Department of Health and Aged Care

This article is about the present-day Department of Health and Aged Care. For the department that existed between 1998 and 2001, see Department of Health and Aged Care (1998–2001).

Department of Health and Aged Care

The head office of the Department in Woden, ACT.
Department overview
Formed1 July 2022 (2022-07-01) under new name
Preceding agencies
JurisdictionAustralian Government
HeadquartersCanberra
Employees5,693 (2022)[1]
Annual budgetA$98.2 billion (2022–23)[2]
Ministers responsible
Department executives
Websitewww.health.gov.au Edit this at Wikidata

The Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC), formerly the Department of Health, is a department of the Australian Government responsible for health research, funding, promotion and regulation in Australia. Primary health care and aged care services are overseen by DHAC, while tertiary health services are administered by state and territory governments. The department is responsible for programs such as Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and agencies such as the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The department is responsible to parliament through the minister for health and aged care, and is supported by four assistant ministers.[3] The department secretary, Blair Comley, is responsible for day-to-day accountability of the organisation. The chief medical officer is Paul Kelly, who oversees clinical operations.[4]

  1. ^ Murphy, Brendan (27 October 2022). "Department of Health Annual Report 2021–22". Department of Health and Aged Care. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  2. ^ Hunt, Greg (29 March 2022). "Budget 2022–23: Portfolio Budget Statements". Department of Health and Aged Care. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Health Ministers Portfolio". Department of Health and Aged Care. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Leadership". Department of Health and Aged Care. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.