Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002

Legislation au C2004A01071 Not in force Act

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Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002

 

No. 134, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to impose a tax on certain members and former members of United Medical Protection Limited, and for related purposes

 

 

 

Contents

1 Short title...................................

2 Commencement...............................

3 Definitions..................................

4 Imposition of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution.........

5 Contribution years and imposition days.................

6 Amount of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution...........

7 Regulations..................................

 

 

Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002

No. 134, 2002

 

 

 

An Act to impose a tax on certain members and former members of United Medical Protection Limited, and for related purposes

[Assented to 19 December 2002]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences, or is taken to have commenced, on 1 January 2003.

3  Definitions

 (1) In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

claim, in relation to a payment, has the same meaning as in the Medical Indemnity Agreement under which the payment is made.

contribution year has the meaning given by subsections 5(4) and (5).

enhanced UMP indemnity contribution means the contribution that is payable under Division 2 of Part 3 of the Medical Indemnity Act 2002.

finalised, in relation to a claim in relation to which a payment is made, has the same meaning as in the Medical Indemnity Agreement under which the payment is made.

imposition day has the meaning given by subsection 5(6).

Medical Indemnity Agreement has the same meaning as in the Medical Indemnity Agreement (Financial Assistance—Binding Commonwealth Obligations) Act 2002.

member has the same meaning as in the Medical Indemnity Act 2002.

notified, in relation to a claim in relation to which a payment is made, has the same meaning as in the Medical Indemnity Agreement under which the payment is made.

UMP means United Medical Protection Limited.

 (2) A reference in this Act to United Medical Protection Limited is a reference to the body corporate that had that name on 1 July 2002.

4  Imposition of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution

  On the imposition day for each contribution year, an enhanced UMP indemnity contribution is imposed as a tax on each person who was a member of UMP on 1 July 2002.

5  Contribution years and imposition days

Contribution years

 (1) The Minister may declare, in writing, that a financial year is the first contribution year.

 (2) The Minister may make a declaration under subsection (1) only if the Commonwealth pays an amount under a Medical Indemnity Agreement.

 (3) A declaration under subsection (1) is a disallowable instrument for the purposes of section 46A of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901.

 (4) Subject to subsection (5), each of the following is a contribution year:

 (a) the financial year declared by the Minister under subsection (1) to be the first contribution year; and

 (b) each succeeding financial year.

 (5) The regulations may declare that a financial year specified in the regulations is the last contribution year. If they do so, no subsequent financial year is a contribution year.

Imposition days

 (6) The imposition day for a contribution year is:

 (a) 1 August in the contribution year; or

 (b) such other day as is specified in the regulations as the imposition day for the contribution year.

6  Amount of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution

 (1) Subject to the regulations made for the purposes of subsection (3), the amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution imposed on a person for a contribution year is worked out using the following formula:

where:

Commonwealth payments for the previous financial year is the sum of the relevant amounts that the Commonwealth paid in the financial year that ends immediately before the contribution year starts.

number of members is the number of people who were members of UMP on 1 July 2002.

 (2) In subsection (1):

relevant amount means an amount the Commonwealth pays under a Medical Indemnity Agreement in relation to:

 (a) a claim notified before 29 April 2002 and finalised after 30 June 2002; and

 (b) a claim notified on or after 1 July 2002 (other than a claim in relation to an incident that occurred between 29 April 2002 and 30 June 2002).

 (3) The regulations may provide that the amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution imposed for a contribution year on persons specified in the regulations is the amount specified in, or worked out in accordance with, the regulations.

 (4) The amount payable by a person for a contribution year in accordance with the regulations made for the purposes of subsection (3) must be less than the amount that would be payable by the person for that contribution year under subsection (1).

7  Regulations

  The GovernorGeneral may make regulations prescribing matters:

 (a) required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or

 (b) necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.

(239/02)


 

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 13 November 2002

Senate on 9 December 2002]

 

 

Overview

The Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, was introduced to address a specific financial obligation related to medical indemnity. The Act imposes an enhanced indemnity contribution as a tax on certain members and former members of United Medical Protection Limited, thereby generating funds that are intended to support medical indemnity payments made by the Commonwealth. This legislative measure was established to ensure that the Commonwealth's financial obligations under the Medical Indemnity Agreement are met in a structured and sustainable manner, reflecting the policy objective of securing adequate indemnity coverage for medical practitioners while managing fiscal responsibility. The Act, which commenced on 1 January 2003, delineates the imposition of this tax on individuals who were members of United Medical Protection Limited on 1 July 2002, with specific contribution years and imposition days defined by ministerial declarations and regulations. The amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution is calculated based on the Commonwealth's payments under the Medical Indemnity Agreement and the number of UMP members as of 1 July 2002. The regulations play a crucial role in detailing the application and enforcement of this tax, ensuring it operates effectively within the legislative framework.

Scope and Application

The Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002 applies to individuals who were members of United Medical Protection Limited (UMP) on 1 July 2002, imposing a tax known as the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution on them. The Act is primarily concerned with the financial obligations of these members, as determined by their membership status on the specified date. It operates within the Commonwealth jurisdiction and is designed to align with and supplement the provisions of the Medical Indemnity Act 2002 and the Medical Indemnity Agreement (Financial Assistance—Binding Commonwealth Obligations) Act 2002. The Act allows the Minister to declare the first contribution year, which is subject to the condition that the Commonwealth has made payments under a Medical Indemnity Agreement. Additionally, regulations can specify the last contribution year and dictate other operational details, such as the imposition day for each contribution year. The amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution is calculated based on Commonwealth payments for the previous financial year and the number of UMP members on 1 July 2002, subject to adjustments through regulations. The Act's scope and financial impact are further refined through subordinate regulations, ensuring flexibility and precision in its application.

Key Provisions

The Medical Indemnity (Enhanced UMP Indemnity) Contribution Act 2002 (the Act) outlines the imposition of a tax on certain members and former members of United Medical Protection Limited (UMP) as a contribution towards medical indemnity costs. The Act commences on 1 January 2003, and its main provisions include the definition of terms such as 'contribution year', 'imposition day', and 'enhanced UMP indemnity contribution' (sections 3 and 5). The Act also details the amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution (section 6) and provides the authority for the Governor-General to make regulations to carry out or give effect to the Act (section 7). The enhanced UMP indemnity contribution is imposed on members of UMP as a tax on each person who was a member of UMP on 1 July 2002 (section 4). The Minister has the authority to declare the first contribution year in writing, provided the Commonwealth pays an amount under a Medical Indemnity Agreement (section 5(1)). Each subsequent financial year is considered a contribution year unless the regulations declare a specified financial year as the last contribution year (section 5(4) and (5)). The imposition day for each contribution year is 1 August in the contribution year, unless otherwise specified in the regulations (section 5(6)). The amount of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution is calculated using a formula based on the Commonwealth payments for the previous financial year and the number of members of UMP on 1 July 2002 (section 6(1)). The Act imposes obligations on members of UMP to pay the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution on the imposition day for each contribution year. The Minister has the authority to declare the first contribution year, and the regulations may declare the last contribution year. Members of UMP are also subject to the payment of the enhanced UMP indemnity contribution, which is calculated based on the Commonwealth payments for the previous financial year and the number of members of UMP on 1 July 2002. There are no specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences for breach mentioned in the Act. However, the Minister has the authority to make regulations to carry out or give effect to the Act, which may include provisions for enforcement and compliance.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Taxation Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Definitions & Interpretation
Offence Provisions
Imposition of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution
Contribution years and imposition days
Amount of enhanced UMP indemnity contribution

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.