Federal health department of the Australian Government
Department of Health and Aged Care
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/13/Department_of_Health_and_Aged_Care_logo.svg/220px-Department_of_Health_and_Aged_Care_logo.svg.png) |
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Sirius_Building_at_Woden_in_November_2012.jpg/220px-Sirius_Building_at_Woden_in_November_2012.jpg) The head office of the Department in
Woden
,
ACT
.
|
|
Formed
| 1 July 2022
(
2022-07-01
)
under new name
|
---|
Preceding agencies
| |
---|
Jurisdiction
| Australian Government
|
---|
Headquarters
| Canberra
|
---|
Employees
| 5,693 (2022)
[1]
|
---|
Annual budget
| A$98.2 billion
(2022?23)
[2]
|
---|
Ministers responsible
| |
---|
Department executives
| |
---|
Website
| health
.gov
.au
|
---|
The
Department of Health and Aged Care
(
DHAC
), formerly the
Department of Health
, is a
department
of the
Australian Government
responsible for health research, funding, promotion and regulation in Australia. Primary health care and aged care services are overseen by DHAC, while tertiary health services are administered by
state and territory governments
. The department is responsible for programs such as
Medicare
, the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
, and agencies such as the
Therapeutic Goods Administration
and the
National Health and Medical Research Council
.
The department is responsible to parliament through the
minister for health and aged care
, and is supported by four assistant ministers.
[3]
The
department secretary
,
Blair Comley
, is responsible for day-to-day accountability of the organisation. The
chief medical officer
is
Paul Kelly
, who oversees clinical operations.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
The
first Department of Health
was established in 1921 and was the precursor to today's Department of Health.
[5]
It was dissolved in 1987, when it was merged with the Department of Community Services to form the
Department of Community Services and Health
.
[6]
[7]
In June 1991, the
Department of Health, Housing and Community Services
was formed when housing industry programs were transferred from the
Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce
.
[8]
In March 1993 the
Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs
joined with the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services to form the
Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services
.
[9]
Subsequently, in December 1993, the department was abolished and replaced with the
Department of Human Services and Health
.
[6]
[10]
Also in 1994, the
Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
was established.
[6]
After a
new government was elected
in March 1996, the Department of Health and Family Services was formed.
[6]
[11]
The department also had responsibility for the
Supported Accommodation Assistance Program
from the former
Department of Housing and Regional Development
. Later, the department assumed responsibility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health matters from the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
.
[6]
After the
October 1998 election
, the department was abolished and replaced by the Australian Federal Department of Health and Aged Care, named to reflect new responsibilities and functions.
[12]
Responsibility for Family and Children's Services, Disability Programs and the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service were transferred to the
Department of Family and Community Services
on 22 October 1998.
[6]
Following the
November 2001 election
, the Australian Federal Department of Health and Aged Care was abolished and replaced with the Australian Federal
Department of Health and Ageing
.
[13]
The Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing was abolished in 2013 and replaced by the current Australian Federal Department of Health on 18 September 2013 by way of an
Administrative Arrangements Order
issued by the
Governor-General of Australia
on the recommendation of the
Abbott government
.
[14]
Overview
[
edit
]
Leadership
[
edit
]
Mr
Blair Comley
PSM was appointed Secretary of the Department in July 2023.
[15]
Scope
[
edit
]
According to the Administrative Arrangements Order issued 18 September 2013, matters dealt with by the department are:
[14]
- Public health, including health protection, and medical research
- Health promotion and disease prevention
- Primary health care
- Hospitals funding and policy, including relationships and linkages within the continuum of health care
- Implementation of the National Health and Hospitals Network
- Health research
- Pharmaceutical benefits
- Health benefits schemes
- Hearing services policy and funding
- Specific health services, including human quarantine
- Sport and recreation
- National drug strategy
- Regulation of therapeutic goods
- Notification and assessment of industrial chemicals
- Gene technology regulation
- Medical indemnity
insurance issues
- Private health insurance
- Blood, Organ and Dental policy and funding
- Health workforce capacity
- Mental health policy and primary mental health care
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Murphy, Brendan
(27 October 2022).
"Department of Health Annual Report 2021?22"
.
Department of Health and Aged Care
. Retrieved
7 November
2022
.
- ^
Hunt, Greg
(29 March 2022).
"Budget 2022?23: Portfolio Budget Statements"
.
Department of Health and Aged Care
. Retrieved
5 July
2022
.
- ^
"Health Ministers Portfolio"
.
Department of Health and Aged Care
. Retrieved
4 July
2022
.
- ^
"Leadership"
.
Department of Health and Aged Care
. 1 July 2022
. Retrieved
4 July
2022
.
- ^
CA 17: Department of Health, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia, archived from
the original
on 12 March 2020
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Department of Health,
History of the Department
, Department of Health, archived from
the original
on 9 November 2013
- ^
CA 5985: Department of Community Services and Health, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 7297: Department of Health, Housing and Community Services, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 7660: Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 7853: Department of Human Services and Health, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 8246: Department of Health and Family Services, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 8616: Department of Health and Aged Care, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
CA 8867: Department of Health and Ageing, Central Office
, National Archives of Australia
, retrieved
15 December
2013
- ^
a
b
"Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013"
(PDF)
.
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
. 18 September 2013. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 22 September 2013.
- ^
"Blair Comley (EY) appointed incoming national health secretary"
.
Consultancy.com.au
. Consultancy.com.au.