Health Workforce Australia (Abolition)
Bill 2014
Portfolio:
Health
Introduced: House of
Representatives, 15 May 2014
1.1
The Health Workforce Australia (Abolition) Bill 2014 (the bill) disestablishes
Health Workforce Australia (HWA) and transfers the functions and programmes of
HWA to the Commonwealth Department of Health.
1.2
The bill is accompanied by a statement of compatibility which states
that it does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms and is
therefore compatible with human rights.[1]
1.3
The committee considers that the bill does not appear to give
rise to human rights concerns.
1.4
However, the committee notes that the function of HWA is to
promote a national coordinated approach to creating a health workforce able to
meet the current and future healthcare needs of Australia. In this respect, the
bill may be seen as engaging the right to health.[2]
1.5
The explanatory memorandum for the bill notes that the functions
and programmes of HWA will be moved to the Commonwealth Department of Health.
It states:
The disestablishment of HWA and transfer of its functions
and programmes to the Department of Health will provide efficiencies by
removing duplication in programmes and programme management. It will also
reduce the health bureaucracy. It will enable more efficient and effective
delivery of policy and programme activities related to the health workforce, to
ensure Australia continues to have a high quality, capable and well distributed
health workforce, delivering frontline health services for all Australians.[3]
1.6
The committee notes that, while the purpose of the bill is to
provide more efficient and effective delivery of policy and program activities
related to the health workforce, any consequent reduction in the effectiveness
of such activities could result in a limitation of the right to health. The
committee's assessment assumes that the policy of transferring HWA's functions
to the Department of Health will be effective.
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