House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-16 Daily Xml

Contents

NATIONAL HEALTH REGULATION SCHEME

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): I give notice that on Thursday 16 July 2009, I will move:

That this house

1. Notes that the federal government is planning a national regulation scheme for 10 different and varied health professions: chiropractors, dentists, medical practitioners, nurses and midwives, optometrists, osteopaths, pharmacists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and psychologists.

2. Notes that the current national scheme proposed has raised many concerns in all of these health professional areas and in health consumer forums and will provide a bureaucratic and expansive regime, the cost of which will inevitably be passed on to South Australians visiting these proposals.

The Hon. J.D. Hill: This is Tony Abbott and John Howard's idea, of course.

Ms CHAPMAN: You butchered it. That's what happened.

The Hon. J.D. Hill: It was John Howard's idea.

Ms CHAPMAN: You butchered it.

3. Notes that while the national scheme purports to—

this is a Labor government quote of course—

'provide greater safeguards to the public', many key stakeholders such as the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and the Australian Association of Surgeons believe that patient safety and standards will actually be compromised if the states press ahead with uniform legislation.

4. Requests the Minister for Health to make a ministerial statement detailing South Australia's position on a national health regulation scheme as a matter of urgency, including what consultation has occurred with local representatives of the 10 professions involved and with consumer and other interest groups.

5. Declares that this house will never agree to any national scheme which has the effect of centralising more power in Canberra and which undermines the current operation of South Australia's registration bodies comprising local profession representatives and input from members of the South Australian community.

You dropped the ball, Kevin; you missed it.