Finance and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher says Labor’s regulatory reform bill makes common-sense changes. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Streamlining bureaucracy required to access government services is the aim of new legislation introduced to Federal Parliament, which is also designed to clamp down on fraudulent Medicare claims.
The Federal Government’s wide-ranging bill seeks, among other things, to improve and reduce regulation, and in the process make it easier to access government services and social security payments.
The bill supports a “tell us once” approach being rolled out within Services Australia, which is already reducing the number of times Australians must provide the same information when accessing everyday services, such as Medicare rebates, Centrelink, and Child Support.
The bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on Wednesday (8 October), with the government acknowledging that a complete switch to “tell us once” will take time. It says this bill is a significant step towards that goal.
One of the clear outcomes of the government’s productivity roundtable held earlier this year was to fast-track the introduction of this legislation.
There is a strong need to address government inefficiencies that require Australians to repeatedly provide information to access different government services.
The Senate isn’t sitting this week but is instead involved in the latest round of budget estimates hearings.
Finance and Government Services Minister Katy Gallagher issued a statement to say the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025 was about better regulation, cutting red tape, and making government services more accessible.
She described them as “common-sense reforms” that will make a real difference in people’s lives.
“Accessing everyday services shouldn’t be difficult or burdensome, and we’re committed to streamlining services like the Age Pension and Child Support to make them simpler and easier to access,” the minister said.
“We said the roundtable would be a springboard to deliver Labor’s agenda of making government interaction easier, both for businesses and everyday Australians.
“These proposals are straightforward, and I urge the Coalition to support the government’s bill to ensure Australians receive better, fairer experiences when accessing government services as soon as possible.”
The Federal Opposition will scrutinise the legislation before offering any support, as it is a massive omnibus bill that is broad and sweeping, and contains potentially controversial details.
The bill includes 60 measures and will amend 28 acts of parliament, repeal two redundant acts, and update the operations of 13 government agencies.
It will also facilitate improved information sharing between government agencies and regulators, aiming to deliver better outcomes for people and businesses interacting with the government.
These changes will involve increasing information sharing between healthcare providers to ensure patients receive the highest quality care.
They will also go to improving the regulation of Medicare to clamp down on fraudulent claims.
It will provide the public with better information about the rollout of the NBN, and will also grant fuel companies greater flexibility to respond to fuel supply disruptions.
If the bill is passed, changes can be made to allow Australians to update their Centrelink bank details.,
This will also help people claim unpaid Medicare benefits, which are estimated to total $270 million owed to almost a million Australians.
Senator Gallagher said the bill is the latest step in the government’s substantial regulatory agenda since the roundtable.
She said it will boost productivity, drive economic growth, and capitalise on the opportunities offered by emerging technologies – while maintaining important safeguards within the system.
“We’re also working through 400 ideas to reduce regulatory burden from 38 Commonwealth regulators and have tasked the Council of Financial Regulators to de-clutter and improve regulation in the financial sector, with a priority focus on streamlining and harmonising data collection,” the minister said.
“This is another important step in implementing our government’s agenda to make our economy more dynamic, resilient, and productive and a direct outcome from the Economic Reform Roundtable we held earlier this year.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
