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) (19:10): by leave—I record the coalition's support for the amendments, and I move opposition amendments (1) to (13) on sheet 3819: (1) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 8), after "about", insert "financial costs of". (2) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 13), after "transparency of", insert "the financial".

(3) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 15), omit "those services", substitute "information about those costs". (4) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 16), omit "health care", substitute "those costs". (5) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 20), after "information about", insert "financial costs of".

(6) Schedule 1, item 1, page 3 (line 21), after "relating to", insert "the financial costs associated with". (7) Schedule 1, item 1, page 4 (after line 21), after subsection 124ZY(2), insert: (2A) The Secretary must not publish information under subsection (1) unless the Secretary is satisfied that publishing the information would further the objects of this Part.

(8) Schedule 1, item 2, page 5 (line 23), after "information about", insert "financial costs of". (9) Schedule 1, item 2, page 5 (line 27), after "transparency of", insert "the financial". (10) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 1), omit "those treatments", substitute "information about those costs".

(11) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 2), omit "health care", substitute "those costs". (12) Schedule 1, item 2, page 6 (line 11), after "relating to", insert "the financial costs associated with". (13) Schedule 1, item 2, page 7 (after line 32), after subsection 324-5(2), insert: (2A) The Secretary must not publish information under subsection (1) unless the Secretary is satisfied that publishing the information would further the objects of this Division.

We believe that, in order to meet the objects that the government are seeking in relation to the provision of financial information as it relates to the costs of surgeries and medical costs, they should be clearer about the information that they are intending to publish. It is quite clear, from the memorandum that they published in relation to this bill, and the contributions that have been made, that the intent of this Medical Costs Finder—and when you use the word cost, one assumes we're talking about financial costs—refers to financial costs only, which is to limit the scope of information to the policy problem that is being sought to be resolved by this particular bill.

We do not believe this bill should be an opportunity for the government and the department to have a complete free-for-all about what they seek to put up on their website. If they wish to put different information, they should come back through this chamber and seek the chamber to give the government permission in order to make those particular amendments. The objects of this particular bill are very clear.

They relate to the financial costs that relate to services that are rendered. Therefore, we believe that the word 'financial' should be inserted to make sure that the government does not grant itself a whole heap of powers to be able to do whatever it feels like without the appropriate scrutiny of this chamber.