Recommendation 210
• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• States and territories
The Australian Government provides universal health coverage. Free access to public hospital services, and partially or completely subsidised access to medical services (through the Medical Benefits Schedule), and medications (through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), are available to all Australian residents and certain categories of visitors to Australia. In addition, the Australian Government funds a national network of approximately 130 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and around 30 other service providers, to deliver free at the point of access comprehensive, culturally competent comprehensive primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Access to multidisciplinary health services for people living in rural and remote areas is improved through Australian Government outreach programs which deliver visiting services in areas that do not have sufficient permanent health professionals to meet local needs. Information on policies and programmes can be found on the Indigenous health page on the Department of Health website, also on the Indigenous affairs page of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.
The Australian Government's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-23 is an overarching framework designed to focus investment and effort in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and includes specific strategies for improving the health of children. Further information can be found on the Department of Health website.
The Australian Government has committed to significant and ongoing investment in financial incentives and support as part of a strategy to increase the availability of health services in rural and remote communities. A list of programmes can be found on the Rural and Regional Health Australia List of Programmes page on the Department of Health website.
The Australian Government announced The Stronger Rural Health Strategy in May 2018. The Strategy aims to build a sustainable, high quality health workforce that is distributed across the country according to community need, particularly in rural and remote areas. The Strategy will give doctors more opportunities to train and practice in rural and remote Australia and enable a stronger role for nurses and allied health professionals in the delivery of more multidisciplinary, team based models of care. Further information can be found on the Department of Health website.
For information on state and territory work relating to access to healthcare services, visit:
- Australian Capital Territory – ACT Health
- New South Wales – NSW Health
- Northern Territory – Department of Health
- Queensland – Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service
- South Australia – SA Health
- Tasmania – Department of Health and Human Services
- Victoria – Health.vic
- Western Australia – Department of Health