Regulatory Reform Omnibus Act 2025 (73 of 2025)

Schedule 2   Amendments to improve or maintain access to government services

Part 5   Authorising appropriate information sharing to improve the integrity of medicare

National Health Act 1953

155   After section 135AC

Insert:

135ACA Authorisation - use for authorised disclosure

(1) This section applies to information that:

(a) is obtained or generated by an officer (within the meaning of section 135A) in the performance of duties or functions, or in the exercise of powers, under this Act; and

(b) relates to the affairs of a person.

(2) A person may use information to which this section applies for the purpose of disclosing the information under section 135A, 135ABA, 135ABB or 135ABC.

135ACB Authorisations and exemptions do not limit each other

An authorisation or exemption (however described) under section 135A, 135AAA, 135ABA, 135ABB, 135ABC, 135AC or 135ACA does not limit, and is not limited by, any other authorisation or exemption under:

(a) that section or any other of those sections; or

(b) any other section of this Act.

135ACC References to the integrity or sustainability of a medicare program

(1) This section is made for the purposes of the following provisions:

(a) paragraph 135ABA(2)(a);

(b) paragraph 135ABB(3)(a).

(2) For the purposes of each of those provisions, and the section in which the provision is located:

(a) a reference in the section to the purposes of the integrity or sustainability of a medicare program includes a reference to the need to ensure that access to the program is limited to circumstances where requirements or parameters (whether or not statutory) relating to the program are met; and

(b) a reference in the section to a collection, use or disclosure being for those purposes is taken to include a reference to the collection, use or disclosure being for the purposes of ensuring that the delivery of the program is not compromised by mistakes, misconduct, fraud or non-compliance, including in relation to those requirements or parameters.

135ACD Information relating to deceased persons

Sections 135A, 135AAA, 135ABA, 135ABB, 135ABC, 135AC, 135ACA, 135ACB and 135ACC apply in relation to information relating to a deceased person in the same way as they apply in relation to information relating to a person who is not deceased.