Which level of government is responsible?

Federal government responsibilities

• Income support, including:
  • DSP (Disability Support Pension)
  • Jobseeker
  • Carer Payment and Carer Allowance
  • TPD insurance (Total and Permanent Disability)
• NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme)
• Aged Care
• Primary health care, including:
  • Medicare (Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS))
    • Telehealth
    • Home visits
  • Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• Clinical guidelines
• Research funding:
  • NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council)
  • MRFF (Medical Research Future Fund)
• TGA (Theraputic Goods Agency) and ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation)

State government responsibilities

• Public hospitals
• Public dental clinics
• Mental health
  • Community and mental health services
  • Mental Health Act (Involuntary commitment and treatment)
• Ambulance and emergency services, including patient transport subsidies
• Disability access and inclusion (DAI) policies and structural change
  
• Tier 2 disability support services (i.e. other than NDIS)

Regional

• Primary health networks (PHNs) coordinate primary health care in their region. They operate regionally but are federally funded.
  • HealthPathways (clinical guidance for health professionals)
• Local Health Networks (LHNs) are responsible for a group of local hospitals, or an individual hospital, linking services within a region. They operate regionally but are state funded.

Local government responsibilities

• Disability access and inclusion (DAI) implementation
• Community services

Collaboration

Check whether a major advocacy group has already prepared an action which you can join or reinforce, such as: Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF), ACOSS, SACOSS.

More details on the health system

The Australian health system
Health in Australia: a quick guide