Department of Health
18 September 2013 – 1 July 2022
Previously Department of Health and Ageing (2001–2013). Renamed Department of Health and Aged Care in 2022.
Department of State responsible for national health policy, Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, public hospital funding, population health and health protection, the health workforce, sport and, from September 2015, aged care.
Names over time
- Department of Community Services and Health1987–1991
- Department of Health, Housing and Community Services1991–1993
- Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services1993
- Department of Human Services and Health1993–1996
- Department of Health and Family Services1996–1998
- Department of Health and Aged Care1998–2001
- Department of Health and Ageing2001–2013
- Department of Health2013–2022
- Department of Health and Aged Care2022–2025
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing2025–present
How it came into existence
Created by the Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013 when the Department of Health and Ageing was renamed at the start of the Abbott government, its ageing and aged care functions going to the Department of Social Services. It also took sport from the abolished Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport. Peter Dutton became Minister for Health and Minister for Sport.
- National health policy
- Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- Hospital funding
- Population health
- Sport and recreation (Office for Sport)
- Portfolio oversight of the Australian Sports Commission
Changes during its life
- Preventive health campaigns and research
- Health workforce planning and programs
- Australian General Practice Training program
- Non-prudential private health insurance functions of the council
Prudential supervision went to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, which is also understood to have taken risk equalisation administration and industry statistics; exactly which functions came to the department is not confirmed.
- Ageing and aged care policy and programs
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy
- Funding of Aboriginal community-controlled health services
- Aged Care Complaints Scheme
- My Health Record System Operator role
- Approval of aged care providers
- Aged care compliance and enforcement
How it ended
Renamed the Department of Health and Aged Care on 1 July 2022 by the Albanese government's Administrative Arrangements Order.
- Health policy and programs
- Aged care
- Sport
Main functions
- National health policy
- Medicare benefits and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
- Public hospital funding under national health reform arrangements
- Population health, preventive health and health protection
- Health workforce and general practice training
- Aged care policy and funding (from September 2015)
- Sport and recreation (Office for Sport)
- National COVID-19 health response (2020–2022)
Bodies in this portfolio (13)
- Private Health Insurance Administration Council 1989–2015
- National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme 1990–2020
- Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health 1995–2014
- Private Health Insurance Ombudsman 1998–2015
- General Practice Education and Training 2001–2015
- National E-Health Transition Authority 2005–2016
- Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority 2006–2020
- Aged Care Commissioner 2007–2016
- Health Workforce Australia 2010–2014
- National Health Performance Authority 2011–2016
- National Integrity of Sport Unit 2012–2020
- Australian Aged Care Quality Agency 2014–2019
- Aged Care Complaints Commissioner 2016–2019
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 September 2013 (created it)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 1 June 2022 (took effect as it ended)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 23 June 2022 (took effect as it ended)
17 more Administrative Arrangements Orders set it out
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 12 December 2013 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 23 December 2014 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 9 July 2015 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015, as amended to 18 February 2016 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 30 September 2015, as amended to 19 July 2016 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 1 September 2016 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 1 September 2016, as amended to 27 October 2016 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 1 September 2016, as amended to 13 April 2017 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 April 2018 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 19 April 2018, as amended to 28 August 2018 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 4 April 2019 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 29 May 2019 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 29 May 2019, as amended to 1 September 2019 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 5 December 2019 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 5 December 2019, as amended to 2 April 2020 (sets it out)
- Administrative Arrangements Order of 18 March 2021 (sets it out)
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 11 December 2014 to 31 March 2022)
- Administrative Arrangements Order, 18 September 2013 (Federal Register of Legislation, C2013G01404)
Other sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.