Health Insurance (Requirements for Allied Health Professionals) Determination 2004
I, TONY ABBOTT, Minister for Health and Ageing, make this Determination under subregulation 3A (2) of the Health Insurance Regulations 1975.
Dated 24 June 2004
TONY ABBOTT
Minister for Health and Ageing
Contents
1 Name of Determination
2 Commencement
3 Interpretation
4 Purpose of Determination
5 Aboriginal health workers
6 Audiologists
7 Dietitians
8 Mental health workers
9 Occupational therapists
10 Podiatrists
11 Speech pathologists
1 Name of Determination
This Determination is the Health Insurance (Requirements for Allied Health Professionals) Determination 2004.
2 Commencement
This Determination commences on the date of its notification in the Gazette.
3 Interpretation
(1) In this Determination:
Act mean the Health Insurance Act 1973.
Regulations means the Health Insurance Regulations 1975.
State includes Territory.
(2) A reference in this Determination to a kind of service is a reference to the health service of that kind mentioned in the table in subregulation 3A (1) of the Regulations.
4 Purpose of Determination
For subregulation 3A (2) of the Regulations, this Determination specifies additional requirements that must be met by certain persons who provide health services of the kind mentioned in the table in subregulation 3A (1) of the Regulations.
Note A person who provides a health service of a kind mentioned in the table in subregulation 3A (1) of the Regulations, and meets the applicable requirements in subregulation 3A (2) of the Regulations and in this Determination, is an allied health professional in relation to the provision of that kind of service.
5 Aboriginal health workers
For paragraph 3A (2) (c) of the Regulations, a person who provides an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health service in a State other than the Northern Territory must have been awarded a Certificate Level III (or higher) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health by a registered training organisation that meets training standards set by the Australian National Training Authority’s Australian Quality Training Framework.
Note An Aboriginal health worker who provides an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health service in the Northern Territory must be registered under the Health Practitioners Act 2004 (NT).
6 Audiologists
For subparagraph 3A (2) (b) (ii) of the Regulations, a person who provides an audiology service must:
(a) be a Full Member of the Audiological Society of Australia and hold a Certificate of Clinical Practice issued by that Society; or
(b) be an Ordinary Member — Audiologist, or a Fellow Audiologist, of the Australian College of Audiology.
7 Dietitians
(1) For paragraph 3A (2) (c) of the Regulations, a person who provides a dietetics service must be an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
(2) In this section:
accredited means accredited by the Dietitians Association of Australia.
8 Mental health workers
(1) For the applicable provision of subregulation 3A (2) of the Regulations, this section specifies the requirements for a person who provides a mental health service.
(2) If the person is an Aboriginal health worker, the person must meet the requirements specified by section 5.
(3) If the person is a mental health nurse, the person must:
(a) in the case of a person who provides a mental health service in Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory — be registered as a mental health nurse under a law of Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory, as the case requires; and
(b) in any other case — be a credentialled mental health nurse, as certified by the Australian and New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses.
(4) If the person is an occupational therapist, the person must meet the requirements specified by section 9.
(5) If the person is a psychologist, the person must be registered with a Board established under a law of a State that registers psychologists in that State.
(6) If the person is a social worker, the person must:
(a) be a Member of the Australian Association of Social Workers; and
(b) be certified by that Association as meeting the standards for mental health set out in the document published by that Association entitled ‘Standards for Mental Health Social Workers 1999’.
9 Occupational therapists
For subparagraph 3A (2) (b) (ii) of the Regulations, a person who provides an occupational therapy service in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory must be a Full-time Member, or a Part-time Member, of OT Australia.
Note 1 OT Australia is the national body of the Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.
Note 2 An occupational therapist who provides an occupational therapy service in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia or the Northern Territory must be registered as a person who may provide that kind of service under the applicable law in force in the State in which the service is provided.
10 Podiatrists
For paragraph 3A (2) (c) of the Regulations, a person who provides a podiatry service in the Northern Territory must:
(a) be a Full Member of the Australian Podiatry Association in a State other than the Northern Territory; or
(b) be registered under a law of a State other than the Northern Territory to provide podiatry services.
Note A podiatrist who provides a podiatry service in a State other than the Northern Territory must be registered as a person who may provide that kind of service under the applicable law in force in the State in which the service is provided.
11 Speech pathologists
For subparagraph 3A (2) (b) (ii) of the Regulations, a person who provides a speech pathology service in a State other than Queensland must be a Practising Member of Speech Pathology Australia.
Note A speech pathologist who provides a speech pathology service in Queensland must be registered as a person who may provide that kind of service under the applicable law in force in Queensland.