EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1986 NO. 360
ISSUED BY AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH
NATIONAL HEALTH ACT 1953
NATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS
Section 140 of the National Health Act 1953 (“the Act”) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all matters which by the Act are required or permitted to be prescribed, or which are necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
The Health Legislation Amendment Act (No.2) 1986 (“the Amendment Act”) (Act No. 94 of 1986), amended, amongst other things, section 9B of the Act to include a new paragraph 9B(d). The amended section 9B reads as follows:
“9B. The Minister may provide, or arrange for the provision of, vaccine for the purpose of immunizing persons against any of the following diseases:
(a) poliomyelitis;
(aa) mumps;
(b) measles;
(c) rubella; and
(d) any other disease prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this paragraph.”
SR 326/86
The Amendment Act also repealed, with effect from 1 January 1987, all those provisions of the Act which related to the Isolated Patients’ Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (“IPTAAS”). This is a scheme which provides assistance towards the cost of travel and accommodation for persons who live outside the major metropolitan areas of Australia and need to travel 200 kilometres or further to receive specialist medical treatment. From 1 January 1987 the Commonwealth will provide money to the States and Territories to enable them to implement their own equivalent schemes. The amount of money to be provided will be based on amounts provided in past years in respect of patients from the individual States and Territories.
The main purpose of the Regulations is to repeal, with effect from 1 January 1987 those provisions of the National Health Regulations that relate to IPTAAS and to prescribe hepatitis B for purposes of paragraph 9B(d) of the Act. The prescribing of hepatitis B will enable the Commonwealth to provide hepatitis B vaccine free of charge to the States and Territories so that babies from high-risk groups will be vaccinated against the disease.
The Regulations also make a number of minor amendments. The provisions which relate to IPTAAS will come into operation on 1 January 1987. The other provisions came into operation on the date of notification of the Regulations in the Gazette.