False

Report

The committee tabled Report No. 42, 55th Parliament - Health Practitioner National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 on 11 August 2017.

Referral

On 13 June 2017, the Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services, introduced the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017.

The Minister also tabled a draft of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Amendment Regulation 2017.

View: Bill
View: Explanatory Note
View: Explanatory Speech
View: draft Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Amendment Regulation 2017

The Bill was referred to the Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee for consideration.

The Bill

The Bill includes the following amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law) agreed by the Council of Australian Governments Health Council, sitting as the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council (COAG Health Council) on 29 May 2017:

• national regulation of paramedics, including the establishment of a Paramedicine Board of Australia
• enabling the COAG Health Council to make changes to the structure of National Boards by regulation following consultation
• recognition of nursing and midwifery as two separate professions, rather than a single profession, with the professions continuing to be regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
• improvements to the complaints (notifications) management, disciplinary and enforcement powers of National Boards to strengthen public protection and ensure fairness for complainants (notifiers) and practitioners, and
• technical amendments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Law.

The Bill also amends the Health Ombudsman Act 2013 to

• make consequential amendments as a result of the proposed changes to the National Law, and
• make changes requested by the Health Ombudsman as part of the Committee’s Inquiry into the performance of the Queensland Health’s functions pursuant to section 179 of the Health Ombudsman Act 2013. These include:
• enabling the Health Ombudsman to vary their decisions to take immediate actions
• clarifying that an investigation may be ‘continued’ after immediate action, and
• waiver of right to receive three-monthly notices about progress of investigation

Inquiry Timeline