the regulatory framework supporting the integrity of Medicare to ensure all Australians can continue to receive necessary health services. I commend the bill to the Senate.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.