House of Representatives

Second Reading Speech

Ms Ley (Minister for Health and Minister for Sport)

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This bill provides for the consequential and transitional provisions required to support the operation of the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.

The proposed act will have amendments that commence in three stages.

Part IVA of the Health Insurance Act 1973 will be repealed, along with associated offence provisions relating to the register. These offences will be replaced by an offence in the new Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015. Additionally, minor amendments are proposed which will allow the disclosure of Medicare enrolment data to the register.

Minor amendments to Part 9BA of the National Health Act 1953 will be initiated to refer to a prescribed body within the meaning of the new Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.

The Freedom of Information Act 1982 will be amended to provide for information in the registers to be exempt from disclosure under section 38 of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 in response to a freedom of information request.

Provided under the amendments commencing 1 January 2016 include changes to the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 to repeal the definition of the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) which links the register to the Health Insurance Act 1973 and refer instead to the register operated under the new Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015.

Amendments to the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 to allow the definition of a 'recognised immunisation provider' to be consistent with the meaning of recognised vaccination provider in the new immunisation register bill is also proposed to occur from 1 January 2016.

Finally, amendment to the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988, the Human Services (Medicare) Act 1973 and the Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997 are also proposed to prescribe that the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 is a 'designated program act'.

Amendments commencing later in 2016 include changes to the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 to reflect the name change of the ACIR to become the 'Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)' and the provision to be able to collect vaccination information for all individuals regardless of age.

A secondary amendment to the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 is proposed to repeal the definition of ACIR and allow for use and disclosure of healthcare identifiers for the purposes of uploading information from the register onto an individual's personally controlled electronic health record.

The final transition arrangement proposed is to commence 1 January 2017. From 1 January 2017 onwards, the provisions of the new Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 will apply equally to the Australian Immunisation Register and the Australian School Vaccination Register. Following this expansion, Part 9BA of the National Health Act 1953 will be repealed.

The schedules listed in the transitional and consequential arrangements in this bill will only commence if the Australian Immunisation Registers Bill 2015 obtains royal assent.

I commend the bill to the House.