Portfolio Responsibilities
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, as senior Minister and member of Cabinet, holds overarching policy responsibility for all issues pertaining to health and ageing, and has specific administrative responsibility for:
- Medicare benefits
- hospitals
- medical indemnity
- private health insurance
- medical workforce issues
- the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- pharmacy issues
- population health, including issues concerning HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, immunisation, obesity, specific women’s and men’s health issues, environmental health issues and drug abuse reduction
- biosecurity and bioterrorism
- national health priorities (with the exception of injury prevention, arthritis musculoskeletal conditions and asthma)
- rural and regional health
- health and medical research and biotechnology
- diagnostics and technology
- Indigenous health issues
- E-Health
- illicit drugs
- mental health and suicide prevention
