Better health and ageing for all Australians

PBS Committees

Highly Specialised Drugs Working Party (HSDWP) of AHMAC

The Highly Specialised Drugs Working Party is a non-statutory body established by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) in 1991.

It consists of representatives from Health Departments of each of the States and Territories, the Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) and the Australian Government as chair. The Working Party annually reports its activities to AHMAC.

The HSDWP makes recommendations to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) on the suitability of supplying drugs via hospital outpatient departments under section 100 of the National Health Act 1953, primarily from a State/Territory policy perspective.

The Working Party suggested modifications to its original terms of reference in 1992 and the revised terms, ratified by AHMAC are:

  • selecting drugs proposed for inclusion in the funding arrangements for highly specialised drugs;
  • referring proposed drugs with supporting information to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) for consideration for listing as pharmaceutical benefits under section 100 supply arrangements;
  • monitoring information on potential new highly specialised drugs which might come under the funding arrangements;
  • monitoring the quality use of drugs supplied under these arrangements; and
  • investigating and making recommendations on procedures to monitor drugs supplied by public hospitals under the section 100 arrangements to patients in community settings.

    Working Party members are representatives of their Governments or peak body and as such, are not nominated or endorsed by any body other than their own. Consequently, the membership is changed when State, Territory or the APHA elect to nominate a different representative.