Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 420 standing in my name for today relating to an order for the production of documents.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That—

  (a)   the Senate:

     (i)   notes that:

  (a)   more than 680 000 Australians have received treatment for dental care under the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (the scheme),

  (b)   more than 11 million dental services have been provided under the scheme,

  (c)   on 10 June 2010 the Minister for Human Services (Mr Bowen) announced a Medicare Australia taskforce (the taskforce) had been established to investigate dentists' compliance with the scheme, and

  (d)   initial audits had been carried out on 49 dentists with a further 250 dentists to be audited,

     (ii)   recognises that most dentists act in good faith in providing much needed services under the scheme, and

     (iii)   calls on the Government to desist from pursuing onerous financial restitution from dentists that have made inadvertent, minor or other administrative errors in providing appropriate clinical services to eligible patients; and

  (b)   there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing (Senator Arbib), by 5 pm on Monday, 31 October 2011, the following:

     (i)   the number of dentists audited by the taskforce to 31 October 2011 and as a result the number of dentists required to:

  (a)   repay Medicare benefits,

  (b)   repay Medicare benefits where the services claimed have not been provided, and

  (c)   repay Medicare benefits where the audit process found services claimed had been provided, and

     (ii)   copies of all documentation provided to dentists about the scheme since it commenced.

Question agreed to.