Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026

Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (18:45): by leave—I move amendments (1) and (2) on sheet 3776 together: (1) Schedule 2, item 8, page 22 (lines 3 and 4), omit subsection 66-8(11), substitute: (11) A fee specified for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b): (a) must not amount to taxation; and (b) must not exceed the amount the Minister estimates to be the reasonable costs of processing an application made under subsection (1).

(2) Schedule 2, item 8, page 24 (lines 23 and 24), omit subsection 66-10(11), substitute: (11) A fee specified for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b): (a) must not amount to taxation; and (b) must not exceed the amount the Minister estimates to be the reasonable costs of processing an application made under subsection (1). These amendments seek to make sure that there is clarity in the bill about the application of fees associated with applying for the ministerial approval that is required under this cap.

We want to make sure that the ministerial approval process that needs to be undertaken is capped to cost recovery. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a strict requirement to build in a cost-recovery mechanism that recognises the actual cost of this, as opposed to just an opportunity for the government to be able to make more revenue to fix up a broken budget. If the government is truly transparent about making sure that only the costs that are associated with the actual application of the measure—we would hope that the government would see clear to supporting these amendments to make sure that fees associated with applying for ministerial approval are capped to cost recovery and only cost recovery.