Our work

The Active ingredient prescribing (AIP) initiative helps ensure consistent information about prescription medicines is used when health practitioners prescribe and dispense medicines for their patients.

Each year, the AST Program supports 15 advanced skills posts for general practitioner (GP) registrars, rural generalist (RG) registrars and fellowed RGs or GPs. Learn about the program, who is eligible, and how to participate.

We are digitising, modernising, automating and better connecting aged care to streamline work for providers, and to give older people, their families and carers control over their care. This work, under the Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy 2024–2029, supports major reforms to improve aged care.

We are rolling out a framework to build financial accountability and transparency in aged care. This will help to ensure continuity of care and quality services to aged care recipients.

We are making changes to aged care. Our vision is to deliver the highest quality person-centred care for older people, where and when they need it.

The scheme involves volunteers visiting older people to provide friendship and companionship. Find out how it works, how to become a volunteer and how to request a visit.

The AHECS helps allied health professionals with the cost of claims that exceed their indemnity cover. Find out who is eligible and how this scheme works.

People with intellectual disability can get a health assessment once a year that is supported by Medicare. The annual health assessment helps identify unmet health needs and preventable conditions.

The AMDS program enables prescribed medical practitioners access to the MBS for providing after-hours services on behalf of other doctors. This helps prescribed medical practitioners get general practice experience, while ensuring people can access health care after hours.

This program supports patients who face extra costs to preserve their fertility (for future treatment such as IVF) because they have cancer or are at risk of passing on a genetic condition. It provides funding to help with the cost of freezing eggs, sperm or embryos (cryostorage).

The Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program aims to ensure all people with cancer have access to high quality and culturally safe care.

The AGPT Program is a way to become a general practitioner (GP) in Australia. Registrars who complete the program can work unsupervised as a GP anywhere in the country. We fund 1,500 training places every year. Australia’s GP colleges deliver this program for us.

The Australian Government provides subsidies to approved residential aged care providers through the Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding model.

The Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program provides support to Australian thalidomide survivors. Find out about the program, including who is eligible and what support is available.

The Bonded Medical Places Scheme has closed to new applicants. Existing participants can either continue with this scheme or opt in to the more flexible Bonded Medical Program.

The Bonded Medical Program helps address the shortage of medical professionals in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. It provides a Commonwealth Supported Place in a medical course in exchange for participants working in those areas after they graduate.

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 Care for Kids’ Ears program helps families, educators and health professionals recognise and prevent ear disease in First Nations children. Order or download Care for Kids’ Ears resources for free. The site is managed by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

Residential aged care providers must provide residents with a minimum number of minutes of care per day, and have at least one registered nurse (RN) onsite and on duty at all times at each residential facility.

Caring@Home provides resources that will support people to be cared for, and to die, at home if that is their choice. Resources are available for community service providers, health care professionals and carers.

This process developed recommendations to include the patient and consumer voice earlier in the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process.

This initiative improves access to primary care in rural and remote areas. It allows states and the Northern Territory to claim Medicare benefits for primary health care services at approved health facilities or sites.

On 1 November 2024, the legislated need for collaborative arrangements between participating midwives, nurse practitioners and medical practitioners to provide Medicare Benefits Schedule services and prescribe Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medications was removed.

The CHSP provides entry-level support for older people who need some help to stay at home. Service providers work with them to maintain their independence and keep them as well as possible. Find out what service providers need to know about this program.

This scheme grants qualified privilege to certain quality assurance activities to prevent the release of identifying information. This encourages more health professionals to take part in activities that assess and improve the quality of health services.