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

Senator McALLISTER (New South Wales—Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) (19:15): The government won't be supporting the amendment essentially because we don't consider it to be the appropriate role for primary legislation to prescribe statistical measures. These questions raised by Senator Ruston are not unimportant, but that work would be based on technical analysis, including to assess patient privacy risk and the ability to present meaningful and robust data to users of the website.

Moreover, the amendment as proposed would narrow the ability to provide information in a format that's meaningful for patients. In terms of a high-fee threshold, there is a consultation process being undertaken concerning high specialist fees. The government does not consider it appropriate for a transparency website to be the mechanism for determining high-fee thresholds.

Question negatived.