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Health ref.  no. 802

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

HEALTH INSURANCE ACT 1973

Health Insurance (Eligible persons and holders of a Contributory Parent visa) Order 2017

I, GREG HUNT, Minister for Health, pursuant to subsection 6(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) hereby DECLARE that:

(a)                Every person included in the specified class of persons and holds one of the following visas under the Migration Regulations:

        (i)            a current 2-year temporary visa, subclass 173; or
        (ii)         a 2-year temporary visa subclass 173, at the time of application for a permanent visa subclass 143 and the temporary visa subclass 173 subsequently expires and is replaced by another temporary visa before the granting of the permanent visa subclass 143; or
        (iii)       a current 2-year temporary visa, subclass 884; or
        (iv)        a 2-year temporary visa subclass 884, at the time of application for a permanent visa subclass 864, and the temporary visa subclass 884 subsequently expires and is replaced by another temporary visa before the granting of the permanent visa subclass 864,

    being a person who, but for this Order, would not be an eligible person for the purposes of the Act shall, during any period in which the person is lawfully present in Australia, be treated as being an eligible person for the purposes of the Act.

(b)               This order shall have effect from the date of signature.

Dated this 26th  day of October 2017

GREG HUNT
MINISTER FOR HEALTH

ATTACHMENT – STATEMENT OF REASONS

Health Insurance Act 1973
Class order under subsection 6(1)

ORDER NO:    802

DATE OF ORDER:   2017

RELATED ORDERS:  492, 690, 767, 788

                     NAME OF PERSON/GROUP: Holders of Contributory Parent Visas
                                                                              (Subclasses 143, 173, 864 or 884)

                   REASON FOR APPROVAL:

In April 2001, the Government agreed to a contingency reserve of 4,000 places for parent migration subject to:

       * support from the community;
       * support from Opposition parties;
       * agreement with the Minister for Finance, Health and Ageing, Family and Community Services, and the Prime Minister; and
       * budget neutrality over the Forward Estimates period.

In April 2002 the Government agreed that the contingency remain open subject to the agreed conditions. In June 2002, the then Minister for Immigration, Multicultural, and Indigenous Affairs wrote to the then Minister for Health and Ageing, informing her of his progress and the development of a proposal, which would meet all criteria. The letter also sought the in-principle support for a legislative pathway that would allow Medicare eligibility for categories of temporary residents under the proposed program. On 19 August 2002, the then Minister for Health and Ageing informed the Minister for Immigration of her support for the proposal and that temporary residents under this proposal could be made eligible for Medicare through