Defence Legislation Amendment (Implementation of Related Measures No.2) Bill 2026, Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026
Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (16:21): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.
The speech read as follows— DEFENCE LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (IMPLEMENTATION OF RELATED MEASURES NO.2) BILL 2026 I am pleased to present the Defence Legislation Amendment (RCDVS Implementation and Related Measures No. 2) Bill. This Bill reflects the Government's ongoing commitment to responding to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. On 9 September 2024, the Royal Commission delivered its Final Report, making 122 recommendations.
The Government agreed to, or agreed-in-principle to, 104 of the recommendations. This Bill directly implements 15 of those recommendations, and supports a further 20 recommendations focused on strengthening health and wellbeing outcomes, improving suicide prevention and information sharing, supporting Defence families, enhancing transition and continuity of care and modernising governance and accountability arrangements.
Broadly, the reforms in the Bill support the health, wellbeing and safety of current and former ADF members, and their families, prioritising these matters in both Defence and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), supporting information sharing for these purposes, establishing more robust frameworks for Defence health services, enhancing family supports and ensuring people who have been imprisoned for serious violence and sexual offences can never serve in the Defence Force.
The Bill provides clear statutory authority for entrusted persons to collect, use and disclose information for research, data analysis and evaluation relating to health, wellbeing and safety outcomes. These powers are balanced by strong privacy safeguards, including compliance with ministerial guidelines, requirements for de-identification where practicable, and alignment with the Privacy Act framework.
Critically, the Bill supports a more integrated approach across Defence, OVA and other portfolio agencies, including the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency. It enables more efficient and effective information sharing to support continuity of care, proactive outreach and improved transition arrangements, including the earlier transfer of relevant information from Defence to OVA.
This will support timely claims processing, compensation and tailored support for individuals identified as being at increased risk, consistent with Royal Commission recommendations 78, 80, 87 and 102 regarding moral injury, transition support, a veterans wellbeing agency, and family and domestic violence. Together with other Royal Commission-related reforms, this Bill delivers further practical, system-wide change aimed at reducing harm, supporting families and ensuring Defence is better equipped to intervene earlier and more effectively when members, veterans and families are at risk.
Specifically, the Bill contains five Schedules. Schedule 1-lnformation sharing to improve wellbeing, health and safety outcomes Schedule 1 of the Bill inserts a new part in the Defence Act 1903 focused on health and wellbeing support for Defence Force members, veterans and their families, and amends the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 to enhance the Repatriation Commission's functions to include the provision of wellbeing supports for Defence Force members, veterans and their families, including during transition out of the Defence Force.
It establishes new arrangements to support the lawful, ethical and proportionate collection, use and disclosure of information to enhance health, wellbeing and safety outcomes for Defence members, veterans and their families. The Royal Commission identified that Defence and veterans' systems hold critical information, but systemic deficiencies in information sharing and data integration have led to information siloes, delays or gaps in access.
These issues have been significant barriers to identifying risks and providing proactive support where needed, evaluating what works and strengthening suicide prevention. Schedule 1 addresses these issues by creating clear, transparent and proportionate authority for information sharing in critical areas of focus for the Royal Commission. Schedule 1 supports the implementation of several Royal Commission recommendations, including 74, 80, 87, 107 110, and 116 regarding privacy legislation, transition, wellbeing, a national veterans' data asset, Defence data, and research, by striking the right balance between protecting privacy and enabling disclosure of information where a member or veteran may be at risk or in distress; supporting wellbeing during transition from service and underpinning the operation of the new Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency and the new National Veterans' Data Asset.
It will also enhance research and data capabilities, improve timeliness of information sharing between Defence and OVA to support claims processing efficiency, and strengthen the quality, integration and use of data, particularly in relation to preventing suicide and suicidality. Defence and OVA are only able to collect personal information where it is reasonably necessary for the performance of their functions.
Use and disclosure will be limited to legislative purposes and safeguards—primarily health, wellbeing and safety of members, veterans and their families. These reforms will enable Defence and DVA to better understand suicide risk factors and deliver a more responsive and integrated experience for those across the Defence and OVA ecosystem, supporting earlier, proactive interventions for individuals assessed as vulnerable.
Faster access to ADF members' information will mean OVA can process claims from those members as they arise. This will directly address recommendations 94 and 98 of the Royal Commission regarding data sharing and OVA claim processing times. The new wellbeing and transition support functions will enable the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Agency to connect individuals with tailored supports and services appropriate to their individual needs whether or not they have started a claim with DVA.
Schedule 2-Defence health services Schedule 2 modernises and clarifies the legislative framework for Defence health services in direct response to several Royal Commission recommendations, including 67, 68, 76, 78, 113 and 116 regarding clinical governance frameworks, beneficial disclosures, postvention, moral injury, continuous improvement and research. The Defence health system performs a unique role.
It ensures members are fit to serve, supports operational capability, and underpins long-term health and wellbeing. The Royal Commission found that the legal framework governing this system has not kept pace with contemporary clinical practice, particularly in relation to mental health, data use and clinical governance. Schedule 2 addresses this by clearly defining the Defence health system, those who work within it, the services it provides and the information it generates, and by clarifying how that information may be collected, used and disclosed.
This clarification will improve access to timely mental health screening and enable the appropriate use of health information for system monitoring, quality assurance and continuous improvement. The Schedule allows Defence to collect, use and disclose health information for population-level monitoring and evaluation, while embedding safeguards and strengthening legal protections for health practitioners involved in approved quality assurance and improvement activities.
This ensures clinicians can engage openly and candidly in safety and quality assurance processes, mirroring best practice in civilian health systems. This will, for the first time, provide a clear statutory framework governing how health information may be collected, used and disclosed within the Defence health system. It ensures members receive earlier, better coordinated care, while enabling command to make safe and appropriate fitness for duty decisions based on limited, relevant information.
Critically, the framework is calibrated to member interests: statutory authority is provided for uses that support member health and operational readiness. This principled approach reflects the RCDVS's recognition that ADF members' right to privacy and confidentiality must be respected alongside the health and operational needs of the force. The Bill also supports alignment with the National Model Clinical Governance Framework, enabling Defence to actively manage clinical safety, monitor effectiveness and improve service quality in line with national standards.
These arrangements for Defence health services align with civilian settings and are tailored to the unique requirements of the ADF. For example, key decisions about which health conditions to monitor, what quality assurance activities to undertake, and how state and territory requirements apply in the Defence health system, are decisions made by the Surgeon-General of the ADF as the ADF officer with resp0rnsibility for delivery of the Defence health system.
These reforms respond directly to the Royal Commission's finding that data relevant to suicide, suicidality and health is often fragmented or unavailable when needed. Schedule 3-lnformation sharing to support ADF families Schedule 3 of the Bill strengthens legislative support for Defence families, recognising their critical role in the health, wellbeing and safety of Defence members.
It gives effect to Royal Commission recommendations 102 and 103 regarding family and domestic violence and support for defence families by improving support, communication and services provided to Defence families, including through the Defence Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Family and Domestic Violence. The Royal Commission identified a clear nexus between family and domestic violence and suicide risk, and emphasised the need for Defence to address family violence as part of its broader suicide prevention framework.
Service in the ADF can place significant strain on members and their families. Family and relationship breakdowns, particularly when compounded by the pressures of service life, can increase the risk of harm, including suicidality, for serving and ex-serving members. Schedule 3 responds by ensuring systems are in place to communicate directly with families about available services, payments and supports.
It allows for information sharing so that families are better informed and better supported and ensures that former partners impacted by family and domestic violence are not excluded from assistance during separation. In practice this will enable provision of a payment or benefit to a former partner in relation to family or domestic violence to assist the safe separation of the former partner and the member.
Schedule 4-Requirements to serve in the Defence Force Schedule 4 introduces clearer and fairer end-of-service provisions to strengthen integrity, accountability and procedural fairness within Defence. It implements Royal Commission recommendation 22 by establishing more transparent and consistent arrangements for mandatory end of service where members are convicted of certain offences, while preserving appropriate safeguards and review mechanisms.
The Royal Commission emphasised that Defence decision-making affecting a person's service must be clear, proportionate and consistent with contemporary community expectations. Schedule 4 responds by modernising legislative arrangements governing acceptance into service, continuation of service and termination, ensuring decisions are made on a sound statutory footing and with appropriate procedural protections.
These reforms provide greater clarity for members and decision-makers, reduce the risk of inconsistent and ad hoc outcomes, and ensure that decisions to enter, continue or leave service are made in a way that is transparent, fair and aligned with contemporary standards. Critically, these changes strengthen fitness for service and end of service provisions to make clear that anyone who is imprisoned for an act of serious violence or a sexual offence will automatically be separated from service and will not be accepted back into service in the Defence Force.
Schedule 5-0ther amendments Schedule 5 makes a number of minor amendments that support the independence of the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission and its ability to undertake its role consistently with Royal Commission recommendation 122. These changes improve transparency, strengthen accountability mechanisms and ensure that inquiry powers and reporting processes function as intended.
This Bill represents a considered, comprehensive and necessary response to the findings of the Royal Commission. It supports better health, wellbeing and safety outcomes for members, veterans and families. It strengthens information sharing to support prevention and early intervention, modernises Defence health governance, improves support for families and ensures service entry and exit arrangements are grounded in safety, integrity and accountability.
Above all, it ensures that Defence and OVA systems are fit for purpose, designed to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of those who serve, have served and those who support them, and to give practical, lasting effect to the findings and intent of the Royal Commission. I commend the Bill. HEALTH INSURANCE AMENDMENT (INCENTIVE PAYMENTS AND OTHER MEASURES) BILL 2026 I move that this Bill be now read a second time.
The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 is an important step in strengthening the integrity, transparency and sustainability of Medicare primary healthcare funding. Medicare is the very best of Australia. It allows Australian to receive high-quality health care, regardless of their bank balance.
The Albanese Government is strengthening Medicare, the heart of universal healthcare, to make it easier for Australians to see a GP for free. Primary care incentive programs are a central part of how the Government is strengthening Medicare. They support better access, affordability and quality in Australia's primary care system.
These programs are an integral part of Medicare and provide targeted support to healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes, expand access to care, particularly in rural and regional communities, and encourage innovation in service delivery. These programs include those introduced by this Government. This includes the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, which supports practices to provide bulk billed Medicare services to patients, and the General Practice Aged Care Incentive, which supports the delivery of high-quality primary care to older Australians in residential aged care.
These programs are working, with bulk billing rates increasing in every state and territory since the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program was introduced. Thanks to this program, approximately 97 per cent of the population are now within a 20-minute drive of a bulk billing practice. They also include long-standing programs such as the Practice Incentives Program, which supports quality improvement and better health outcomes through targeted payments to general practices, and the Workforce Incentive Program, which supports a stronger multidisciplinary primary care workforce, particularly in rural and regional areas.
Together, all of these incentive programs represent over $1.4 billion of this Government's annual investment in Australia's healthcare system. However, these incentive payment programs currently operate without a clear and consistent legislative framework tailored to their administration, compliance and oversight. This Bill addresses that gap.
It establishes, for the first time, a clear and enduring legislative framework for Commonwealth health incentive payment programs. The Bill inserts a new Part into the Health Insurance Act 1973 to provide a consistent statutory basis for the establishment and administration of these programs, while retaining flexibility for operational program detail to be set through rules.
This approach ensures that the framework is robust, while remaining adaptable to evolving health system needs. The reforms in this Bill will deliver several key improvements. First, they provide greater certainty for healthcare providers and government by placing these programs on a stable legislative footing.
Second, they establish clear and consistent processes for program participation, administration and decision-making, including strengthened approval pathways and procedural fairness safeguards. Third, they enhance the integrity of government expenditure by ensuring that existing compliance, information use and debt recovery provisions apply appropriately to incentive payment programs Together, these changes support proper administration, protect public money, and maintain confidence in incentive payment programs under Medicare.
Importantly, the Bill does not alter the underlying policy settings of existing incentive programs. There are no proposed changes to substantive eligibility criteria or payment amounts for providers. Providers currently receiving payments will transition seamlessly into the new legislative framework without the need to reapply.
This ensures continuity for providers and avoids unnecessary administrative burden. Importantly, it provides stability, so patients can continue to benefit from the outcomes of these programs and strengthened access to primary care. The Bill also modernises the legislative architecture underpinning these programs.
It enables the use of automated administrative processes, supported by appropriate safeguards, transparency and oversight mechanisms. These provisions are designed to support efficient, high-volume administration while maintaining accountability and review rights. Australians rightly expect care when technology is used in decision making.
That is why a cautious and deliberate approach is taken for the automation of administrative processes. The Bill establishes structured review mechanisms, including internal reconsideration processes and access to independent merits review by the Administrative Review Tribunal. This ensures that providers have clear avenues to challenge decisions that affect them.
The Bill also strengthens information-sharing arrangements to support administration and program integrity, while maintaining appropriate protections for personal information. A further important element of the Bill is the amendment to the short title of the Health Insurance Act 1973 to the Medicare Act. This change better reflects the scope and purpose of the legislation and improves public recognition and understanding of the Act.
The renaming will occur following a transition period to allow for consequential amendments across Commonwealth, state and territory frameworks. This Bill is a foundational reform that supports the Government's broader delivery of its strengthening Medicare reforms that will improve access to high-quality primary care. By providing a stronger statutory basis for administering, monitoring and protecting the integrity of Medicare incentive payment programs, the Bill helps ensure that Government investment in primary care is delivered effectively and sustainably.
This Government is committed to Strengthening Medicare. Measures introduced in successive Budgets since 2022 has have stopped the freefall in bulk billing rates. Instead, we are now seeing them rise.
This bill supports improved health outcomes, better access to care, and a stronger primary care system for all Australians. I commend the Bill to the House. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Polley ): In accordance with standing order 115 (3), further consideration of these bills is now adjourned to 4 September and 14 August 2026 respectively.