Venereal Diseases (Amendment) Act 1977 (ACT)

No. 40 of 1977

AN ORDINANCE

To amend the Venereal Diseases Ordinance 1956.

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Ordinance under the Seat of Government (Administra­ tion) Act 1910.

Dated this nineteenth day of August, 1977.

JOHN R. KERR Governor-General.

By His Excellency's Command,

RALPH J. HUNT

Minister of State for Health.

VENEREAL DISEASES (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE 1977

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Venereal Diseases (Amend­

ment) Ordinance 1977.*

2. In this Ordinance, "Principal Ordinance" means the Venereal Diseases Ordinance 1956.t

3. Section 4 of the Principal Ordinance is amended by omitting the definition of "venereal disease" and substituting the following definition:—

" 'venereal disease' means gonorrhoea, syphilis, chancroid, donovanosis (granuloma inguinale) and lymphogranu­ loma venereum.".

t Ordinance No. 9, 1956 as amended by No. 19. 1966.

4. After section 6 of the Principal Ordinance the following section is inserted:—

" 6A . (1) Where—

(a) a pathologist tests a specimen for the purpose of ascertain­ ing whether a person is or may be suffering from venereal disease; and

(b) the test is positive,

the pathologist shall, as soon as practicable, notify in writing the Medical Officer of Health of the fact and of the name and address of the medical practitioner from whom the specimen was received.

* Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 24 August 1977.

" (2) A notification under this section shall not give the name of

the person from whom the specimen was taken.

" (3) Where the test is made by a pathologist in the course of his employment, the person by whom he is employed or, in the case of a pathologist employed in a laboratory at a hospital, the person in charge of the laboratory, shall cause the Medical Officer of Health to be notified in accordance with this section.

" (4) In this section, a reference to a pathologist includes a refer­ ence to a laboratory assistant or technical officer employed in a laboratory.

" 6B . There is payable to the medical practitioner or pathologist a

fee of $1 in respect of each notification under section 6 or 6A.".

5. Section 7 of the Principal Ordinance is amended by omitting
from paragraph ( l ) ( a ) the words "sub-section (2) of the last

preceding section " and substituting the words " sub-section 6 (2) ".