Warren-Clark AngieANGIE WARREN-CLARK (Labour): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. I'm delighted tonight to take a call on the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Amendment Bill. You may note tonight that I rise having a bit of a chesty cough. I apologise in advance for any unseemly coughing during this call tonight.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Do you know a good health practitioner?ANGIE WARREN-CLARK: Ha ha—health practitioners bill. The Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 was ground-breaking at the time of creation. The focus on protecting public health and safety by providing a consistent accountability regime for practitioners' practice conduct and competence was and still remains crucial to public perception of health and to practice within our health system. We have heard tonight from the Government on the reasons this bill is useful and that this bill is a response to the operational and policy reviews carried out in 2009 and 2012. Those reviews found that the principal Act was working primarily well but that improvements could be made. This bill implements those recommendations.What we have heard tonight is very little from the Opposition. We've hardly heard a thing actually about this bill. We've heard short calls we've heard the tired old song that this was on National's agenda and that this bill is their work etc. etc. Well that's really a joke. We are here progressing this legislation because it is needed to keep pace with the changing face of our health system. In 2009 and 2012 you missed your chance to put people at the heart of our health system. Health is something that affects all people in this country and here is a perfect example of nine long years of ignoring good advice in the health system.I'd like to focus tonight on some of the key changes. Many key changes have been traversed by colleagues across the House and I'd like to focus on the aspect of public trust and confidence. Justice must not only be done but it must also be seen to be done. This bill proposes changing the principal Act to improve information to the public about disciplinary decisions—in short what happens to complaints about registered health practitioners. Essentially information will be released to the complainant or the person who has notified the responsible body about the concern relating to the practitioner's competence. Why is this important? Quite simply complaints made or concerns raised deserve a feedback loop. The public or the person with the complaint needs to know that the concern was taken seriously. Mistrust exists where there is no or very limited response. This bill addresses this issue.Crucial to this process though is that the relevant responsible authority must also develop policies to support natural justice and the practitioner's right to privacy. So there is a fine balance to support transparency of outcome versus the individual's rights. This bill also ensures that where sanctions are in place and are addressing the conduct and practice that information is given to the practitioner it's given to who they are practising with and their employer—really key and important to have that feedback loop happening. I commend this bill to the House.