Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (10:37): I am pleased to rise today to make a few brief comments on the Health Legislation Amendment (Regulatory Reform) Bill 2026. Indeed my colleague the hardworking Shadow Minister for Health Ms Crozier has gone into quite significant detail in relation to what is a regulatory bill that is improving the regulation of a variety of very important acts and issues in the public health space. We were going along very well in a considered view until the last 30 seconds of the previous member’s contribution, which was quite disappointing hyperbole with absolutely no substantial truth to it at all. In fact it was a nice fabrication – disappointing on a very important bill.
This bill looks to really bed down some of the major recommendations from a rapid review. In particular it amends the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 to require that registered ART providers comply with approved accreditation schemes. It gives the Department of Health and the Minister for Health far greater powers to ensure that the companies and facilities running this very important service are inspected at a high degree but also provides the minister with the ability to cancel registration under specific circumstances. Certainly the Nationals and Liberals support that important work.
In terms of the Non-Emergency Patient Transport and First Aid Services Act 2003 I just want to put on record here that this is in relation to changing and adopting or incorporating by reference any matter contained in any document as amended from time to time as well as those documents in force at the date that regulations come into operation or any date before then. It is important that these services run to their maximum efficiency, and indeed incorporating those back-end documents is really important.
I do want to take this moment to provide a shout-out to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and indeed the community transport element of that particular charity. These people operate under that act, and they deserve our significant gratitude for a vital service that occurs in regional Victoria. I think it was probably a couple of months ago now, in Foster in South Gippsland, based at the Foster hospital, that this Gippsland operation met for one of their monthly meetings to sit around the table. There were probably around a dozen to 20 volunteers, coordinated by a central point, who shared their experiences as to how they enrich the lives at a very pivotal point in the lives of members in our community. Quite often they are very mature members, our elderly members of the community, that either do not have a car or do not feel that they are able to access facilities, whether they be travelling to Wonthaggi for specialist doctor appointments or up to Leongatha or over to the Latrobe Valley, to the Latrobe Regional Hospital.
This community-based patient transfer is so vital; it is vital to meeting those appointments. It is also significant – and this was one of the things embedded in my understanding on the day – that sometimes this can be some of the only real contact that those people have with others, because of that patient transfer. Not only is it a service, it is a link, a connection, a communication that is really vital and so needed. So I put on record my sincere thanks to all of those volunteers. Quite often they are retired. In fact one was a retired teacher who taught me at Foster high school. I just really want to place on record the importance of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. That charity is vital, the important work that they do, specifically in this patch in South Gippsland, but I know they operate out of Bairnsdale and they operate in other sectors right around regional Victoria. We are indebted to their service. They often say that they are so enriched by that two-way interaction. Not only do they provide that service but they also gain the wisdom, experience and friendship of people who need that service. I thank them and put them on record in a very humble way. And I think, wherever we finish, when we finish our working life, there are many opportunities to volunteer, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service community transfer is just one of those.
Just to round out with some other comments, the bill amends the Radiation Act 2005 to introduce a financial surety scheme to cover the cost of disposal of radiation sources. I think that, again, is a very important facilitation and improvement. Again, this has come from recommendations. To conclude my short contribution there, we want to make sure that the amendments to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 help to ensure that there is an appropriate person that takes responsibility for managing the safety of cooling towers to minimise health risks. We do not have too many cooling towers in regional Victoria, but there certainly were a number of years ago. It was devastating when there was a legionnaire’s outbreak. They are vital to keeping our commerce and industry working certainly in more built-up and civic areas of our state. With that, I know that, likewise with Ms Crozier, the Nationals will not be opposing this bill before us today.