Anne Stanley
Werriwa · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Time today does not permit me to speak on the other parts of our health system, particularly the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and this government's support for our public hospitals across the country, but suffice it to say that, along with the pillar of bulk-billing, the picture looks wonderful.”
“Previously, more than 1,400 of these were mixed billing practices. The upshot of this means that approximately 97 per cent of the population is now within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice.”
“My parents and our country were excited for Medibank; there would be no more bankruptcy to stay healthy. The disdain for the universal healthcare system from those opposite was established from the outset, as far back as 1975.”
“Indeed, Medicare and the PBS are among the most trusted federal public services in the country. Medicare is central to Labor's philosophy and DNA. We will always defend it and strengthen it. To that end, the matter before us today is yet another step in the Medicare story.”
“By introducing these amendments, the government will strengthen the way it provides financial incentives to primary care providers and ensure the integrity of existing and future incentive programs.”
“Since the urgent care clinic network commenced in 2023, there have been more than 623,000 bulk-billed visits in New South Wales. In Werriwa, the newly opened urgent care clinic in Austral has seen thousands of patients, which both helps those who need to see a GP and takes the pressure off our stretched public hospitals.”
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“The Whitlam government introduced payments for single parents, allowing people the space to leave relationships, particularly if they were dangerous. The government for the first time supported refugees and women leaving domestic violence. There was equal pay for women in the workforce. Fifty years later, it is amazing to think that women doing the same job didn't earn the same pay. That changed with Whitlam. There was the establishment of the Australian Legal Aid Office. There was the passing of the Family Law Act, which introduced no-fault divorce, making such a difficult time better for families. Many of the suburbs in Werriwa did not have access to basic sewerage when Whitlam was elected. His government ensured that this was addressed as a public-health measure.”
“His government believed it could improve the conditions for everyday Australians. In the first few weeks, conscription ended, diplomatic relations with China began, and the remaining troops returned home from Vietnam. This government also introduced universal health care, known as Medibank—which was dismantled after the Dismissal by the Fraser government, until Hawke brought it back as the Medicare we now know; the Racial Discrimination Act; non-discriminatory immigration rules and the enthusiastic pursuit of multiculturalism; increased spending on social housing; and the abolition of tertiary education fees, allowing many people, and many in this House, to attend university when it was previously out of reach.”
“I remember the exhilaration of my parents at the election of the Labor government after 23 years of conservative rule and the changes that they were so looking forward to. I remember him coming to my high school, who were celebrating their first multicultural day, and speaking to our students. This day in 1975 in many ways demonstrated how much that had changed already in Australia. Every culture was celebrated, discussed and admired. No-one was made to feel less. We were one, altogether. The Whitlam government was elected with a mandate to implement change and they left a legacy that is amazing, accomplishing so much in three short years, changing Australia for the better and laying the groundwork for the opportunities and successes we've enjoyed in the years since. The Whitlam era was significant for Australia.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes that 11 November 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the removal of the Government of Prime Minister Whitlam; and (2) acknowledges: (a) the work of Professor Jenny Hocking to ensure that the historical events that happened at that time are documented; (b) that the reforms of Prime Minister Whitlam's Government modernised Australian society and its economy; and (c) that the impact of Prime Minister Whitlam's policies continue to define Australia's political landscape. The community I have the privilege of serving in this place is one that I have lived in all my life, which means I remember many of the members for Werriwa. The Honourable Edward Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister while I was in high school.”
“The only thing that they will need when they go to their GP is a Medicare card, and their credit card will remain in their pocket. In Werriwa in the June quarter of 2025, the bulk-billing rate was a terrific 94.9 per cent. As at 27 October 2025, 17 GP practices have indicated their intent to become full Medicare bulk-billing practices. Significantly, six of these are currently mixed billing practices. So, after a decade of cuts, Medicare is back on track, with increased funding and bulk-billing. That's great news for all Australians.”
“Medicare as we know it began on 1 February 1984. It had its origins in the Whitlam government—when he introduced Medibank. That scheme was abolished by the Fraser government in 1981, resulting in a privatised Medibank. Labor has always championed universal health care no matter its name, and conservatives way back to Fraser have always sought to undermine it. Why they do this is a mystery, because few if any programs enjoy as much support as Medicare. Regardless Labor will always have Medicare's back, and integral to growing that is bulk-billing. Labor went to this year's election with a bold commitment to bolster bulk-billing, and, for an increasing number of Australians, that's exactly what happened from 1 November.”
“For any successful society, we must enable a range of different skill sets without any barriers or disadvantage to individuals. Too young people are facing barriers to education in a country where this should not dictate their futures. These obstacles can become overcome with governments. Financial inequity or even location are modifiable factors that should never be a barrier for student to seek to gain knowledge and guarantee their future. Investing in education is a long-term investment for Australia, committing us to prosperity, wellbeing and equality across all different people. Giving every young Australian an equal opportunity sets us on the road to a meaningful future. Thank you to Sabri and Anika for your contributions. I very much enjoyed reading them to the House.”
“Governments must take steps to continue to strengthen and invest in teaching young minds on voting, elections, structure of government, role of leaders, and continue to provide students a platform to engage in parliament. Civic education is not just about knowing we have a government; it's about empowering the next generation to think critically, to question and to participate in our democracy. A mandatory education syllabus on civic education across Australia would ensure that every young Australian, no matter their background, leaves school with the knowledge and skills to participate in democracy. Thanks, Sabri, for such a wonderful contribution. The next contribution is from Anika: If we want future generations to truly cherish their lives and feel fulfilled we must enabled equitable r education services.”
“This morning I would like to raise the voices of two young people in my community as part of the Raise Your Voice campaign. This is by Sabri: Words are not enough; young Australians deserve action. It's very clear a better tomorrow requires the actions of great courage, fairness and vision. We must take bold optimistic and ambitious steps today for a hopeful tomorrow. Future Australians will judge us on not if we act but how we act as a country. A strong democracy relies on informed and active citizens. Civic education is a foundation of that choice, yet too many Australians leave school without truly understanding how our democracy works, the power of our vote in elections or how they can shape it for a better tomorrow.”
“Our government will continue to review the regulatory settings to identify any areas of improvement. The bill is intended to be just the first of a series of regulatory reform bills to improve productivity across government and then across the economy. I commend the bill to the House. Debate adjourned. Ordered that the resumption of the debate be made an order of the day for a later hour.”
“The bill will also modernise greenhouse and energy minimum standards to support the contemporary energy systems and Australia in its transition. Schedule 4 will look at ensuring consistency across social security benefit calculations as it affects a number of social security and veterans' affairs benefits. The bill also touches Services Australia, the Seniors Health Card and childcare subsidies, and strengthens the pharmacy approval process. Finally, the bill before us will improve access to government services, reduce the regulatory burden on both industry and Australians, and increase efficiency and productivity. Australia stands tall as an economic success story. The success, however, has not been accidental or by luck; it is the result of careful management and policy direction by this government.”
“Schedule 2 doubles the timeframe for patients needing to complete multiple diagnostic imaging services without having to return to their GP for a new referral, saving both time and money for the government, GP and patients. Schedule 2 authorises appropriate sharing between Services Australia and the Department of Health, Ageing and Disability to assist in supporting the proper functioning of processes within them. Schedule 4 makes amendments to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to allow appropriate delegations to ACMA members. Some part of this schedule repeals redundant legislation and requirements. Schedule 4 improves fuel security, ensuring government knows what stockpiles are available for transport and other industries in Australia.”
“That's $270 million that would be much better off in Australians' pockets. With your indulgence, Deputy Speaker Chesters, I would like to speak to my constituents. Have you looked at your myGov and made sure your information is up to date? It is important that Medicare benefits are in your pocket; it's your money. Take some time out in the next couple of days to update your details if necessary. As soon as your details are updated, any outstanding benefits will get into your account. This bill also removes stigmatising language to ensure that all vulnerable children and their families can apply for the additional childcare subsidy.”
“Schedule 1 of the bill removes barriers to provide digital evidence of Australian citizenship, making the process reliable and less costly and providing further security. Schedule 1 part 2 deals with healthcare identifiers who have access to these systems. The amendment allows healthcare recipients to facilitate the tracking of longitudinal data, providing more accurate evidence to support policy and design. Currently there's no standardised approach to sharing health information across Australia, and this bill supports work to address these issues. More importantly, the bill will allow updates made to Centrelink when an account number changes to be recognised by other agencies like Medicare. Currently, 980,000 Australians are owed money in unpaid Medicare benefits.”
“The bill contains 60 measures which amend 28 acts, repeal two acts and affect the operation of 13 Commonwealth agencies. Importantly, and probably most significantly for Australians, the bill supports the implementation of a tell-us-once approach within Services Australia, thereby reducing the number of times it would be required for you to provide the same information again and again across different government programs or platforms. It is an understatement that this aspect of the bill on its own will be warmly welcomed and applauded. The days of having to supply the same document again and again like this will not continue to happen. The bill will enable the use of data and digital technologies to improve access to government services. It also provides new powers to make delegated legislation.”
“Excessive regulation, red tape and duplicative processes not only frustrate the lives of millions of Australians but drive up the cost of doing business. Who hasn't been given a wrong or outdated form? Who has not had to produce the same identification document again and again? Who has not had a document either not be uploaded or be lost? These are everyday occurrences, and they not only frustrate us personally but cost countless hours and add inextricably to inefficiency and cost. The Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill takes a whole-of-government approach to amending regulation to ensure it remains contemporary and relevant. For Australians, it means making sure Australians can connect faster and more efficiently with the services they need and rely on.”
“In August this year, the Treasurer hosted the Economic Reform Roundtable. Those three days brought together a mixture of leaders from business, unions, civil society, governments and other experts. The roundtable discussed three main themes: making our economy more productive, building resilience in the face of global uncertainty, and strengthening the budget and making it more sustainable. The roundtable will be integral to Australia's ongoing economic success and prosperity. One of the clear messages from both the roundtable and the Productivity Commission was the need for fit-for-purpose regulation. In recognition of that, and in the spirit of the first stated theme of the roundtable, I'm delighted to see this matter come before the House for debate as a tangible outcome of the roundtable.”
“My question is to the Treasurer. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to ease the cost of living and to strengthen Medicare after a decade of cuts and neglect? How does this compare to other approaches?”
“Thank you to the board and volunteers of CNA for all your support of our community, for the lunch and for supporting this research. I take the opportunity to recognise the wonderful community organisation Ladies Like To Lunch. Ladies Like To Lunch is a not-for-profit organisation that supports women affected by cancer in Sydney's south-west communities. Recently, it was my pleasure to attend the 2025 pink ribbon luncheon. It was great occasion, raising more than $150,000. A big shout-out to Antoinette Sulfaro, the founding director, who was inspired by her own family's experience and committed herself to working tirelessly in our community to help women on their cancer journeys. As a reminder, if you have that text message that says you should go and have that mammogram, make sure you make the appointment as soon as possible.”
“The 10th anniversary lunch also commemorated the life of Mr Franco Baldi, who passed away from motor neuron disease earlier this year. Professor Rowe from Macquarie University was a keynote speaker. He is an eminent researcher of MND and explores causes and treatments. All money raised at the event by the generous audience went towards funding treatment and causes. There are 3,000 people living with MND in Australia, and one in 200 are diagnosed every year. It is a dreadful disease with devastating consequences not only for those diagnosed with it but also for their loved ones, carers and family. Every fundraising dollar will help chip away at the mysteries, and provide hope and practical help for those impacted.”
“It was a great pleasure to be invited to the CNA Multicultural Services New South Wales 10th anniversary event. CNA provides support for our Italian community in Werriwa. There are over 10,000 Australian Italians in our community, who have been working and volunteering for more than 60 years. Established 10 years ago by Maria Giovanni and Marco Testa, CNA provides support to older Italian Australians, Italian pension information and language schools for everyone from children to adults. It also publishes the weekly newspaper Allora . On its website, CNA state that they aspire to be recognised as a leading organisation for services to the Italian and multicultural community in Sydney's south-west. I can say wholeheartedly that CNA and its volunteers do this and much further every day in our community.”
“Old taboos still apply, but, with the support and recognition of organisations, like Red Nose and Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness, and significant funding and other supports by our government, I hope in the future it will be easier for anyone experiencing these tragedies.”
“The Albanese government has committed $23 million over four years to increase support for women and families experiencing stillbirth and miscarriage, supporting the Hospital to Home program, and bereavement care for the higher-risk population. As part of this, $13.9 million has been set aside to increase the number of autopsies with the aim to better understand and therefore reduce the rates of stillbirth, preterm birth and miscarriage. Recently, I was at a doctor's appointment where I was asked by the specialist how many children I had. This is a question that, even after all this time, I find hard to answer. I have five children, three wonderful healthy boys, aged 38 and 31, and Michael and Megan, who died 39 and 32 years ago. I still feel their loss keenly, and sometimes it's not easy to talk about.”
“Further, there was $5.3 million over four years to increase the specialised services to bereaved families. Services like Red Nose, Miracle Babies in my electorate, SANDS and others can be the lifeline for families experiencing these situations. They certainly were for me and my family in the early months after our children died. The support of organisations like this helped us talk and negotiate with doctors and other appointments. Every time we had another appointment in those early days, I had to relive the trauma and the anguish of what had happened. Having someone to talk to who had also been through a similar circumstance was important and helpful. It was wonderful to know our family was not alone.”
“Over the period of 2022 to 2028, the government will have invested $62.7 million in measures to support healthy pregnancies, reduce stillbirths and preterm birth, improve national data collection and support families impacted by perinatal loss. Rigorous data collection provides researchers with clear targets of what to improve and then how to improve these statistics, because, for families, those losses are not numbers but little people who would have made their family whole. In the budget 2024-25, the government announced $15.9 million for miscarriage education, awareness and support, funding for preterm-birth prevention strategies, monitoring and evaluation of the national stillbirth action plan and an additional $7.1 million to extend existing education and awareness for groups who are at a higher risk of stillbirth.”
“Last sitting fortnight, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations introduced the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025, which introduces a new principle into the Fair Work Act that, unless employers and employees have expressly agreed otherwise, employer funded paid parental leave must not be cancelled because a child is stillborn or dies. This brings it into line with government paid parental leave and further supports parents at the worst time in their lives. When my third baby died, I received flowers from my employer at the funeral and, the next day, a letter saying my maternity leave had been cancelled and I should provide a doctor's certificate or return to work within seven days. This was less than three weeks after my baby was born and died. This has to change.”
“Over the last almost 40 years since I lost my child Michael in the neonatal period, little has changed regarding the number of families that are affected by pregnancy loss. In 2023, out of the 285,305 babies born in Australia, there were 3,128 perinatal deaths, or one per cent of all babies born. Seventy-nine per cent of those babies were stillborn, and 21 per cent died soon after birth. It is estimated that one in five pregnancies, or 110,000 pregnancies, will end in miscarriage each year and that one per cent to two per cent of those women will experience a loss of more than three babies by miscarriage. These statistics are significantly higher for Indigenous women and women who come from CALD backgrounds. The Albanese government has been working for some years to provide support for families who experience this loss.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and that Wednesday, 15 October 2025 marks Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day; and (b) this day acknowledges the shared loss experienced by parents, friends, and healthcare workers of babies lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death; (2) acknowledges: (a) that there is a significant impact on families who have lost a baby; (b) that every year 110,000 Australians experience a miscarriage, more than 2,000 experience stillbirth, and almost 700 lose a baby within the first 28 days; (c) that stillbirth occurrence is higher in Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities; and (d) all families who have experienced loss, either recently or over time; and (3) commends the Government for providing more than $40 million to organisations to support women and families following stillbirth, neonatal death or miscarriage.”
“These bills deliver on the Albanese government's 2022 election commitment to deliver a transparent and trusted independent Australian CDC. Our government is committed to ensuring that Australians remain safe and healthy and that our country can be better prepared to face global health risks. I'm very happy to see that the CDC is on our list of agenda items because, being a member of the health committee, I understand just how important that is. I commend the bill to the House.”
“It includes strong safeguards to ensure that data sharing serves the public interest without compromising the privacy of individuals. The establishment of the CDC is a critical opportunity to assist in addressing the disproportionate gendered effects of communicable disease on some of our most vulnerable Australians. It will ensure we are prepared and can better protect the health and wellbeing of our fellow citizens. Establishing the Australian CDC as an independent Commonwealth statutory agency also ensures it remains independent and cannot be subjected to direction from ministers or government departments. The functions of the Australian CDC are expected to expand into the future and will respond to emerging public health risks.”
“The legislative review will be in addition to the initial review of funding and operation scheduled after two years. Establishing an Australian CDC is widely supported by many consumer and health peak bodies, infectious disease specialists and the research community. It addresses some capability gaps identified in the COVID-19 response inquiry. The bills also provide an opportunity for the Australian CDC to deliver a modern approach to national public health data, enabling faster, more accurate detection of risks and delivering more consistent responses across borders and a stronger foundation for pandemic planning and management. The bill streamlines data sharing for public health and linkages across the Commonwealth, state and territory governments.”
“The department will continue to be responsible for health emergency response coordination and major program delivery, such as health support in national disasters, the National Medical Stockpile and the National Immunisation Program. The Australian CDC will be empowered to provide advice on the best ways to manage all forms of diseases, but this will be staged, primarily starting with communicable diseases. The CDC's remit is expected to grow over time and will be informed by a review of the CDC's funding and operations in 2028. The independent COVID-19 response inquiry recommended a review of the CDC on its initial progress to inform any stage expansion. To ensure that the legislation remains contemporary and supports the operation of a modern public health agency, the CDC bill sets a legislative review of operation every five years.”
“The C&T bill also amends the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exempt a document or information contained in a document for release under a FOI request if the document or information is protected information under this bill. The Australian CDC will be Australia's primary national agency for public health expertise and advice. It will help set the direction on areas of national public health priorities. It will also support the existing work of the Australian government and states and territories to plan and prepare for future health threats and emergencies. The Australian CDC will be an agency within the health portfolio and work along the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.”
“It establishes the director-general as the head of the Australian CDC and establishes an advisory council to advise the director-general. The accompanying consequential amendments and transitional provisions bill will transfer some of the existing statutory public health functions to the new director-general. In particular, the director-general will perform some functions under the Biosecurity Act 2015, the National Health Security Act 2007 and the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Act 2023. The accompanying bill will repeal the Australian National Preventive Health Agency Act 2010. This agency was abolished by the coalition government in 2014, but the act has not been repealed.”
“It will provide evidence based public health advice to governments, state and territory health agencies, international agencies and specialist non-government health organisations. It will be an authoritative source of public health advice and information for government officials working in public health, as well as for the public themselves. Importantly, it will support the better use of data through enabling the Australian CDC to collect, use and share public health information, requiring it to be transparent in its operations and requiring it to publish the recommendations it provides to governments. The Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill will establish the Australian CDC, to commence operations on 1 January 2026 as an independent Commonwealth statutory agency.”
“I rise to make my contribution on the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025 and the Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025. Before Labor came to government, Australia was the only country in the OECD without a centre for disease control or its equivalent. Australia was not prepared for the pandemic, and our response to COVID was slow and confused and lacked authority. This was highlighted in the Commonwealth government COVID-19 response i nquiry report , released in October last year. The inquiry called for an Australian CDC, and that is what the Albanese government is delivering. The Australian CDC will strengthen public health capability, improve our preparedness for future pandemics and safeguard the health and wellbeing of all Australians.”
“On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards, I wish to make a statement concerning the committee's decision on the appointment of commissioners of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission.”
“Peter has advocated to increase the participation of women and young girls in local cricket groups. This year, five young women will represent our cricket community and state teams. This is down to the encouragement of our local cricket coaches, parents and people like Peter Moore. Peter will continue to be actively involved in the Hoxton Park Tigers Cricket Club, which he helped set up five years ago. I wish Peter all the best for his semi-retirement and thank him for his advocacy for players over the past two decades.”
“I rise today to commend the work of a great volunteer and friend of the community in Werriwa, Peter Moore. After 21 years, Peter Moore has taken the decision to step aside from his involvement with the Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Association. Peter was the Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Association secretary for 16 years, then the president since 2011, making him the longest serving president in the history of the association, which is more than 100 years old. He was awarded life membership in 2013. Peter was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2024 to honour his many years of service to the game of cricket and, especially, the community of south-western Sydney. Peter has always advocated not only for the players but also to ensure that community cricket facilities receive grants enabling improvements and maintenance.”
“The bill will provide the Minister for Health and Ageing with the capacity to make additional rules to recognise work completed by bonded participants as part of their return-of-service obligation where this is consistent with the program objectives, including work completed prior to transitioning to the statutory Bonded Medical Program. Examples of work that cannot presently be recognised include work undertaken under legacy schemes that is or may become eligible under the program as well as work undertaken in locations erroneously advised by the government as eligible. The Albanese Labor government continues to build and strengthen our healthcare sector. This legislation is an important step to protect health care and Medicare into the future. I commend the bill to the House.”
“Given broader workforce shortages, a six-year Medicare ban is not in the interests of either the individual bonded doctor or the Australian community. Removing the ban will also ensure that the consequences of breaching the return-of-service obligation are more consistent for all bonded doctors. Students can currently withdraw from the program without consequences up to the HECS census date in their second year of study. If the student withdraws after that date, they incur a debt to the Commonwealth equal to the full cost of the Commonwealth supported place up to the date of withdrawal. This is in addition to their HECS or HELP liability. The proposed amendment will extend the existing grace period from the HECS census date in the second year of study to the award of a medical degree.”
“It will also allow all work completed by the bonded participant in good faith and consistent with the program objectives to be counted towards their return-of-service obligation. Currently, former Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Scheme participants who voluntarily opted in to the statutory program who failed to complete their return-of-service obligation within the allowed 18-year period or withdrew from the program earlier face repayment of their scholarship and a six-year Medicare ban. While this financial penalty is appropriate, subjecting these doctors to a Medicare ban, which will occur for some starting December 2025, will jeopardise continued service provision and access to care for Australians living in rural, regional and remote communities and perhaps in other areas of workforce shortages.”
“The minister will have the power to create an instrument which categorises existing Medicare Benefits Schedule services. The intended use is in bulk-billing assignment agreements. This information will be shown as a basic service description to assigners when seeking their agreement to assign benefits before services are provided and before the exact Medicare benefit amount to assign is known. Fourthly, the bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to enhance the Bonded Medical Program. This will ensure the consequences of breaching a condition or withdrawal from the program fairly balance both the personal circumstances of the bonded participant and the broader interests of the community.”
“In the meantime bulk-billing can continue under current processes and arrangements. This will include additional incentives for bulk-billed services which start from 1 November this year in line with the government's election commitment. The government has committed $14.2 billion in 2025-26 to fund the implementation of reforms outlined in the assignment of Medicare benefits act and subordinate regulations. This includes updates to Services Australia software systems and education and communication activities to ensure stakeholders are aware of and prepared for the new digital assignment arrangements. Passage of this bill will ensure that the government's 2025 election commitment of $7.9 billion in bulk-billing incentive payments to encourage increased bulk-billing rates will not be adversely impacted by non-compliant business software.”
“This is rather than the paper based processes currently envisioned in the Health Insurance Act. This bill supports modernising the assignment of Medicare benefits by addressing limitations of the assignment of Medicare benefits act, the Health Insurance Act and supporting regulations. The ability for a patient to assign their Medicare benefits underpins bulk-billing. The bill will delay commencement of schedule 1 of the assignment of Medicare benefits act, which is due to commence on 9 January 2026. Deferring it to 1 July 2026 will support the industry and consumers to comply with new assignment-of-benefits requirements, particularly where this will occur through private sector software which must be updated to reflect the new assignment-of-benefits processes.”
“Thirdly, the bill amends the Health Insurance Act to remedy identified legal issues and to delay commencement of changes introduced by the Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Assignment of Medicare Benefits) Act 2024. Assignment of benefits is a longstanding requirement of the Health Insurance Act. It provides the basis for government paying Medicare benefits when the patient assigns their right to a Medicare benefit to a medical provider, private health insurer or approved billing agent. The government's Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Assignment of Medicare Benefits) Act responds to the payment authority integrity risks by streamlining the assignment process for patients, medical providers, private health insurers and approved billing agents and enabling digital assignment options.”
“This is because the current system can conduct only a limited number of checks. The criteria can be updated if the system is updated in the future to conduct a wider range of checks. The minister will also be able to change the period which the Chief Executive Medicare takes to refuse a registration if the proposed timeframe does not work as intended. Currently, administratively it allows for 90 days, but this will be reduced to 30 days to provide the applicant with certainty sooner. Additionally, the minister will be allowed to include additional decisions in the Private Health Insurance Act that are considered appropriate to be undertaken using automated administrative action. This provides allowance for future system upgrades when it may be possible to automate other actions.”
“There are other amendments to support these changes, including requiring the insurer to correctly calculate their claim and provide supporting information or documents on request and allowing the Chief Executive Medicare to approve forms for use under the program. These amendments will support the objective of the premiums reduction scheme and ensure persons are validly registered as participants and that the payment of the rebate to insurers is lawful. The rebate supports the affordability of private health insurance and access to private healthcare services for participants. The delegated legislation will allow the minister to specify criteria that must be met in order for the Chief Executive Medicare to register a participant in the scheme and pay the claim.”
“That's why this bill will amend the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to support the operation of the registration and claims system. This will be done through the introduction of a self-assessment model for claims by insurers for reimbursement of the rebate. The amendments will have a few effects. They streamline the registration requirement for individual participants to align with the current system requirements. They will introduce automated decision-making powers for the Chief Executive Medicare to administer scheme registrations and claims. They will ensure any overpayments can be recovered where there are unintended system or process defects.”
“The delegated legislation will map out the criteria that must be met in order for a Medicare provider number to be allocated by the use of a computer program to different classes of health professionals and any required transitional rules. Secondly, the Australian government reimburses private health insurers for the portion of health insurance premiums that are reduced on behalf of the consumer for the private health insurance rebate under the premiums reduction scheme. Rebate payments in excess of $7 billion per year are paid in this manner. Services Australia and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing became aware that some elements of the registration and claims processing system for the scheme had been administered inconsistently with the requirements of the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 since its introduction.”