Commonwealth Numbered Acts

COMMUNITY SERVICES AND HEALTH LEGISLATION AMENDMENT ACT 1989 No. 95 of 1989 - SECT 10

10. After section 3E of the Principal Act the following sections are inserted:
Vocationally registered general practitioners

"3F. (1) The purpose of this section is to provide for the registration of
certain medical practitioners as vocationally registered general
practitioners.
Note: Some items in the general medical services table apply only to services
rendered by medical practitioners who are registered under this section.

"(2) The Commission is to establish and maintain a Vocational Register of
General Practitioners.

"(3) The Register may be maintained in any form, including the form of a
computer record.

"(4) A medical practitioner may apply to the Commission for registration under
this section.

"(5) The application must be made in a manner approved by the Minister.

"(6) If:

   (a)  the General Manager of the Commission is satisfied that the Royal
        Australian College of General Practitioners has certified that the
        applicant's medical practice is predominantly general practice and
        that the applicant has training and experience in general practice
        that make it appropriate for the applicant to be registered under this
        section; or

   (b)  the applicant is, in accordance with the regulations, eligible for
        registration under this section; the General Manager shall, within 14
        days after receiving the application, enter the applicant's name in
        the Register.

"(7) The General Manager of the Commission shall give the applicant written
notice of the day on which the applicant's name is to be entered in the
Register.

"(8) The Commission may give the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners information about:

   (a)  the current state of the Register;

   (b)  additions to the Register; and

   (c)  deletions from the Register.

"(9) The General Manager of the Commission or an authorised officer may make
available to members of the public, on request, the names of medical
practitioners who are registered under this section and the addresses at which
they practise.

"(10) In the section:
'authorised officer' means a Commission staff member authorised by the General
Manager of the Commission as an authorised officer for the purposes of this
section;
'Commission staff member' means a member of the staff of the Commission
referred to in subsection 28 (1) of the Health Insurance Commission Act 1973.
Removal from Register

"3G. (1) The General Manager of the Commission shall remove a medical
practitioner's name from the Vocational Register of General Practitioners if:

   (a)  the medical practitioner requests the General Manager to do so;

   (b)  the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners gives the
        General Manager written notice that:

        (i)    the College is no longer satisfied that the medical
               practitioner's medical practice is predominantly general
               practice;

        (ii)   the College is no longer satisfied that it is appropriate for
               the medical practitioner to be registered under section 3F; or

        (iii)  the medical practitioner has failed to meet the College's
               minimum requirements for participation in continuing medical
               education and quality assurance programs; or

   (c)  removal is required by regulations made for the purposes of this
        paragraph.

"(2) Where the General Manager decides that a medical practitioner's name
should be removed from the Register, the General Manager shall give the
medical practitioner written notice of the decision.

"(3) The decision shall be made in writing and shall specify the day on which
the medical practitioner's name is to be removed from the Register.

"(4) The day specified under subsection (3) shall be not less than 14 days
after the day on which the decision is made. Minister's powers to make
determinations

"3H. (1) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, determine that
a reference in section 3F or 3G to the Royal Australian College of General
Practitioners is to be taken to be a reference to the body specified in the
determination.

"(2) If a determination is made under subsection (1), section 3F or 3G applies
as if the reference to the College were a reference to the body specified in
the determination.".