13Purposes of the National Registry

13 Purposes of the National Registry

(1) The purposes of the National Registry are to facilitate the following: (a) collecting, storing, analysing and publishing by electronic means information relating to the diagnosis and progression of occupational respiratory diseases in Australia; (b) collecting, analysing and publishing statistics in relation to occupational respiratory diseases in Australia; (c) providing statistics in relation to occupational respiratory diseases in Australia to States and Territories and to prescribed medical practitioners; (d) for the benefit of the nation: (i) monitoring the incidence of occupational respiratory diseases in Australia; and (ii) taking preventative action; (e) any activities that are incidental to the above purposes. (2) The purposes of the National Registry also include to facilitate the following: (a) supporting the identification of industries, occupations, job tasks and workplaces where there is a risk of exposure to respiratory disease‑causing agents: (i) to enable the application of timely and targeted interventions and prevention activities to reduce further worker exposure and disease; and (ii) to assist with compliance and enforcement activities in relation to occupational health and safety matters; (b) providing prescribed medical practitioners with access to information included in the National Registry in relation to an individual who has been diagnosed with an occupational respiratory disease for the purpose of providing healthcare to the individual in relation to the disease; (c) monitoring the quality and effectiveness of policy and regulatory arrangements in relation to occupational respiratory diseases to inform and enhance policy development, programs and decision‑making relating to the prevention of occupational respiratory diseases; (d) planning, delivering and promoting healthcare and associated services in relation to occupational respiratory diseases; (e) identifying individuals for inclusion in clinical trials or observational studies in relation to occupational respiratory diseases; (f) research (as defined in section 8); (g) any activities that are incidental to the above purposes. Constitutional basis—subsection (2) (3) Subparagraph (2)(a)(i) and paragraphs (2)(b) to (g) rely on the legislative power that the Parliament has under the Constitution to give effect to Australia’s obligations under the following: (a) paragraph 1 of Article 2 and subparagraphs (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 2 of Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights done at New York on 16 December 1966; (b) Articles 4 and 8 and subparagraph (c) of Article 11 of the International Labour Organization Convention No. 155 concerning Occupational Safety and Health and the Working Environment done at Geneva on 22 June 1981; (c) the Protocol of 2002 to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention 1981 done at Geneva on 20 June 2002.