A Bill to better regulate health professionals was passed yesterday with all party support.

The Professions Supplementary to Medicine Amendment Bill 2006 will give the powers to suspend or bar people for misconduct.

And it will ensure practitioners are competent and stay up to date with the latest techniques while there will be more teeth for dealing with complaints.

Covering such professions such as physiotherapist, occupational therapist and diagnostic imaging the Bill establishes a Council for Allied Health Professionals to promote patient interests and exercise discipline over practitioners.

A Preliminary Proceedings Committee has been set up to investigate complaints ? serious complaints will then be referred to a Professional Conduct Committee which can hand out fines of up to $2,000, suspend a person?s registration for a year or even bar them from practising.

Opposition Senator Bob Richards agreed it was vital to make sure medical practitioners were up to date with the latest techniques as the human costs could be tremendous if there was a mistake.

Senate president Alf Oughton said the measures were long overdue and he called for alternative medicines to also come under the act.

?I would prefer to see it under a board of control rather than hanging up a shingle.?