banner

Friday 29 October 2021

 

This Newsletter covers Federal and State policy and legislative developments in the area of health. Copies of documents referred to can be obtained by clicking on the reference in this Newsletter or through Capital Monitor's collection at www.capitalmonitor.com.au or from the source quoted.

Major Announcements

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

28 October

Australians to receive COVID-19 vaccine booster shot
To provide even greater protection against COVID-19, Australians aged 18 and over who have received two doses at least six months ago, are now eligible to have a booster shot. Vaccines will be available for eligible people from November 8, following advice from Australia's vaccine experts; the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and approval from Australia's medicines regulator; the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program is now one of the most successful in the world - with more than 75 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over being fully vaccinated, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt.
Download

Returning Australian children
The Australian Government Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has been working with New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory on a proposal to support the return of Australian children, within family groups, from overseas. The ATAGI advice has been that all persons aged 12 and over should be classified as fully vaccinated if a person has had 2 doses (or 1 if it is a single dose vaccine) of a TGA recognised or approved vaccine 14 days apart, plus 7 days after. Subject to state and territory requirements, persons arriving in Australia who are fully vaccinated are not required to enter 14 day mandatory, government managed quarantine, said the Department of Health.
Download

Government admits their First Nations' vaccine blitz has failed First Nations Australians
COVID vaccination rate for First Nations Australians have continued to fall further behind the rest of the country. Health officials admitted the second dose gap for First Nations Australians has only reached 25.5 per cent. The Government's much-vaunted blitz has seen the double dose vaccination gap widen by 6.3 per cent since 12 September, not shrink. As always, Scott Morrison's government put all its effort into the announcement, and none into delivering, said Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler.
Download

TAS: 'COVID at home' plan lacks detail
The State Government needs to clearly outline exactly how it plans to manage thousands of sick Tasmanians once borders reopen in December. Tasmanian Shadow Minister for Health Anita Dow said the government has failed to detail how its 'COVID at home' care model will work. 'With our hospitals already at breaking point, the government appears to be relying on its 'COVID at home' model to cope with the surge of cases expected when Tasmania's borders reopen on 15 December,' Ms Dow said.
Download

27 October

Fully vaccinated Australians ready for take-off from 1 November 2021
Fully vaccinated Australians will not require an exemption to depart Australia from 1 November 2021. With millions of Australians now fully vaccinated, and more joining them each and every day, the Government can safely welcome fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents across Australia's international border in increasing numbers. Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews and Minister Hunt said the Government was committed to easing restrictions for fully vaccinated Australians, in line with soaring vaccination rates and the National Plan to transition Australia's COVID-19 response.
Download

TGA approval for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years and older. The TGA approval means that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been found safe and effective to boost protection for individuals aged 18 years and older through a third booster dose provided at least six months after the completion of a COVID-19 vaccine primary course of two doses. The primary course can be of any of the COVID-19 vaccine registered for use in Australia, said Minister Hunt.
Download

RACGP welcomes COVID-19 vaccine booster approval
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) decision to approve a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and over. The TGA approval means that the vaccine has been found safe and effective to boost protection through a third booster dose provided at least six months after the second dose. The RACGP awaits the final advice on the rollout of boosters, which will be provided to the Government by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation or ATAGI.
Download

Positive news on boosters needs to be backed by review of support for general practice
The AMA has said the federal government will need to review funding arrangements for GPs administering COVID-19 vaccines as it looks to roll-out the COVID-19 booster program. The TGA has approved Pfizer as a booster for Australians aged 18 and over. Minister for Health Greg Hunt said subject to final ATAGI advice a general population booster program could start no later than the 8th of November. AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid said the AMA welcomed the decision, which took Australia one step closer to a rollout.
Download

SA: Antigen testing still prohibited in South Australia
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is calling on the SA Government to amend current legislation which prohibits the use of rapid antigen testing in South Australia. Current public health directions under the Emergency Management Act state that 'a person must not use point-of-care antigen based or nucleic acid based tests as a tool to detect or diagnose COVID-19'. PSA SA Branch President, Robyn Johns, said that amendments are well overdue, and South Australia risks falling behind the rest of the country.
Download

TAS: Vaccination clinics coming to Bunnings
Bunnings is supporting the Tasmanian Government's COVID-19 vaccination efforts, providing space in store carparks to host pop-up clinics in the North and North-West of the State. Pop-up clinics will be running at three Bunnings locations, at Devonport on Saturday and at Burnie and Invermay on Sunday, from 9am to 3pm both days. Tasmanian Minister for Health Jeremy Rockliff said walk-ins are welcome - no appointment is required. 'If you're in any of these areas and can get to Bunnings, you could add a Pfizer jab to the 'to do' list,' Mr Rockliff said.
Download

26 October

TAS: The health system is ready to reconnect Tasmania
Tasmanian Minister Rockliff said that the Tasmanian Government is focused on ensuring every eligible Tasmanian has the opportunity to get vaccinated in the lead up to reopening borders carefully and safely on December 15. 'We are all looking forward to reconnecting with family and friends interstate after what has been a tough time for families and businesses. The best protection we have against COVID-19 is a high vaccination rate - vaccination saves lives and will also help protect our hospital system from additional pressure. We are well on our way to achieving our target of a 90 per cent vaccination rate, with 87 per cent of over 16-year-olds having had a first dose and 72 per cent fully vaccinated.'
Download

25 October

Tasmanians are playing part in COVID fight
Minister Hunt congratulated Tasmania for getting the Covid-19 vaccine. 'In reaching a fully vaccinated rate of 70 per cent for people aged 16 and over, you have helped to get us well on the way to being able to safely reopen our country. Thank you to all the healthcare workers across Tasmania, from Burnie to Launceston, from Strahan to Hobart, for everything you have done. You have been on the ground from the beginning, responding to the start of this pandemic last year, and now with the vaccine protecting us.'
Download

ACT: COVID-19 Update - 25 October 2021
ACT Health released the following statistics:
-Residents aged 12 and over who are fully vaccinated: 88.0%
-New cases of COVID-19 recorded in the ACT: 9
-Active cases: 332
-Total number of cases for this outbreak: 1,595
-Patients in ACT hospitals: 20 (including 10 in intensive care and 5 ventilated)
- Negative test results received: 647
Download

NSW: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics
NSW Health recorded 294 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19. No new cases were acquired overseas, and nine cases have been excluded following further investigation. The total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic is 73,596. Sadly, NSW Health is reporting the deaths of four people with COVID-19 - three men and one woman. One person was in their 40s, two people were in their 60s, and one person was in their 70s. Two people were from Sydney's Inner West, one person was from south west Sydney, and one person was from the Central Coast.
Download

SA: COVID-19 Update 25 October 2021
South Australia Health announced that there are no new cases of COVID-19. There has been a total of 918 cases notified in South Australia.
Download

WA: Safe quarantine-free travel from QLD starts 12.01am Wednesday
WA Premier Mark McGowan and WA Minister for Health Roger Cook said that following the latest public health advice, Western Australia's controlled interstate border is set to be safely adjusted, pending no further outbreaks, with quarantine-free travel from Queensland to be permitted from 12.01am Wednesday, October 27. For almost two months travel has been allowed from QLD without approval, but 14 days of self- quarantine has been required. After a short pause in the reclassification of the QLD border, the Acting Chief Health Officer has advised from 12.01am Wednesday (27 October) Queensland will safely transition from 'low risk' to 'very low risk'.
Download

WA: Vaccine milestone for regional WA as 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered
WA Minister Cook said that the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has administered over 200,000 vaccines to residents of rural and regional Western Australia. From Kalumburu in the State's far north to Albany in its south, clinicians are delivering the vaccine across an area spanning some 2.5 million square kilometres. The McGowan Government has been working with resource companies, industry and the Commonwealth Government to make the vaccine easier to access in regional towns. State-run COVID-19 vaccination clinics now operate across more than 100 locations, in addition to pop-up clinics being run across the State.
Download

WA: COVID-19 update 25 October 2021
WA Health reported no new cases of COVID-19. The State's total remains at 1112. To date, 1101 people have recovered from the virus in WA. WA Health was monitoring two active COVID-19 cases, both of whom are in hotel quarantine.
Download

24 October

Australia launches latest COVID-19 vaccine communications campaign
Minister Hunt said that the next phase of the Australian Government's vaccine communication campaign launched, with the message 'we're almost there Australia', reminding people that with increasing vaccinations Australians will able to return to a more normal, free life. To further encourage First Australians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Government is also launching a new project entitled 'For all of us'. The project features a number of high profile Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who have come together to encourage their mob to get vaccinated. Model Samantha Harris, musician Baker Boy, chef Nornie Bero, street artist Tori-Jay Mordey and renowned didgeridoo player and vocalist William Barton all encourage further vaccination uptake and seek to combat vaccine hesitancy.
Download

NSW: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) statistics
NSW Health recorded 296 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19. No new cases were acquired overseas, and eight cases have been excluded following further investigation. The total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic is 73,311. Sadly, NSW Health is reporting the deaths of four men. Two men were in their 60s, one man was in their 70s, and one man was in their 80s. Two men were from western Sydney, and two men were from south western Sydney.
Download

WA: More COVID-19 vaccination clinics popping up across WA
WA Premier McGowan and WA Minister Cook said that the WA Government and Wesfarmers have partnered on a new initiative to increase vaccinations across Western Australia. The pop-up Bunnings clinics will each provide up to 250 vaccinations per day, for people to drop in without an appointment. A new State-run community vaccination clinic will also open (October 25) at Carramar Village Shopping Centre, giving residents in Perth's northern suburbs another opportunity to get vaccinated.
Download

22 October

SA: Super Walk-in Weekend to supercharge vaccination push
South Australians yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccine are being urged to step up and get vaccinated to ensure they are fully protected before borders relax later this year. SA Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said South Australians are taking up a host of opportunities to receive their first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 'South Australians are answering the call to get vaccinated. After another record week for vaccinations last week, more than two million doses of the vaccine have now been provided to South Australians and more than 60 percent of eligible South Australians are now fully vaccinated,' said Minister Wade.
Download

Return to top

Aged Care

27 October

Making it easier for senior Australians to access and navigate aged care
The Government is creating a one-stop-shop to make it easier for senior Australians and their families to connect to aged care services. Building on the Government's My Aged Care website and call centre, Services Australia will offer face-to-face support so people can access information about aged care, health and social services in one location. Senior Australians in an initial 15 Services Australia locations will be able to access My Aged Care face-to-face support from specially trained Aged Care Specialist Officers, said Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck and Minister for Government Services Linda Reynolds.
Download

Return to top

Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety

None this edition.

Return to top

Allied Health

None this edition.

Return to top

Children's Health

26 October

Key priorities for pathway out of the pandemic
Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth (ARACY) said that the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has insufficiently considered Australian children with seismic impacts on a generation creating urgent needs, according to leading child rights advocates UNICEF Australia and the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). The call for a National Children's Plan comes as a survey has found sidelining children throughout the pandemic has left two thirds of teens feeling the need for mental health checks upon their return to school and one in four (26%) secondary students surveyed believe they're not academically ready to start a new grade next year.
Download

25 October

Living guidelines for clinical care of kids and teens with Covid-19
Living guidelines for the clinical care of children and adolescents with COVID-19 have been developed with 20 recommendations including the use of corticosteroids as first-line treatment for those who require oxygen. A summary of the guidelines published by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) Researchers from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, including panel methods lead Dr David Fraile-Navarro from Cochrane Australia at Monash University and the Centre for Health Informatics at Macquarie University, formed a Paediatric and Adolescent Care (PAC) Panel incorporating expert paediatric health practitioners from across Australia. The guidelines which will be updated in real time to give 'reliable, up-to-date advice to Australian clinicians providing paediatric care'.
Download

Return to top

Clinical Governance

None this edition.

Return to top

Construction and Health Infrastructure

None this edition.

Return to top

Dental

None this edition.

Return to top

Disabilities

27 October

Disability advocates call for no travel to low- vax regions and more access to third jabs to protect people with disability from COVID
With COVID-related travel restrictions to regional NSW set to ease, disability advocates are calling for restrictions to remain in place for regions with low vaccination rates in order to protect the lives of people with disability who are at increased risk from the virus. Peak disability advocacy organisation People With Disability Australia is also calling for other measures to protect people with disability including expanding the availability of potentially life-saving third jabs as well as risk mitigation advice for people with disability living in areas where the virus is being allowed to run free.
Download

Return to top

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability

None this edition.

Return to top

E-Health

None this edition.

Return to top

Education and Training

None this edition.

Return to top

Funding

26 October

TAS: Greens wrong on health staff
Tasmanian Minister for Health Jeremy Rockliff said that it is wrong for the Greens to say the Tasmanian Government has cut health over the past seven years when the Government has in fact increased spending, bed numbers and staff across the system. The Tasmanian Government is prioritising health, with a record $10.7 billion investment over four years, and the Budget includes $900 million more than last year's. Mr Rockliff said that the Government is recruiting up to 280 extra FTE health staff to support new and boosted health services across Tasmania, including the delivery of the elective surgery program.
Download

TAS: What's Plan B for the health system?
Tasmanian Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow said, with the health system already at breaking point, the government must have a plan in place to keep it operating safely beyond Sunday. 'The Gutwein Government has rightly mandated COVID vaccines for Tasmania's health workers,' Ms Dow said. 'The Health Department Secretary said workers in public and private health care will be required to have had one dose of a vaccine, or evidence of a vaccination booking by 31 October, or they will be sacked. But the Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff told Parliament this morning that, with just five days remaining until the deadline, only 90 per cent of health workers have been vaccinated.'
Download

22 October

$85 million to explore Australian and global health challenges
Seventeen multidisciplinary research teams will each receive $5 million in funding from the Australian Government to find solutions to major questions in human health that cannot be answered by individual investigators. Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt announced the award of $85 million for 17 projects through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant scheme. The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute where Professor Jonathan Carapetis will bring together a diverse team of experts to tackle the social determinants that underlie rheumatic heart disease - a serious disease caused by preventable Strep A infections and disproportionately affecting Indigenous Australians.
Download

Call for new advisers on mental health research
Minister Hunt said that the Government called on the nation's best and brightest mental health researchers, clinicians, implementation experts, and consumer and carer representatives to help inform the future of research in this vital area. Expressions of interest are invited for the next Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) for the Medical Research Future Fund's Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission. The Government is seeking Australian applicants from a variety of backgrounds including mental health researchers, mental health clinicians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mental health expertise, rural and remote mental health researchers and clinicians, consumer representatives with lived experience of mental ill-health and those involved in translating mental health research into practice or policy.
Download

Grants open to boost organ and tissue donation
Minister for Regional Health David Gillespie said that community groups and organisations with innovative ways to encourage more people to sign up as an organ donor were launched on Saffron Day, an event that honours seven-year-old organ donor Deyaan Udani. Saffron Day, organised by Deyaan's family and friends, received funding through the 2021 Community Awareness Grants program. The national day, held on 22 October each year, aims to encourage multicultural communities to talk about donation with their family and register to be an organ and tissue donor.
Download

Return to top

Health Professionals

28 October

General practice needs more support for booster vaccines
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is warning that GPs will need more support to deliver COVID-19 booster vaccines in the months ahead. The Government announced that booster doses will commence on 8 November this year. It follows the Therapeutic Goods Administration's decision to approve a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and over. Earlier this year, the Government also announced that severely immunocompromised patients can receive a third primary dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. RACGP President Dr Karen Price said that GPs across Australia needed a helping hand.
Download

27 October

TAS: Additional paramedics to join Ambulance Tasmania
Ambulance Tasmania has successfully recruited 24 additional paramedics, to be stationed across Launceston and Hobart. The new recruits include a mix of graduate paramedics who have already completed their induction program, and experienced external candidates who will begin their induction with Ambulance Tasmania. Importantly, this will mean new crews from Hobart and Launceston will be hitting the road in December, providing support to the dedicated staff and volunteers already working in those communities, said the Tasmanian Minister for Health Jeremy Rockliff.
Download

26 October

Urgent need to tighten rules on use of 'surgeon' to protect public safety, warned AMA
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said the title 'surgeon' should be reserved for medical practitioners who have obtained specialist medical college accreditation, and objects to the use of the term 'cosmetic surgeon' where a practitioner is not recognised as a surgical specialist. The AMA said only medical practitioners with a Fellowship from an Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredited specialist medical college, whose training program includes a surgical component relevant to their field of expertise, should be allowed to use the 'surgeon' title. Patients can be misled by the term 'cosmetic surgeon' or 'podiatric surgeon', believing they are dealing with a medical practitioner who has formal and specific surgical qualifications when in fact they may not.
Download

Urgent action needed to unmask cosmetic 'surgery'
The latest expose of the controversial practices of one of Australia's most widely known cosmetic 'surgeons' highlights the need for urgent reforms to ensure patient safety is effectively protected, the Consumers Health Forum said. 'The 4 Corners program last night detailed a litany of unresolved patient complaints and irregular practices yet national and state regulators, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, appear unable to take effective action to stop these shocking activities,' the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells said.
Download

25 October

NSW: Dr Ratna Ghosh - Medical practitioner - Disqualification
The Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint against general practitioner Dr Ratna Ghosh, before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ('the Tribunal'). The complaint alleged that in 2017 Dr Ghosh prescribed an antibiotic containing penicillin to patient A, a baby, when she had been told by the parents that patient A had a penicillin allergy. The Complaint also alleged that in 2017 Dr Ghosh inappropriately advised patient B, who was pregnant, about the whooping cough vaccine and made inappropriate comments about the vaccine.
Download

22 October

WA: Major new advertising campaign to bolster health workforce
WA Minister for Health Roger Cook said that a $2 million advertising campaign has begun to recruit more health professionals to the WA Health system and supports the workforce recruitment campaign underway. The Belong campaign features a range of healthcare workers in various facilities and settings to capture WA Health's multidisciplinary, collaborative, dynamic working environment. This new phase of Western Australia's recruitment campaign will run across multiple platforms including television, radio, outdoor, digital and print. The interstate and overseas advertising is complemented by a focus on the exceptional outdoor lifestyle offered in WA.
Download

Return to top

Hospitals

28 October

TAS: Reducing pressure on the Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department
The Tasmanian Government remains committed to recruiting and retaining health staff across the State to ensure that all Tasmanians can get the right care, at the right time. That's why the Tasmanian Government has approved an increase in the medical staffing in the Emergency Department (ED) at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) of at least 15 per cent. Recent data analysis has identified that the RHH is currently on track to receive 75,000 presentations in 2021, which is at the top end of its current medical staffing ratios, and this increase will meet the Australian College of Emergency Medicine Guidelines for presentations to the ED of between 75,000 and 90,000 per year, said the Tasmanian Minister for Health Jeremy Rockliff.
Download

Return to top

Insurance

28 October

PHI 79/21 Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2021
The Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2021 (the Amendment Rules) make consequential changes to the Private Health Insurance Rules to reflect changes to Medical Benefit Schedule (MBS) commencing 1 November 2021. Further information on changes to the MBS for 1 November 2021, including fact sheets and quick reference guides is available at MBS Online. The Amendment Rules were registered on the Federal Register of Legislation on 22 October 2021 and commence on 1 November 2021, said the Department of Health.
Download

27 October

APRA releases Operations of Private Health Insurers Annual Report
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has released its annual Operations of Private Health Insurers Annual Report for the financial year 2020-2021. The Operations of Private Health Insurers Annual Report shows expenses, revenues and operational information about private health insurers.
Download

Return to top

Medicare

27 October

Best medicine is consumer-centred
The Consumers Health Forum called for an enhanced focus on the central role of consumers in its submission to the Review of the National Medicines Policy. 'The great success of Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in delivering quality affordable medicines, underlines the importance of ensuring that the consumer is central to National Medicines Policy,' the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells said. 'Given the powerful and sometimes conflicting interests at play in the provision of pharmaceuticals and now the increasing complexity of medicines and technology, it becomes ever more important that the primacy of patient interests is assured and promoted.'
Download

24 October

Medicare rebates for bowel inflammation testing
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said that from 1 November 2021, patients with chronic bowel inflammation will be able to claim a Medicare rebate for non-invasive laboratory tests, reducing the need for diagnostic endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures. The Government is listing faecal calprotectin testing to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). Its use means that fewer patients will require diagnostic endoscopy and colonoscopy, with faecal calprotectin shown to be an effective, safer and significantly cheaper alternative.
Download

New help for Australians on the IVF journey
Minister Hunt said that the Government is giving Australians new support on their IVF journey, providing Medicare rebates for testing services that can help prevent them passing serious genetic disorders onto their child. Until now, people who know they are carriers of serious genetic disorders could only access these testing services if they were able to pay privately. From 1 November 2021, people will be able to claim a Medicare rebate for five new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items for new Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) services provided within the existing IVF process.
Download

23 October

Taking the pressure off high blood pressure
Minister Hunt said that the Government is investing $40.5 million for a new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item to improve the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure). From 1 November, Australians will be able to claim rebates for ambulatory blood pressure measurement, which monitors a patient's blood pressure continuously over 24 hours through a wearable device to diagnose if they are hypertensive or not. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is the best available test to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension and more effective than in-clinic blood pressure monitoring. It will save lives and improve lives.
Download

Return to top

Men's Health

None this edition.

Return to top

Mental Health

28 October

$1 million milestone for mental health of home building workers
The partnership between the HIA Charitable Foundation and Beyond Blue has reached $1 million. Pino Monaco, HIACF Chairman says, 'It is because of the generosity of HIA members that we've been able to commit $1 million to Beyond Blue since 2014. The funds donated to Beyond Blue through the partnership have funded a world first National Suicide Prevention Research Project and, more recently, the Beyond Blue Support Service.'
Download

27 October

VIC: New deal for staff as mental health reforms begin
The Victorian Government has reached an in-principle agreement to deliver fairer pay and conditions for public sector mental health workers, who will be vital to Victoria's unprecedented mental health system reform. The new enterprise agreement addresses recruitment and retention gaps identified by the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System, provides greater equality for nurses specialising in mental health care, and delivers a range of initiatives to promote gender equity among the workforce, said Victorian Minister for Mental Health James Merlino.
Download

25 October

TAS: Mental health support for Tasmanian businesses
Tasmanians have demonstrated incredible resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is important for people to take the time to look after their wellbeing, including in the workplace. Tasmanian Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Jeremy Rockliff said it is understandable, and could be quite common, for some people to be worried, concerned or uncertain as Tasmania moves through the pandemic and consider what living with COVID-19 might look like. 'COVID-19 will continue to present challenges we have never had to deal with before, for some time yet,' Minister Rockliff said.
Download

Return to top

Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System

None this edition.

Return to top

Pharmaceuticals and Regulation

27 October

Best medicine is consumer-centred
The Consumers Health Forum has called for an enhanced focus on the central role of consumers in its submission to the Review of the National Medicines Policy. 'The great success of Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in delivering quality affordable medicines, underlines the importance of ensuring that the consumer is central to National Medicines Policy,' the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells said.
Download

26 October

Medicine supply to Australian communities in jeopardy if antigen testing is not provided to pharmacies
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) called on governments to protect the frontline healthcare workforce, and to ensure pharmacies remain open, by providing rapid antigen tests (RAT) for pharmacists and pharmacy staff. While RAT is increasingly being used by governments to manage the risk of COVID-19 in various settings like parliaments, most governments are yet to utilise these tests to protect healthcare workers such as pharmacists. PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, said that as jurisdictions come out of lockdowns, RAT must be used as part of the ongoing COVID-19 response to ensure pharmacies can remain open and communities have ongoing access to their medicines.
Download

25 October

PHI 78/21 Private Hospital Declaration
The Department of Health said that the following facility has been declared a private hospital under Section 121-5 of the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 A full list of declared hospitals with second-tier categories can be found on the Department of Health's website.
Download

Octreotide and atrioventricular block
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it is aware that, in Europe, atrioventricular blocks (including complete atrioventricular block) have been reported in patients receiving high doses of continuous intravenous infusion (100 micrograms/hour) of octreotide and in patients receiving bolus octreotide intravenously (50 micrograms bolus followed by 50 micrograms/hour continuous infusion). In Australia, the approved indications for octreotide do not involve intravenous administration.
Download

COVID-19 rapid antigen self-tests that are approved in Australia
The TGA approved the following COVID-19 self-tests (home use tests) for supply in Australia from 1 November 2021. Please refer to the instructions on how to use each test (that are provided in the table below) for further information on what sample types the test can be used with (e.g. nasal swab or saliva).
Download

Return to top

Research

27 October

VIC: Cancer researcher wins $1.25M CSL Centenary Fellowship
Dr Stephin Vervoort has been awarded a 2022 CSL Centenary Fellowship to fund his research to find new treatments for leukaemia and other types of cancers. Dr Stephin Vervoort will use his funding to establish a laboratory at WEHI, where he will unravel fundamental steps in transcription of DNA into mRNA. He will use that knowledge to identify new drug targets to attack acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and other hard to treat cancers. Dr Vervoort was one of two awardees of the $1.25 million, five-year fellowships, with Associate Professor Daniel Watterson from the University of Queensland.
Download

25 October

Record female representation on new NHMRC Council
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said that the Government has announced the membership of the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The new Council will play a key role in supporting the NHMRC in its mission of building a healthy Australia. The Council will serve a three-year term to June 2024 and will be chaired by Professor Caroline Homer AO. Membership of the Council brings together expertise in biomedical science, clinical and public health, nursing, health care training and the medical profession, as well as business and consumer perspectives, and expertise in the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Download

Living guidelines for clinical care of kids and teens with Covid-19
Living guidelines for the clinical care of children and adolescents with COVID-19 have been developed with 20 recommendations including the use of corticosteroids as first-line treatment for those who require oxygen. A summary of the guidelines published by the Medical Journal of Australia. Researchers from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, including panel methods lead Dr David Fraile-Navarro from Cochrane Australia at Monash University and the Centre for Health Informatics at Macquarie University, formed a Paediatric and Adolescent Care (PAC) Panel incorporating expert paediatric health practitioners from across Australia. The guidelines which will be updated in real time to give 'reliable, up-to-date advice to Australian clinicians providing paediatric care'.
Download

COVID-19 silver lining: Improving cancer care
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented changes in cancer care in Australia, with high-value practices across all levels set to continue post-pandemic, adding considerably to optimal cancer care, according to the authors of a consensus statement published by the Medical Journal of Australia. Cancer Australia held a virtual roundtable in July 2020 comprising thirty leading Australian cancer experts and consumers, which explored 12 elements of cancer care that have changed during the pandemic. The discussion focused on the impact of these changes, and strategies to retain, enhance, and embed high-value modifications into practice.
Download

Return to top

Rural, Regional and Remote Health

25 October

WA: Vaccine milestone for regional WA as 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered
WA Minister for Health Roger Cook said that the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has administered over 200,000 vaccines to residents of rural and regional Western Australia. From Kalumburu in the State's far north to Albany in its south, clinicians are delivering the vaccine across an area spanning some 2.5 million square kilometres. The McGowan Government has been working with resource companies, industry and the Commonwealth Government to make the vaccine easier to access in regional towns. State-run COVID-19 vaccination clinics now operate across more than 100 locations, in addition to pop-up clinics being run across the State.
Download

23 October

Key rural health workforce program extended to get more medicos in the bush
Minister for Regional Health David Gillespie said that a key rural health workforce program that enables nursing and dental students and trainee doctors to train in regional and rural Australia is being extended for another three years by the Morrison Joyce Government. Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program provides high-quality clinical rural training experiences for students in a range of career paths, including GPs, nurses, dentists and allied health professionals. The program is another way the Federal Government is working to address the shortage of medical, nursing and allied health practitioners in rural locations.
Download

22 October

ACT: Certainty for Coombs health centre
The ACT Government will co-locate a health centre with the new Molonglo Valley Medical Centre in Coombs to deliver public health services to the Molonglo community. ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said the new centre will deliver on an election commitment to co-locate with an existing general practice to provide an integrated and co-ordinated health service in the Molonglo Valley. 'The ACT Government had worked closely with the National Health Co-operative (NHC) to co-locate a walk-in health centre in Coombs before the NHC went into voluntary administration in June 2021.'
Download

Return to top

Women's Health

23 October

New help for Australians on the IVF journey
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said that the Government is giving Australians new support on their IVF journey, providing Medicare rebates for testing services that can help prevent them passing serious genetic disorders onto their child. Until now, people who know they are carriers of serious genetic disorders could only access these testing services if they were able to pay privately. From 1 November 2021, people will be able to claim a Medicare rebate for five new Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items for new Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) services provided within the existing IVF process.
Download

Return to top

Transcripts

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Health Greg Hunt
28 OCT: Transcript of Press Conference, Canberra
Subjects: COVID, Vaccination levels, Hospital system, Travel, Economy, Booster program, COP26, G20, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, ASEAN, Digitalisation, Net zero by 2050

Department of Health
28 OCT: Transcript of Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd's Interview with Lisa Millar, ABC News Breakfast
Subjects: Pfizer booster shots, Vaccine rollout, ATAGI, Vaccines for children, Community transmission

Department of Health
28 OCT: Transcript of Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd's Interview with David Koch and Natalie Barr, Sunrise
Subjects: COVID booster shots, Vaccine rollout, ATAGI advice, Vaccines for children

Department of Health
28 OCT: Transcript of Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd's Interview with Peter Stefanovic, Sky News
Subjects: Pfizer booster shots, Vaccinating young children, Vaccine dosage

Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon
28 OCT: Transcript of Doorstop Interview, Parliament House, Canberra
Subjects: Fed Govt, Medicare cuts, GPs, Newcastle, COVID-19, Vaccine exemptions, Immunisation, Emergency departments, Hospitals

Member for Solomon Luke Gosling
28 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Katie Woolf, Mix 104.9 FM 360
Subjects: Net zero emissions by 2050, Voter ID legislation, COVID-19, Environment, Energy, Territory Rights Bill, NT, Euthanasia, Glasgow, Senate estimates

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Sabra Lane, ABC AM
Subjects: Renewable energy, Energy jobs, Power industry, Emissions reduction, Net zero target, Carbon capture & storage, Cabinet reshuffle, International tourism, Quarantine

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Karl Stefanovic, Today Show
Subjects: Vaccine booster rollout, COVID passport, International travel, Australian Open, Vaccination rates, Net zero emissions target, Energy technologies

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with David Koch and Natalie Barr, Sunrise
Subjects: International travel, COVID-19 vaccination rates, Unvaccinated players at the Australian Open, Climate change, Net zero emissions, Energy technologies

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
27 OCT: Transcript of remarks to the ASEAN-Australia virtual summit
Subjects: Mental health, COVID-19, Vaccines, Foreign aid, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Transnational crime, Energy security, Climate change

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Neil Breen, 4BC
Subjects: Australia-US-UK alliance, Climate change, Net zero emissions, Energy policy, Federal Budget, International travel, Quarantine, Vaccine booster shots

Assistant Minister to the PM on Mental Health David Coleman
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Leon Byner, FIVEaa
Subjects: Privacy legislation, Impact of social media, Mental health, Social media companies, Young consumers

Minister for Health Greg Hunt, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
27 OCT: Transcript of Press Conference with Professor John Skerritt, Canberra
Subjects: TGA approves Pfizer booster shot roll out, Vaccination shots prepared for 5-11 year olds, Rapid COVID tests

Minister for Health Greg Hunt
27 OCT: Transcript of Press Conference, Canberra
Subjects: TGA, Pfizer, Booster Shots, COVID-19, Disability sectors, Vaccination certificates, Rapid antigen tests, Pharmacies, Vaccines for children, International travel

Minister for Health Greg Hunt
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Jim Wilson, 2GB Drive
Subjects: Booster shots, Rapid antigen tests, Quarantine policy, Sport, TGA, Pfizer, COVID-19, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Chief Medical Officer, Public health, Vaccination

Minister for Health Greg Hunt
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Kieran Gilbert, Sky News Afternoon Agenda
Subjects: Booster shots, Rapid antigen testing, Emissions reduction, Climate change, Vaccine supply, International travel, Mandatory vaccination, Quarantine

Minister for Regional Health David Gillespie
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Jaynie Seal, Sky News Regional
Subjects: Regional hospitals in crisis, Doctors shortage, Health system, Obsteric services in hospitals, Hospital services

Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business Stuart Robert
27 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Karl Stefanovic, Today Show
Subjects: Net zero emissions by 2050, Emissions reduction policy, TGA approval for boosters, Vaccine rollout, Home affairs, AFP conduct

Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler
27 OCT: Transcript of Doorstop Interview, Adelaide
Subjects: COVID-19, Hospitals, Public health, Booster shots, Vaccination, Immunisation, Hospital system modelling, TGA, ATAGI, Frontline health workers

Member for McQuarie Susan Templeman
27 OCT: Transcript of Doorstop Interview, Parliament House, Canberra
Subjects: Climate change, Net zero emissions, COVID-19 testing, Rapid antigen self-testing

Shadow Minister for Northern Australia Murray Watt
26 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Tom Connell, Sky News
Subjects: Anti-vax propaganda, Anti-vax MPs, Vaccine rollout, Net zero emissions, TGA, Vaccine related deaths, QLD vaccine rates

Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation Ed Husic
26 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Patricia Karvelas, ABC Afternoon Briefing
Subjects: mRNA manufacturing timeline, Vaccine production, Net zero 2050 target, Emissions reduction, Climate change

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
25 OCT: Transcript of Virtual Remarks, ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2021
Subjects: Foreign relations, Indo-Pacific, Vaccine supply, Quad partnership, Investment in energy transition, Net Zero Emissions target

Minister for Mental Health David Coleman
25 OCT: Transcript of Interview with Deb Knight, 2GB
Subjects: Legislation, Mental health, COVID-19, Social media regulation, Protecting youth, Facebook, Online privacy, Data brokers, Social media algorithms

Minister for Health Greg Hunt
24 OCT: Transcript of Press Conference, Canberra
Subjects: Vaccination rates, PR Campaign, Climate change, Indigenous Australian, Breast cancer treatment, Verzenio, IVF, Medicare, Mackenzie's Mission

Department of Health
23 OCT: Transcript of Press Conference by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd
Subjects: Vaccine rollout, Vaccination centres, Access to vaccines for remote communities, Booster doses, ATAGI advice, Novavax

Return to top

Reports

COVID-19 Mortality
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
920 deaths due to COVID-19 that occurred by 31 July 2021 have been registered and received by the ABS. The ABS expects to receive further registrations for this period from the jurisdictional Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Download

Provisional Mortality Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
In 2021, 85,392 deaths occurred by 31 July and were registered by 30 September. Counts of deaths were above historical averages while rates were below average for each month of 2021. 920 people died of COVID-19, with dementia being the most common pre-existing chronic condition.
Download

NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY NDIA: Annual Report 2020-21

Return to top

Hansards

Federal

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Adjournment - National Disability Insurance Scheme

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Constituency Statements - Banking and Financial Services - Health Care

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Constituency Statements - COVID-19: Vaccinations

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements By Members - COVID-19: Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements By Members - COVID-19: Immigration Detention

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Bills - National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) Bill 2021 - First Reading, Second Reading, Debate Adjourned

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19: Indi Electorate

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Bills - National Health Amendment (Enhancing the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Bill 2021 - First Reading, Second Reading, Debate Adjourned

28 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19: Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19: National Plan

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19: Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Adjournment - COVID-19: Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements By Members - Paterson Electorate: Maitland Hospital

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements By Members - The Glen Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre

27 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements By Members - Western Sydney: COVID-19

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Adjournment - Abdominoplasty Surgery

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements by Members - Mental Health

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Statements by Members - Moore Electorate: Health Care

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Statements by Members - Flynn Electorate: Indigenous Health

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Constituency Statements - du Plessis, Dr Charl - O'Connor Electorate: Health and Emergency Service Workers

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Bills - Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 2) Bill 2021 - Debate Resumed, Second Reading, Consideration in Detail, Third Reading

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Federation Chamber - Statements by Members - COVID-19: Vaccination

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19: Vaccination

25 OCT 2021: REPS HANSARD: Petitions - Responses - 21 Requests for Action

ACT

20 OCT 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Inquiry into ACT Budget 2021-22 - Standing Committee On Health And Community Wellbeing - ACT Health - Canberra Health Services

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT - Opening Statement

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Health Care Consumers Association of the ACT

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Ted Noffs Foundation 1

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Ted Noffs Foundation - Opening Statement

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Advocacy for Inclusion

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT - Opening Statement

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Advocacy for Inclusion - Opening Statement

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education - Opening Statement

28 SEP 2021: ACT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Estimates - Review of ACT health programs for children and young people - Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing - Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education

NSW

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Adjournment Debate - COVID-19 and Parliamentary sittings

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice: Take Note - Banksia Mental Health Unit

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Suicide prevention

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice: Take Note - Suicide prevention

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19 and Senior Citizens

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Banksia Mental Health Unit

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Documents - COVID-19 and Correctional Facilities - COVID-19 Health Advice - Sydney Science Park Water Services - Variation of Order

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice: Take Note - Suicide prevention

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice: Take Note - Banksia Mental Health Unit

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Suicide prevention

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - COVID-19 and Senior Citizens

21 OCT 2021: NSW COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Banksia Mental Health Unit

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Private Members' Statements - COVID-19 and Goulburn Electorate

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Maitland Health Stays

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Yagoona Family Healthcare

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Local Pharmacist and Doctors - Part 1

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Local Pharmacists and Doctors - Part 2

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Local Pharmacists and Doctors

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Community Recognition Notices - Bankstown Family Medical Practice

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Petitions - Central Coast COVID-19 Vaccinations

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Question Time - COVID-19 and Regional New South Wales

21 OCT 2021: NSW ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Question Time - COVID-19 and Disability Support Services

Northern Territory

28 OCT 2021: NT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Bills - Medicines, Poisons And Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 - Introduction, First Reading, Second Reading, Debate Adjourned

28 OCT 2021: NT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Supplementary Question - Health System for Border Opening

28 OCT 2021: NT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Question Time - Disability Sector Opportunities

27 OCT 2021: NT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Petition - Petition No 11 - Opposing COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates

27 OCT 2021: NT ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Bills - Termination Of Pregnancy Law Reform Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 - First Reading, Second Reading

Queensland

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Adjournment - Coronavirus, Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Hospitals, Access

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Redcliffe Hospital

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Hospitals, Bed Capacity

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Hospitals, Demand

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Ministerial Statements - Coronavirus, Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Ministerial Statements - Coronavirus, Vaccination; World Teachers' Day

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Ministerial Statements - Coronavirus, Update

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus, Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Minister for Health and Ambulance Services

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus, Tourism Industry

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Private Members' Statements - Burdekin Electorate, Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Private Members' Statements - Mental Health Week

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Private Members' Statements - Sexual Violence Awareness Month; Health Services; Coronavirus, Vaccination

28 OCT 2021: QLD ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Private Members' Statements - Health System

Tasmania

14 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Answer to Question - COVID-19 - Royal Hobart Hospital and Positive Case

14 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions - COVID-19 - Royal Hobart Hospital and Positive Casel

13 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions - COVID-19 - Mental Health

12 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions - COVID-19 - Workforce Shortages in Health System

12 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions - COVID-19 - Health Funding from Commonwealth Government

13 OCT 2021: TAS ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Motion - Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People

Victoria

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Members Statements - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Adjournment - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice and Ministers Statements - Ministers Statements: COVID-19 Vaccinations

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice and Ministers Statements - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice and Ministers Statements - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Petitions - Breast Screening

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Adjournment - COVID-19 Vaccinations

27 OCT 2021: VIC ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Bills - Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 - Statement of Compatibility, Second Reading, Debate Adjourned

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice and Ministers Statements - COVID-19 Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Adjournment - COVID-19 Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Members Statements - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Adjournment - Shepparton Paediatric Services

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Petitions - COVID-19

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Members Statements - COVID-19 Vaccination

27 OCT 2021: VIC COUNCIL HANSARD: Adjournment - Eltham Community Hospital

Western Australia

28 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations - Access

28 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Care Centre Model

28 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Grievance - Health Services - Midwest And Wheatbelt

28 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Bills - Health Services Amendment Bill 2021 - Second Reading, Debate Adjourned

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccination Plan - Regions

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Notice of Motion - Medical Privacy

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Wyndham Hospital - Staff

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Mandatory Quarantine

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Question on Notice 289 - Answer Advice - Hospitals - Regions - Staff

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Schools - Ventilation

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Schools - Ventilation

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Question without Notice 802 - Answer Advice - Health Worker (Restrictions On Access) Directions

28 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccine Commander

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations - Target

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - State Economy

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Statement by Minister for Disability Services - Access Culinary Course - Graduation

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Statement by Minister for Disability Services - International Day of People with Disability

27 OCT 2021: WA ASSEMBLY HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Intensive Care Units - Surge Capacity

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Healthcare Workforce - Morale

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations - Department of Fire and Emergency Services Volunteers

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Statement - Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital - Emergency Department

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Coronavirus - Vaccinations

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Education - Periods, Pain and Endometriosis Program

27 OCT 2021: WA COUNCIL HANSARD: Questions Without Notice - Geraldton Health Campus - Staff

Return to top

Court Cases

None this edition.

Return to top

New Regulations

Federal

Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment (2021 Measures No. 3) Regulations 2021
Legislative Instrument - F2021L01474
The purpose of the Therapeutic Goods Legislation Amendment (2021 Measures No. 3) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) is to amend the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990 (the TG Regulations) and the Therapeutic Goods (Medical Devices) Regulations 2002 (the MD Regulations), principally to reduce regulatory burden for sponsors and manufacturers of medical devices (e.g. by exempting surgical loan kits from the requirement to be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (the Register)), and improve access to unapproved medicines for the treatment of seriously ill patients.
Explanatory Statement

Therapeutic Goods (Prescription Medicines-Information Accompanying Applications for Registration) Determination 2021
Legislative Instrument - F2021L01466
The Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2017 Measures No.1) Act 2018 ('the Amendment Act') amended the Act to, among other things, provide greater clarity in relation to the preliminary assessment of applications for the inclusion of therapeutic goods in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods ('the Register'). In particular, the Amendment Act introduced measures to require an application for the inclusion of a medicine, biological or medical device in the Register to meet certain preliminary requirements before the Secretary may proceed to evaluation. The Amendment Act also provided the Secretary with the power to refuse an application prior to evaluation if the application does not meet those requirements.
Explanatory Statement

Biosecurity (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) Amendment (No. 2) Determination 2021
Legislative Instrument - F2021L01463
The Amendment Determination amends the Determination to include an automatic exemption for fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents to depart Australian territory, provided they meet the specified criteria. 'Fully vaccinated' means that a person has been vaccinated with a vaccine that is registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods or is recognised by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Explanatory Statement

Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Incoming International Flights) Determination 2021
Legislative Instrument - F2021L01462
The Amendment Determination establishes further exemptions for specified classes of persons from the testing requirements set out in the Emergency Requirements Determination and the Preventative Biosecurity Measures Determination, and requires medical certificates to be provided within a specified time frame for the purposes of the relevant exemptions set out in the Emergency Requirements Determination. This ensures that the certificates are current for a person before they undertake a relevant international flight (or connecting flight) into Australian territory.
Explanatory Statement

Private Health Insurance Legislation Amendment Rules (No. 6) 2021
Legislative Instrument - F2021L01461
The Amendment Rules make consequential amendments to the Benefit Requirements Rules and the Complying Product Rules to implement changes to the private health insurance clinical categorisations and procedure type classification of items of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to reflect changes to MBS items that take effect from 1 November 2021.
Explanatory Statement

Return to top

Proclamations

None this edition.

Return to top

Gazette Notices

None this edition.

Return to top

Consolidated Legislation

Federal

Therapeutic Goods (Manufacturing Principles) Determination 2020
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01074
Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to Therapeutic Goods (Consequential Amendments-TGO 108) Instrument 2021.
Download

National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) (Pharmacist Substitution of Medicines without Prescription during Shortages) Determination 2021
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01071
PB 84 of 2021 Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits) (Pharmacist Substitution of Medicines without Prescription during Shortages) Amendment (No. 2) Determination 2021.
Download

National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme-Exempt items - Section 84AH) Determination 2017
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01068
PB 81 of 2017 Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme-Exempt items - Section 84AH) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 4).
Download

National Health (Commonwealth Price and Conditions for Commonwealth Payments for Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Determination 2019
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01066
PB 114 of 2019 Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Commonwealth Price and Conditions for Commonwealth Payments for Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 8).
Download

National Health (Continued Dispensing - Emergency Measures) Determination 2020 Authoritative Version
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01054
Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Continued Dispensing - Emergency Measures) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 9).
Download

National Health (Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy) Special Arrangement 2011 Authoritative Version
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01052
PB 79 of 2011 Arrangements as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Efficient Funding of Chemotherapy) Special Arrangement Amendment Instrument 2021 (No. 9).
Download

National Health (Listed Drugs on F1 or F2) Determination 2021 Authoritative Version
Legislative Instrument Compilation - F2021C01051
PB 33 of 2021 Determinations/Health as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health (Listed Drugs on F1 or F2) Amendment Determination 2021 (No. 7).
Download

National Health Act 1953
Act Compilation - C2021C00460
Act No. 95 of 1953 as amended, taking into account amendments up to National Health Amendment (COVID-19) Act 2021 An Act relating to the provision of pharmaceutical, sickness and hospital benefits, and of medical and dental services.
Download

National Health Security Act 2007 Authoritative Version
Act Compilation - C2021C00451
Act No. 174 of 2007 as amended, taking into account amendments up to Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2021 An Act to provide for national health security, and for related purposes.
Download

Return to top

New Bills

Federal

A Private Member's Bill (Sharkie) for an Act to amend the Aged Care Act 1997, and for related purposes.

The purpose of the Bill is to put in place a fairer fee structure for aged care at home, and thus to better inform, and serve, older Australians, their families, carers and the taxpayer. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety noted that for a $52,000, level 4, home care package, a recipient received on average only 8 hours and 45 minutes of support per week.

High administration and management fees charged for aged care provided in the recipient's home have not resulted in better payments to aged care workers, who receive hourly rates reportedly 25 per cent lower than those of people undertaking comparable duties in the disability sector.

The Bill will define which costs can be included by providers under 'administration and management' fees, and cap the proportion of fees that may be charged as administration and management fees to no more than 25 per cent of fees under a Level 1 and or Home Care package and no more than 20 per cent of a Level 3 or 4 package. It is not intended to impact hourly rates of pay received by workers in aged care.

Administration or management fees will need to be set and identified separately from the rest of home care fees to prevent such fees from being 'hidden' in inflated hourly costs. Administration and management fees will be defined as including administration staff, insurance, workers' compensation, case management or care coordination and budget preparation.

The Bill will ban home care providers from charging 'exit fees' which practice limits a person's choices to change their home care provider if they are not satisfied with the care provided or fees charged. This will improve the autonomy of older Australians who may wish to change providers or indeed to move to self-management of the care they receive in their homes.

Providers will be required to give to a prospective care recipient a schedule setting out the home care fees charged by at least five other approved providers in the area, or if there are fewer than five other such home care providers in the area, the schedule must set out the fees of all other approved home care providers in the area. This will make comparative pricing information more accessible to prospective recipients of care at the time when they are deciding whether or not to enter into an aged care agreement, so that they may make an informed choice of care provider and the terms on which that care is delivered.

The Bill will thus improve the autonomy of aged care recipients, and provide them with the relevant information, putting them at the heart of decisions about the care they receive in their own homes.

Reps: Intro 25/10/21, 2R 25/10/21, Passed TBA
Senate: Intro TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: The whole of this Act: a single day to be fixed by Proclamation. However, if the provisions do not commence within the period of 6 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, they commence on the day after the end of that period.

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to aged care, health and aged care pricing, and information sharing in relation to veterans and military rehabilitation and compensation, and for related purposes

Schedule 1 amends the Aged Care Act 1997 (Aged Care Act) and the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 (Transitional Act) to enable the introduction of a new residential aged care basic subsidy calculation model, the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC). This model will replace the Aged Care Funding Instrument from 1 October 2022. The new funding model will link calculation of a variable amount of residential aged care subsidy to each care recipient's AN-ACC level. It will also link calculation of a fixed amount of subsidy to the characteristics of residential aged care services. This fixed component will be the same for all residents at a service and will be higher for services in remote locations and certain specialist services, in recognition of higher fixed operating costs.

Schedule 2 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (Quality and Safety Commission Act) to establish the legislative authority for nationally consistent pre-employment screening for aged care workers of approved providers to replace existing police checking obligations.

Schedule 3 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act and the Quality and Safety Commission Act to allow the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner (Commissioner) to make and enforce a Code of Conduct (Code) that will apply to approved providers and their workers, including governing persons. It will give the Commissioner powers to deal with information received about alleged breaches of the Code, and take enforcement actions for substantiated breaches.

Schedule 4 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act to extend the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) from residential care to home care and flexible care delivered in a home or community setting from 1 July 2022. This Schedule introduces new responsibilities for approved providers of home care, and flexible care delivered in a home or community setting to manage incidents, including through implementing and maintaining an incident management system that complies with requirements set out in the Quality of Care Principles 2014.

The definition of a reportable incident will also be extended to home and community care settings, so that home care and flexible care providers operating in these settings will be required to notify the Commissioner of these incidents. Protections against retribution or vilification for individuals reporting such incidents will also extend to reportable incidents in these settings.

Schedule 4 of the Bill will also amend the Quality and Safety Commission Act to expand the Commissioner's powers to deal with incidents that are reported by Commonwealth grant funded aged care service providers, and authorise these providers to collect, use and disclose information relevant to their obligations in relation to the SIRS for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988.

Schedule 5 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act and the Quality and Safety Commission Act to improve the governance of approved providers of aged care. From 1 March 2022, the amendments will introduce new governance responsibilities for approved providers in relation to the membership of their governing bodies and the establishment of new advisory bodies, as well as measures to improve leadership and culture. These measures are aimed at improving transparency and accountability, and ensuring the focus of approved providers, from the top down, is on the best interests of care recipients.

Schedule 5 also introduces new reporting responsibilities for approved providers, including to provide an annual statement on their operations that will be made publicly available. This will help care recipients and their families understand key details of providers, including information about financial circumstances, staffing levels and complaints. The amendments will also require approved providers to notify the Commission of changes to key personnel and will replace the current disqualified individual arrangements with a suitability test for key personnel, consistent with the arrangements under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Schedule 6 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act, the Quality and Safety Commission Act, Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004, and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 to facilitate greater information sharing between Commonwealth bodies across the aged care, disability and veterans' affairs sectors in relation to noncompliance of providers and their workers.

Schedule 7 of the Bill amends the Aged Care Act to enable the Secretary or Commissioner to request information or documents from a provider or borrower of a loan made using a refundable accommodation deposit or bond. The amendments create an offence for a borrower who does not comply with a request. Further, the period of liability for the existing offences for the misuse of refundable accommodation deposits prior to an insolvency event for both providers and key personnel of providers will be extended from 2 years to 5 years.

Schedule 7 also amends the Quality and Safety Commission Act to enable the Commissioner to issue an infringement notice for a borrower who commits an offence for failing to comply with a request under these amendments. The reforms implemented under Schedule 7 of the Bill will form part of the second phase of a three phase plan to implement a new financial and prudential monitoring, compliance and intervention framework for the aged care sector.

Schedule 8 to the Bill amends the National Health Reform Act 2011 (National Health Reform Act) and the Aged Care Act to expand the functions of a renamed Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (Pricing Authority) to include the provision of advice on health care pricing and costing matters, provision of advice on aged care pricing matters and the performance of certain functions conferred in the Aged Care Act. The amendments also establish new governance arrangements and appointments processes for the Pricing Authority. The new governance and appointment arrangements will reflect the enhanced responsibilities and integrated functions of the Pricing Authority and streamline its administration.

Schedule 8 also amends the National Health Reform Act, the Aged Care Act and the Quality and Safety Commission Act to ensure appropriate use and disclosure of information required for the Pricing Authority to perform its new functions.

On 21 October 2021, the Senate Selection of Bills Committee referred the provisions of the Bill to to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 16 November 2021.

Reps: Intro 01/09/21, 2R 01/09/21, 20/10/21, 25/10/21, Passed (with 14 Government amendments) 25/10/21
Senate: Intro TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  1. Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table - The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  2. Schedule 1 - 1 October 2022.
  3. Schedule 2 - A single day to be fixed by Proclamation. However, if the provisions do not commence within the period of 12 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, they commence on the day after the end of that period.
  4. Schedule 3 - 1 July 2022.
  5. Schedule 4, Part 1 - 1 July 2022.
  6. Schedule 4, Part 2 - The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  7. Schedule 5 - 1 March 2022.
  8. Schedule 6 - The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  9. Schedule 7 - 1 July 2022.
  10. Schedule 8 - The 28th day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

Download: 2R Speech | Explanatory Memorandum | Supplementary EM | Committee Report

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Health Insurance Act 1973, and for related purposes

This Bill amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) to implement improvements to the Bonded Medical Program (the Program) established under Part VD of the Act and to the administration of Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship (MRBS) contracts under section 19 of the Act.

The Government is committed to better distributing the medical workforce to regional, rural and remote communities, which on average have less access to doctors than people in metropolitan areas.

The Program provides a Commonwealth-supported place in a course of study in medicine at an Australian university in exchange for a participant completing a Return of Service Obligation (RoSO) working as a doctor in a regional, rural or remote community.

The Program commenced on 1 January 2020, replacing legacy contract-based schemes with new, simpler arrangements. In 2020 and 2021, new medical students at Australian universities have entered into this new Program. It is intended that participants in two legacy schemes, the MRBS Scheme and the Bonded Medical Places (BMP) Scheme can decide whether to opt in to the Program.

Amending the Act will provide the flexibility necessary to enhance implementation of the Program. The proposed amendments will address unintended consequences in the interests of participants and will also support achievement of the Commonwealth's Program objectives.

Reps: Intro 26/08/21, 2R 26/08/21, 18/10/21, 26/10/21, Passed 26/10/21
Senate: Intro TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  1. Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table - The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  2. Schedule 1 - A single day to be fixed by Proclamation. However, if the provisions do not commence within the period of 6 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent, they commence on the day after the end of that period.
  3. Schedule 2 - The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, and for related purposes.

This Bill amends the Act to enable the Minister to make NDIS Rules in a legislative instrument setting out the Participant Service Guarantee (the Guarantee) and, streamline administrative process to improve the participant experience. The Bill also amends the Act to reflect the availability of the National Disability Insurance Scheme across Australia by removing concepts related solely to launch and transition

The Bill gives effect to several of the recommendations of the 2019 Independent Review of the Act undertaken by Mr David Tune AO PSM (the Tune Review), including the Guarantee to provide timeframes and engagement principles for how the National Disability Insurance Agency (the Agency) undertakes key administrative processes.

The provisions in the Bill do not alter the fundamental principles and objectives of the Act, the NDIS as a service system, the roles and responsibilities of all governments in the governance of the scheme, or the legislated functions of the Agency in delivering the NDIS.

Reps: Intro 28/10/21, 2R 28/10/21, Passed TBA
Senate: Intro TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  1. Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table: the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  2. Schedule 1, item 1: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  3. Schedule 1, items 2 and 3: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  4. Schedule 1, items 4 to 12: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  5. Schedule 1, item 13: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  6. Schedule 1, item 14: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  7. Schedule 1, item 15: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  8. Schedule 1, item 16: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  9. Schedule 1, items 17 to 29: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  10. Schedule 1, item 30: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  11. Schedule 1, items 31 to 33: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  12. Schedule 1, items 34 to 36: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  13. Schedule 1, item 37: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  14. Schedule 1, item 38: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  15. Schedule 1, item 39: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  16. Schedule 1, item 40: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  17. Schedule 1, item 41: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  18. Schedule 1, items 42 and 43: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  19. Schedule 1, items 44 to 51: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  20. Schedule 1, items 52 to 57: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  21. Schedule 1, item 58: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  22. Schedule 1, items 59 and 60: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  23. Schedule 1, items 61 and 62: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  24. Schedule 1, items 63 and 64: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  25. Schedule 1, item 65: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  26. Schedule 1, items 66 and 67: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  27. Schedule 1, items 68 and 69: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  28. Schedule 1, items 70 and 71: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
  29. Schedule 2: the later of:
    1. the day after the end of the period of 3 months beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent; and
    2. 1 April 2022.
  30. Schedule 3: the seventh day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

Download: 2R Speech | Explanatory Memorandum

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, and for related purposes

The NDIS Act 2013 (the NDIS Act) provides a foundation for measures to support and protect NDIS participants at risk of harm. This Bill amends various provisions in the NDIS Act to improve the support and protections provided to NDIS participants who may be at risk of harm.

Following recent cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation of NDIS participants, the Government has considered a number of inquiries the effectiveness of NDIS safeguards in these cases, in addition to the Hon. Alan Robertson SC Independent Review of the adequacy of the regulation of the supports and services provided to Ms Ann- Marie Smith, an NDIS Participant, who died on 6 April 2020 (the Robertson Review), commissioned by the NDIS Commissioner.

The Bill will strengthen support and protections for people with disability by ensuring a clear and effective legislative basis for the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner's (Commissioner's) powers, compliance and enforcement arrangements, provider registration provisions and efficient information sharing across governments and government agencies.

On 17 Jun 2021, the Senate Selection of Bills Committee referred the Bill to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 12 August 2021.

Reps: Intro 03/06/21, 2R 03/06/21, 23/08/21, 24/08/21, 25/08/21, Passed 25/08/21
Senate: Intro 26/08/21, 2R 19/10/21, 20/10/21, Passed 21/10/21

Assent 28/10/21, Act No. 116 of 2021.

Commencement: The whole of this Act - The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the National Health Act 1953, and for other purposes.

This Bill amends the National Health Act 1953 to implement measures negotiated in new Strategic Agreements with Medicines Australia and the Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association acting on behalf of the medicines industry in Australia. These measures relate to supply of medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and arrangements for statutory price reductions to the PBS price (the AEMP) of PBS listed brands. The measures are intended to:

  • generate savings to be reinvested in the PBS to support subsidy of the continuously growing treatment options for patients; and
  • mitigate the impact of global medicines shortages on the ability for patients to access PBS listed medicines in Australia.

The measures do this by improving statutory price reductions for PBS medicines and, at the same time, preventing the prices of PBS medicines from being reduced below what is needed to support reliable supply, and introducing a requirement that pharmaceutical companies that supply older and low cost medicines that are more susceptible to global supply disruptions hold greater stocks of those medicines in Australia.

Reps: Intro 28/10/21, 2R 28/10/21, Passed TBA
Senate: Intro TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  • Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table: the day this Act receives the Royal Assent.
    • Schedule 1, Part 1: the day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.
    • Schedule 1, Part 2: 1 July 2022.
    • Schedule 1, Part 3: 1 October 2022.
    • Schedule 1, Part 4: 1 July 2023.
    • Schedule 1, Part 5: 1 July 2027.

Download: 2R Speech | Explanatory Memorandum

 

Northern Territory

A Bill for an Act to amend the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2012 and the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulations 2014

The purpose of this Bill is to allow the Northern Territory to implement a Real Time Prescription Monitoring system. Real Time Script Monitoring provides relevant prescribers and pharmacists with information about a patient's history and use of monitored medicines at the time of issuing a prescription or supplying the medicine. The real time patient information supports prescribers and pharmacists in making clinical decisions about appropriate medication use, which can reduce overuse or misuse of medication and risk of accidental deaths.

Notice of Motion 27/10/21
Intro 28/10/21, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: This Act commences on the day after the day on which the Administrator's assent to this Act is declared.

Download: Explanatory Statement | 2R Speech

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Act 2017, the Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Regulations 2017 and the Criminal Code

The purpose of this Bill is to further improve safe access to reproductive choice for women in the Northern Territory. The Bill removes the need for assessment by a second doctor for terminations up to 24 weeks; increases the gestational upper limit from 23 to 24 weeks; allows terminations after 24 weeks gestation following consultation between two medical practitioners; removes additional credentialing requirements for medical practitioners who perform termination of pregnancy over their existing credentialing; and makes a consequential amendment to the Criminal Code.

Notice of Motion 26/10/21
Intro 27/10/21, 2R 27/10/21, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: This Act commences on the day after the day on which the Administrator's assent to this Act is declared.

 

South Australia

A Bill for An Act to amend the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (South Australia) Act 2010.

The purpose of this bill is to make permanent the legal provisions for the authorising of telepharmacy in South Australia. Similar temporary provisions were supported by members as part of the COVID-19 Emergency Response (Further Measures) (No.2) Amendment Bill 2020. These provisions were extended with the passage of the COVID-19 Emergency Response (Expiry and Rent) Amendment Bill 2020 and are set to expire on 6 February 2021. This Bill includes two additional provisions to those included in the temporary COVID-19 Acts.

Firstly, PRASA may only authorise the provision of telepharmacy services where the authorisation is necessary to ensure that pharmacy services are available to people who otherwise would not have direct and timely access to these services. This addresses any perceived potential for new business models for routine delivery of pharmacy services. Secondly, a pharmacy services provider must ensure that a relevant code of conduct is complied with when providing services remotely. The Pharmacy Regulation Authority of South Australia has developed a code of conduct for this purpose.

LC: 1R 15/10/20, 2R 15/10/20, 03/12/20, 26/08/21, Passed 26/08/21
LA: 1R 26/08/21, 2R 26/10/21, Passed 26/10/21
LC: Final Stages 26/08/21

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: This Act comes into operation on a day to be fixed by proclamation.

Download: 2R Speech

 

Tasmania

A Bill for An Act to repeal the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Act 1968 and to amend certain Acts, and rescind or revoke certain legislative instruments, consequent on that repeal.

The purpose of this Bill is to repeal legislation that is out of date and unnecessary.

This Bill repeals the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Act 1968 (the ADDA) and subordinate regulations and orders. It also makes minor consequential amendments to definitions in the Community Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2005, the Poisons Act 1971, and the Road Safety (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1970.

In its current form, the ADDA provides for the admission and detention of persons to a treatment centre; establishes a tribunal with limited review powers; and allows for the designation of treatment centres and appointment of superintendents and welfare officers.

The ADDA's use has been in steady decline and it has not been used at all since early 2016. The Tribunal has received only two applications in the last 18 years, with the last being received in 2009.

LA: Intro 01/09/21, 2R 12/10/21, Passed 12/10/21
LC: Intro 15/10/21, 2R 28/10/21, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: This Act commences on a day to be proclaimed.

Download: Clause Notes | Fact Sheet | 2R Speech

 

Victoria

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 in relation to the effective management of pandemics and for other purposes.

The Bill will establish a contemporary, fit-for-purpose regulatory framework to enable the effective management of pandemics, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Bill will introduce amendments to enable the protection of public health from the serious threat posed by pandemic diseases and diseases of pandemic potential. Most critically, the Bill focuses on saving Victorian lives during pandemics, and promoting and protecting the social, economic and mental welfare of Victorians to the greatest extent possible during these confronting events.

The Bill amends Victoria's principal public health statute, the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, primarily by inserting a new Part 8A-Protection of life and public health during pandemics. The main objective of the new Part is to protect public health and wellbeing in Victoria by establishing a regulatory framework for preventing and managing the serious risk to life, public health and wellbeing presented by the outbreak or spread of pandemics and diseases of pandemic potential.

LA: 1R 26/10/21, 2R 27/10/21, 28/10/21, Passed 28/10/21
LC: 1R 28/10/21, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  1. Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), this Act comes into operation on the day after the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.
  2. The following provisions come into operation on a day or days to be proclaimed-
    (a) Part 3;
    (b) Division 3 of Part 4;
    (c) Division 2 of Part 5;
    (d) Part 6.
  3. Division 2 of Part 4 comes into operation on 16 December 2021.
  4. If a provision mentioned in subsection (2) does not come into operation before the day that is 12 months after the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent, it comes into operation on that day.

 

A Bill for An Act to establish the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, to make consequential amendments to other acts and for other purposes.

The main purposes of the Bill, are:

  • to establish the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing; and
  • to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

LA: 1R 12/10/21, 2R 13/10/21, 26/10/21, 28/10/21, Passed 28/10/21
LC: 1R 28/10/21, 2R 28/10/21, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement:

  1. Subject to subsections (2) and (3), this Act comes into operation on a day or days to be proclaimed.
  2. If a provision of this Act (other than section 11(7) or (8)) does not come into operation before 1 October 2022, it comes into operation on that day.
  3. If section 11(7) or (8) does not come into operation before 1 April 2023, it comes into operation on that day.

 

Western Australia

A Bill for An Act to amend the Health Services Act 2016; and the Mental Health Act 2014; and the Motor Vehicle (Catastrophic Injuries) Act 2016; and the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre Act 1966; and the University Medical School, Teaching Hospitals, Act 1955.

The Health Services Amendment Bill 2021 (the Bill) amends the Health Services Act 2016 (the Act) to refine the Act's effectiveness. The Bill amends the functions and powers of the Minister for Health (the Minister), the Department CEO and health service providers (HSPs) to improve the functioning of the WA health system and to overcome operational and administrative burdens that have been encountered since the Act commenced. It also rectifies drafting errors and amends the parts of the Act that have not been operationalised effectively due to ambiguous interpretation.

LA: Notice of Motion 23/06/21
LA: 1R 24/06/21, 2R 24/06/21, 28/10/21, Passed TBA
LC: 1R TBA, 2R TBA, Passed TBA

Assent TBA, Act No. TBA

Commencement: This Act comes into operation as follows -

(a) Part 1 - on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent;
(b) the rest of the Act - on a day fixed by proclamation, and different days may be fixed for different provisions.

Return to top

New Acts

Federal

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Improving Supports for At Risk Participants) Act 2021

An Act to amend the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, and for related purposes

The NDIS Act 2013 (the NDIS Act) provides a foundation for measures to support and protect NDIS participants at risk of harm. This Act amends various provisions in the NDIS Act to improve the support and protections provided to NDIS participants who may be at risk of harm.

Following recent cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation of NDIS participants, the Government has considered a number of inquiries the effectiveness of NDIS safeguards in these cases, in addition to the Hon. Alan Robertson SC Independent Review of the adequacy of the regulation of the supports and services provided to Ms Ann- Marie Smith, an NDIS Participant, who died on 6 April 2020 (the Robertson Review), commissioned by the NDIS Commissioner.

The Act will strengthen support and protections for people with disability by ensuring a clear and effective legislative basis for the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner's (Commissioner's) powers, compliance and enforcement arrangements, provider registration provisions and efficient information sharing across governments and government agencies.

On 17 Jun 2021, the Senate Selection of Bills Committee referred the Bill to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 12 August 2021.

Reps: Intro 03/06/21, 2R 03/06/21, 23/08/21, 24/08/21, 25/08/21, Passed 25/08/21
Senate: Intro 26/08/21, 2R 19/10/21, 20/10/21, Passed 21/10/21

Assent 28/10/21, Act No. 116 of 2021.

Commencement: The whole of this Act - The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

Return to top

If you have any issues viewing this e-mail, please contact LexisNexis Capital Monitor on 02 6100 0801 or help@capmon.com

Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy Statement | Contact Us | Twitter | Linkedin

© 2021 LexisNexis Capital Monitor

COPYRIGHT WARNING: This Newsletter is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, copied or redistributed, in part or in whole, without the express permission of LexisNexis Capital Monitor.

WARNING - This email is confidential and may contain copyright material. If you are not the intended recipient of LexisNexis Capital Monitor original e-mail, please notify by return e-mail, delete your copy of the message, and accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. Republication or re-dissemination, including posting to news groups or web pages, is strictly prohibited without the express prior consent of LexisNexis Capital Monitor. © 2021 Reed International Books Australia Pty Ltd  (ABN 70 001 002 357) trading as LexisNexis. LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., and used under license.