Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00090:section:135a:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00090
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 135A (pt 2/8)
Character Range: 584816–587545

the Australian Statistician but, subject to subsection (5A), such statistics shall not be published in a manner that enables the identification of a particular person or private health insurer.
 (5A) Statistics relating to the supply of pharmaceutical benefits may be published in spite of the fact that the manufacturer of any of those benefits may be identified through those statistics.
 (5C) This section does not prohibit:
 (a) the provision to a person of a document that was provided to the Secretary by the person in relation to a claim for a pharmaceutical benefit; or
 (b) the divulging or communicating to a person of information relating to the person; or
 (c) information that:
 (i) has been provided to a prescribed professional disciplinary body or a prescribed professional regulatory body; and
 (ii) was contained in a claim for a pharmaceutical benefit;
  from being used by the body for the purpose of any investigation or inquiry being conducted by the body in the performance of its functions or the exercise of its powers.
 (5D) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (1), the Secretary or the Chief Executive Medicare may provide information to an authorised Commonwealth entity (within the meaning of Part VIIIA) for the purpose of facilitating the matching of that information by the Commonwealth entity under subsection 132B(1).
 (6) Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (1), where:
 (a) a person has been convicted of:
 (i) an offence against this Act; or
 (ii) an offence against section 6 of the Crimes Act 1914, or section 11.1, 11.4 or 11.5 of the Criminal Code, that relates to an offence against this Act; or
 (b) an order has been made in relation to a person under section 19B of the Crimes Act 1914 in relation to an offence referred to in subparagraph (a)(i) or (ii); or
 (c) a Committee of Inquiry reports adversely on the conduct of a practitioner or pharmacist in relation to a matter upon which the Committee makes inquiry;
the Secretary may divulge any information acquired by an officer in the performance of duties, or in the exercise of powers or functions, under this Act that concerns a matter referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) to:
 (d) the Secretary of the Department of Social Security; or
 (e) the Secretary of the Veterans' Affairs Department; or
 (ea) the Chief Executive Centrelink or a Departmental employee (within the meaning of the Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997); or
 (f) a person or persons who, under a law of a State or Territory that provides for the registration or licensing of hospitals, nursing homes or similar institutions, is or are, responsible for the administration of that law or who is, or are, empowered to investigate persons in