Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

The Philip review sought to address many of the issues that you're raising. We commissioned Dr Pradeep Philip to undertake an independent review of Medicare integrity and compliance, and those are exactly the kinds of things that you are now raising with me. The amendments that are here before us come out of that review. They're a direct response to that. They're about making those programs, such as the Medicare Benefits Schedule, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the child benefits schedule—which I think Australians value—operate in the way that they're intended to.

What the Philip review found was that there are actors in the system who are either unintentionally or dishonestly obtaining payments, and this bill directly responds to those findings. The measures in the bill, we expect, will only directly impact a very small percentage of practitioners and businesses that are engaged in noncompliance and fraud, but it is important. More generally, patients and practitioners will benefit from better protective health benefit systems that provide more secure access to safe health care and services.

I'll step through some of the measures that are in the bill that we're presently debating. The bill changes the timeframe during which Medicare claims for bulk-billed services may be made, taking it back from two years to one year. The minister will continue to have discretion to allow claims to be submitted after one year. That's important because it will assist with compliance.

I mentioned in my answer to your earlier question that investigative powers are inconsistent—they're fragmented—and it results in difficulty for investigators identifying which powers of investigation may be used in relation to offences. This bill addresses that challenge. It follows other measures that have been implemented by the government to improve integrity in the system. I think we all think that our healthcare services are world leading. They are excellent. It is incredibly important that all Australians have access to services of this kind. We can be really proud of them, but that means taking seriously issues of compliance and integrity, and our government is determined to do so.