Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Kooyong MP Monique Ryan (Independent), which means it was unsuccessful.

What does this amendment do?

Dr Ryan explained that:

I have moved this amendment to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025. This important bill recognises that we have to remove disincentives for people who want to access life-saving genetic testing. The amendment that I am moving strengthens that intention by requiring the minister to commence and complete the statutory review of this legislation sooner than the government currently proposes—in fact, as soon as is practicable after three years, rather than five.

The government's bill specifies that statutory reviews must consider whether the legislation is effective in providing reasonable certainty to individuals about the use of protected genetic information in relation to contracts of life insurance and whether these provisions have any unintended consequences. There is, in fact, good reason to suspect that future reviews will identify disadvantage arising from the failure of this bill to offer retrospective application. As it stands, people who have already had penalties, loadings, exclusions or discriminatory terms imposed upon them by life insurers will continue to face discrimination unless they seek to negotiate new coverage. The implications of this inequity are going to have to be closely monitored.

Amendment text

(1) Schedule 1, item 3, page 10 (line 18), omit "each fifth anniversary", substitute "each third anniversary".