Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, , 7:22:02 to 7:26:50
The discussion focuses on the financial burden placed on asylum seekers who must pay for health checks that are not grounds for visa refusal, with calls for more affordable solutions through local GPs.
Topics: Health, Protection visas
Speakers: Senator David Pocock, Clare Sharp, Stephanie Foster, Hon Murray Watt, Andrew Kiley, Speaker 41
Senator, if I can just uh correct my my evidence earlier. On shore protection visa applicants do need to undertake a health check, they have to pay for those health checks themselves, but confirming that that is not a ground for refusal.
So I mean uh I assume someone who is trying to get a humanitarian visa probably doesn't have a lot of spare cash. Um much are they having to pay for their health check? Given it's not a it's not grounds for refusal, it's just a nice to know. Uh what does that cost them?
Unless Mr. Pig has the details.
So we'd have to take that on the second month.
Okay, you don't have that figure. No one no one up the back's got that figure. Minister seems like a pretty strange circum set of circumstances where you've got um people who are being assessed as as genuine refugees. Um forcing them to pay BUPA hundreds, potentially thousands of dollars for a family to get a health assessment that is not grounds for refusal. Just so we can know that there might be some health needs when you know a doctor gets I don't know, 70, 80 bucks to do an extended consultation through the MBS. What why would why are we throwing money at a multinational insurance company rather than having a more sensible solution where they go to the local GP and they can bulk bill?
You will have seen I've been speaking with the official Senator Pocock. I've just we've just been trying to clarify the policy rationale, and I think Ms. Foster or Ms. Sharp might have something to say here.
So Senator, um not dissimilar to the um rationale for doing a health check for offshore so we understand the health needs. Um this health check allows us to target the settlement services to ensure that appropriate health care is provided during that period. Um it's actually focused on caring for the person as they transition.
Sure.
Um, not any other reasons.
But the the thing I don't I don't understand here is you know when my family was moving here, the health check is important because there are certain exclusions for different health conditions, and that was made very clear. Um this is something where you've just said it's not grounds for refusal. Why on earth don't we just send them to the local GP and have some sort of MBS item where they can do a full health check? We are shoveling money. One, we're shoveling money at a multinational that last time I checked, I don't know, it's questionable on some of the tax paid. Um two, we're forcing people who probably don't have much cash, may not even have work rights to pay hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars for a family for a medical exam. That's not grounds for refusal. So we know what's wrong with them. Like send them to a doctor. Minister, surely there's a better way to do this.
Um look, uh obviously as the representing minister, I I don't have the knowledge of this content to the degree you're looking for. Um if if the officials have got anything further they can add.
Just one further reason for having a sort of centralized system in the way we do is that it allows us to have confidence that every person has had the check done. And that ensures we do know the health conditions of people who are coming to Australia. We can have confidence that if somebody does happen to have a communicable disease, we we know that.
Yeah, sure.
Um if if in the way you suggest it was done in a very individual led, we wouldn't be able to give any assurance around the system that that um that that's in place to to have confidence.
The processing takes well, I mean, you you know better than all of us, you know, people decades long have been here on some sort of limbo. Um just finally, if you can't afford the health check, can you get your humanitarian visa or is it sort of no health check, no visa?
Uh I would need to take on notice. I would imagine that we have hardship circumstances or there would be an arrangement, but let me take on notice the arrangements if a person cannot afford the health check.
Okay. Thank you.
Senator Roberts.