Summary heading
Creation
The Department of Health was created on 18 September 2013 as part of the Administrative Arrangement Orders signed on that day by the Governor General, Quentin Bryce.
The department inherited most health functions of the Department of Health and Ageing while services for the aged were moved to Department of Social Services.
Abolition
Functions and activities
On creation the department dealt with the following matters:
Public health, including health protection, and medical research
Health promotion and disease prevention
Primary health care
Hospitals funding and policy, including relationships and linkages within the continuum of health care
Implementation of the National Health and Hospitals Network
Health research
Pharmaceutical benefits
Health benefits schemes
Hearing services policy and funding
Specific health services, including human quarantine
Sport and recreation
National drug strategy
Regulation of therapeutic goods
Notification and assessment of industrial chemicals
Gene technology regulation
Medical indemnity insurance issues
Private health insurance
Blood and organ policy and funding
Health workforce capacity
Mental health policy and primary mental health care
Ageing research
Legislation administered
On creation the department administered the following legislation:
Australian Hearing Services Act 1991, subsections 8(4) to 8(8) inclusive
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987
Australian National Preventive Health Agency Act 2010
Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Act 2008
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (Licence Charges) Act 1998
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2006
Australian Sports Commission Act 1989
Cancer Australia Act 2006
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Act 1961
Dental Benefits Act 2008
Epidemiological Studies (Confidentiality) Act 1981
Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991
Gene Technology Act 2000
Gene Technology (Licence Charges) Act 2000
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995
Health and Other Services (Compensation) Care Charges Act 1995
Health Insurance Act 1973
Health Insurance Amendment (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Act 2012
Health Insurance Amendment (Professional Services Review) Act 2012
Health Insurance (Approved Pathology Specimen Collection Centres) Tax Act 2000
Health Insurance Commission (Reform and Separation of Functions) Act 1997
Health Insurance (Pathology) (Fees) Act 1991
Health Workforce Australia Act 2009
Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010
Hearing Services Administration Act 1997
Hearing Services and AGHS Reform Act 1997
Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989
Industrial Chemicals (Registration Charge - Customs) Act 1997
Industrial Chemicals (Registration Charge - Excise) Act 1997
Industrial Chemicals (Registration Charge - General) Act 1997
Medical Indemnity Act 2002
Medical Indemnity (Competitive Advantage Payment) Act 2005
Medical Indemnity (Prudential Supervision and Product Standards) Act 2003, Part 3, Division 2A
Medical Indemnity (Run-off Cover Support Payment) Act 2004
Medical Indemnity (UMP Support Payment) Act 2002
Medical Indemnity Agreement (Financial Assistance – Binding Commonwealth Obligations) Act 2002
Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Act 2010
Midwife Professional Indemnity (Run-off Cover Support Payment) Act 2010
Narcotic Drugs Act 1967, sections 9, 10, 11, 13, 19 and 23 and subsection 24(1), and so much of the remaining provisions of the Act (other than sections 12 and 22 and subsection 24(2)) as relates to powers and functions under those sections
National Blood Authority Act 2003
National Health Act 1953
National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) Act 2012
National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992
National Health Reform Act 2011
National Health Security Act 2007
Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Act 2012
Private Health Insurance Act 2007
Private Health Insurance (Collapsed Insurer Levy) Act 2003
Private Health Insurance (Complaints Levy) Act 1995
Private Health Insurance (Council Administration Levy) Act 2003
Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Act 2009
Private Health Insurance (Prostheses Application and Listing Fees) Act 2007
Private Health Insurance (Risk Equalisation Levy) Act 2003
Private Health Insurance (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2007
Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002
Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002
Quarantine Act 1908, in relation to human quarantine
Quarantine (Validation of Fees) Act 1985, in relation to human quarantine
Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011
Therapeutic Goods Act 1989
Therapeutic Goods (Charges) Act 1989
Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992
World Health Organization Act 1947
Administrative structure
Minister for Health
Peter Dutton : 18 Sep 2013 – 23 Dec 2014
Sussan Ley : 23 Dec 2014 -
Assistant Minister for Health
Fiona Nash : 18 Sep 2013 -
Minister for Sport
Peter Dutton : 18 Sep 2013 – 23 Dec 2014
Departmental Secretary
Jane Halton : 18 Sep 2013 - 27 Jun 2014
Martimn Bowles : 13 Oct 2014 -
Historical agency address
Physical
Sirius Building
Furzer Street
Woden Town Centre, ACT
Scarborough House
Atlantic Street
Woden Town Centre, ACT
Postal
GPO Box 9848
Canberra, ACT 2601
State/regional structure
Records created by the agency
Additional information
End notes
Sources