Page 3704 - Week 12 - Thursday, 21 October 1993

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The Bill also provides for a number of amendments of a housekeeping nature, including the removal of sexist language and provisions dealing with registration of interstate practitioners and personal attendance requirements, which will now be dealt with under the mutual recognition legislative framework. I present the explanatory memorandum.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.

PHARMACY (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993 [NO. 2]

MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport) (10.50): I present the Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill 1993 [No. 2].

Title read by Clerk.

MR BERRY: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill 1993 was one of a series of ACT health professionals registration laws to be amended in line with the Australian Health Ministers' agreement to adopt consistent standards in relation to the regulation of health occupations. On 12 October 1993 I withdrew that Bill from the Assembly because of a number of drafting refinements which were identified and agreed upon during the course of settling other associated health professions Bills. The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill 1993 [No. 2] incorporates these drafting refinements.

The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill 1993 [No. 2] amends the Pharmacy Act 1931 and provides for nationally agreed uniform standards and arrangements for regulating pharmacists and provides for a range of uniform sanctions which can be imposed on a practitioner in disciplinary matters or on health grounds. In particular, the Bill recognises the entitlement of a person who is registered as a pharmacist in a State or another Territory to registration in the ACT. It also provides for the Pharmacy Board to recognise conditions which may have been imposed on the registration of a pharmacist in another jurisdiction as a result of disciplinary action and apply the same conditions on the person's registration in the ACT.

These provisions are consistent with the mutual recognition provisions relating to occupations as set out in section 17 of the Commonwealth Mutual Recognition Act 1992. The application of that principle to the Territory and to other jurisdictions has given rise to the desirability of adopting agreed minimum requirements for registration as a pharmacist. Unless all jurisdictions where mutual recognition applies have the same standards for registering a person as a pharmacist, the jurisdiction with the lowest standard will provide a means for a person who satisfies that standard but not the higher standards required in the other jurisdictions to gain registration in those other jurisdictions, under the mutual recognition principle.


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