Legislative approach to national registration

Public comment has been invited on the approach being taken to the first legislative element in the new national registration and accreditation scheme for the health professions.

That approach is outlined in a paper, which addresses "issues that are supplementary to the Intergovernmental Agreement for a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions (the IGA), to enable the finalisation of a draft Bill for consideration by Health Ministers."

Following approval by Health Ministers the bill will be introduced into the Queensland Parliament.

Those wishing to comment on this paper, have been asked to lodge a written submission in electronic form, marked "Attention: Practitioner Regulation Subcommittee", at nraip@dhs.vic.gov.au by close of business on Friday, 5 September 2008.

The background to this development was set on 26 March 2008, when COAG signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions.

The IGA can be downloaded from: www.nhwt.gov.au/natreg.asp

According to the Government's information, "the legislative program required to implement the scheme is to be undertaken in three stages:

Stage 1: Preparation and passage of a National Health Practitioners Regulation Bill (Qld) to establish the structural elements of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for passage by the Queensland Parliament (‘Bill A’)

Stage 2: Preparation and passage of a Bill to amend the first Act, containing other substantive provisions of the scheme, proposed to be passed by the Queensland Parliament (‘Bill B’), and

Stage 3: Preparation and passage of State and Territory adoption Bills to enable the statutory bodies established under Bill A (as amended by Bill B) to operate within each jurisdiction, and passage of a Commonwealth Bill to amend relevant Commonwealth legislation to recognise the national registration scheme (‘Bills C’). The State and Territory Bills will also contain provisions that repeal existing state registration Acts, and transitional and consequential provisions to give effect to the national scheme. "