Australian Capital Territory Numbered Regulations

PUBLIC HEALTH (CERVICAL CYTOLOGY) REGULATIONS (NO. 30 OF 1994) - REG 7

        (a)     to remind any woman who has failed to have her cervical smear taken within a reasonable time after the expiration of an appropriate interval that she should have a smear taken;

        (b)     to establish a record of test results that links each woman on the Register with her health practitioner and any laboratory that produces her test results;

        (c)     to monitor test results to encourage consistency of performance between laboratories; and

        (d)     to provide data—

              (i)     to assess participation in the cervical cancer prevention program;

              (ii)     to assist in the design of strategies to educate women to take responsibility for having a cervical smear taken at appropriate intervals;

              (iii)     to assist in the design of strategies to encourage women to be included in the Register;

              (iv)     for use in research programs approved under paragraph (4) (a) into the alleviation and prevention of cervical cancer;

              (v)     to increase public awareness by the publication of statistics; and

              (vi)     to assist in the compilation of comparative data by national organisations approved under paragraph (4) (b).

(2) Where—

        (a)     a woman's last registered test results are normal;

        (b)     a year has elapsed since the expiration of the appropriate interval after the taking of that smear; and

        (c)     the woman has not had a further smear taken;

the Medical Officer of Health shall notify the woman that she is overdue to have her next cervical smear taken.

(3) Where—

        (a)     a woman's last registered test results are abnormal;

        (b)     the laboratory that examined her last cervical smear specified a time in accordance with paragraph 11 (h); and

        (c)     the woman has not had a further smear taken within a reasonable time after the time referred to in paragraph (b);

the Medical Officer of Health shall take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate action is taken to notify the health practitioner who took the last smear, or the woman, that the woman's next smear is overdue.

(4) The Minister may, by instrument, approve—

        (a)     research programs for the purposes of subparagraph (1) (d) (iv); and

        (b)     national organisations for the purposes of subparagraph (1) (d) (vi).

(5) The Minister may only approve a research program under paragraph (4) (a) if he or she is satisfied that the disclosure of the information for the program and its use would meet the requirements of the Privacy Act in relation to medical research, notwithstanding whether the Privacy Act applies to the research program of its own force.

(6) An approval under subregulation (4) is a disallowable instrument for the purposes of section 10 of the Subordinate Laws Act 1989 .

(7) In this regulation—