HEALTH—MEDICARE CHRONIC DISEASE DENTAL SCHEME—AUDITS—ORDER FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS

Senator Fierravanti-Wells amended general business notice of motion no. 420 by leave and, pursuant to notice of motion not objected to as a formal motion, moved—That—

 (a) the Senate:

  (i) notes that:

   (A) more than 680 000 Australians have received treatment for dental care under the Medicare Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (the scheme),

   (B) more than 11 million dental services have been provided under the scheme,

   (C) on 10 June 2010, the Minister for Human Services (Mr Bowen) announced a Medicare Australia taskforce (the taskforce) had been established to investigate dentists' compliance with the scheme, and

   (D) initial audits had been carried out on 49 dentists with a further 250 dentists to be audited,

  (ii) recognises that most dentists act in good faith in providing much-needed services under the scheme, and

  (iii) calls on the Government to desist from pursuing onerous financial restitution from dentists who have made inadvertent, minor or other administrative errors in providing appropriate clinical services to eligible patients; and

 (b) there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing (Senator Ludwig), by 5 pm on Monday, 31 October 2011, the following:

  (i) the number of dentists audited by the taskforce to 31 October 2011 and, as a result, the number of dentists required to:

   (A) repay Medicare benefits,

   (B) repay Medicare benefits where the services claimed have not been provided, and

   (C) repay Medicare benefits where the audit process found services claimed had been provided, and

  (ii) copies of all documentation provided to dentists about the scheme since it commenced.

Question put and passed.