Our work

Signed by all Australian governments, the 2020–25 Addendum to National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) aims to improve health outcomes for all Australians and ensure our health system is sustainable.

BreastScreen Australia is a joint initiative of the Australian and state and territory governments and aims to reduce illness and death from breast cancer by detecting the disease early. Women over 40 can have a free mammogram every 2 years and we actively invite women aged 50 to 74 to screen.

The Get Up & Grow program developed resources that help parents and educators to make sure children eat healthy foods and are physically active, so they grow up healthy and strong. The resources are available in multiple languages.

We undertook a review to advise and recommend possible enhancements to the Australian Men’s Shed Association’s (AMSA) governance arrangements and Australian Government funding to the men’s shed movement in Australia.

The Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program supports peak and advisory bodies in the health sector to develop our national health system.

Men’s sheds are community-based, non-commercial organisations that are open to all men. Men’s sheds improve the health and wellbeing of their members by giving them a safe place to make friends, share meaningful activities, talk, and access health information and resources.

Regional coordinators provide support to men’s sheds in each state and territory in Australia to support men’s access to health information and resources to improve their wellbeing.

The NACE and National Allergy Council work together to help fight allergy in Australia. Allergic diseases are one of the country’s major public health challenges. The collaboration is supported by funding from the Australian Government.

This program aims to reduce deaths from bowel cancer by detecting early signs of the disease. If found early, more than 90% of cases can be successfully treated. Eligible Australians aged 45 to 74 can do a free test at home every 2 years. Learn about the program and how to do the test.

The National Cancer Screening Register records personal data from our cancer screening programs. We govern the National Cancer Screening Register under strict protocols to ensure your personal information is safe.

The National Cervical Screening Program reduces illness and death from cervical cancer. Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 years of age are invited to have a Cervical Screening Test every 5 years through their healthcare provider.

This toolkit helps healthcare providers engage under-screened and never-screened women in cervical screening, and support them if they choose to participate.

This pilot program aimed to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to do the bowel screening test. It provided resources for families and communities, and primary health care professionals participating in the pilot program.

The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) is a screening program using low-dose computed tomography (low-dose CT) scans to look for lung cancer in high-risk people without any symptoms. It aims to find lung cancer early and save lives. Screening for eligible people starts from July 2025.

The NSDP makes sure that all men’s sheds in Australia have access to a wide range of resources and support for their particular shed.

Injury is a major cause of preventable death and disability. This strategy will help us reduce injury among Australians of all ages.

Healthcare providers offer bloodspot screening for all babies born in Australia. This simple test identifies babies at risk of becoming seriously ill from a rare condition. Screening aims to improve the health of these babies by allowing early intervention.

Australian governments run a number of health screening programs that look for early signs of certain diseases. These population-based programs are offered to everyone in defined target groups. Screening helps reduce the risk of Australians developing or dying from these diseases.

The Preventive and Public Health Research initiative will provide $545.1 million over 10 years from 2024–25. It will fund targeted research into new ways to address risk factors for chronic and complex diseases in Australia.

In 2018, we commissioned a review to advise and recommend possible enhancements to guide the men’s shed movement in Australia, and Australian Government funding to the men’s shed movement.

The Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program aims to reduce smoking rates among First Nations Australians. Local organisations run activities designed to prevent the uptake of smoking, promote quitting, and solve emerging issues, such as the use of e-cigarettes by youth.