Our Role
Overview
Australia’s health system is world class, supporting universal and affordable access to high quality medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, while helping people to stay healthy through health promotion and disease prevention activities.
Annual Reports issued by the Department of Health and Ageing
Annual Reports listed by year
>> Annual Reports
Annual Reports listed by year
>> Annual Reports
Corporate Plan of the Department of Health and Ageing
The Mission, Vision and Goals that will guide the Department's activities from 2010 to 2013
>> Corporate Plan
The Mission, Vision and Goals that will guide the Department's activities from 2010 to 2013
>> Corporate Plan
The Department of Health and Ageing has a diverse set of responsibilities, but throughout there is a common purpose, which is reflected in our Vision statement:
Better health and active ageing for all Australians.
We aim to achieve our Vision through strengthening evidence-based policy advising, improving program management, research, regulation and partnerships with other government agencies, consumers and stakeholders.
Matters dealt with by the department include:
- Services for older people, including their carers
- Policy for and promotion of active ageing, other than income security and employment policy
- 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
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health programs and policies
- Health and ageing research
- Pharmaceutical benefits
- Health benefits schemes
- Hearing services policy and funding
- Specific health services, including human quarantine
- National drug strategy
- Regulation of therapeutic goods
- Notification and assessment of industrial chemicals
- Gene technology regulation
- Medical indemnity insurance issues
- Private health insurance
- Blood and organ policy and funding
- Health workforce capacity
- Mental health policy and primary mental health care
- focusing the health and aged care system more on healthy lifestyles, prevention and early intervention and a 'best practice' handling of chronic disease;
- improving the transparency, accessibility, accountability and quality of public and private health and aged care service provision through financing and agreements with stakeholders, industry and State and Territory governments;
- consolidating and progressing reforms to ensure choice and access to quality aged care services;
- working together with the States and Territories to reduce duplication and gaps, and to deliver efficient, value-for-money health and aged care services through an adaptable and sustainable health and aged care workforce;
- working towards improved health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through whole-of-government arrangements for policy development and service delivery, and improved access to, and responsiveness of, the mainstream health system;
- improving choice for consumers through strong private sector involvement, effectively integrated with the public sector; and
- leading a whole-of-government approach to strengthening Australia’s readiness for disease threats, national emergencies and other large scale health incidents.
The Department of Health and Ageing pursues the achievement of portfolio outcomes in association with the following portfolio agencies:
- Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd;
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare;
- Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency;
- Cancer Australia;
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand;
- General Practice Education and Training Ltd;
- National Blood Authority;
- National Institute of Clinical Studies;
- Private Health Insurance Administration Council;
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman; and
- Professional Services Review.
