Australia Yearbook - 2001

362 Year Book Australia 2001
Community Services Ministers’ Conference
(CSMC) and the Standing Committee of the
Community Services and Income Security
Administrators (SCCSISA).
The Health and Community Services Ministerial
Council was formed in 1993 by a decision of the
Council of Australian Governments (COAG),
bringing together the Australian Health Ministers’
Conference and the Community Services
Ministers’ Conference. This combined Council
meets as necessary to deal with the wider
framework of health and community service
issues of interest to members of both AHMC
and CSMC.
The AHMC and its advisory body, the AHMAC,
provide a mechanism through which the
Commonwealth, State and Territory and New
Zealand Governments can discuss matters of
mutual interest concerning health policy, services
and programs. The AHMC comprises the
Commonwealth, State, Territory and New
Zealand Ministers responsible for health. Neither
the Conference nor the Council has statutory
powers, and decisions are reached by consensus.
In 1999, Health Ministers continued to focus on:
National Public Health Partnerships, Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people’s health,
national health priorities, national rural health
strategies, environmental health, and a uniform
national framework for control of radiation.
Ministers also focused on safety and quality in
Australian health care, health information
management and technological development,
health and medical research, a range of health
industry workforce issues and medical disaster
coordination.
Similarly, the CSMC and its advisory body, the
SCCSISA, provide a mechanism through which
the Commonwealth, State and Territory, New
Zealand and Papua New Guinea Governments
can discuss matters of mutual interest concerning
community services, and welfare policy and
programs. The CSMC comprises the
Commonwealth, State, Territory and New
Zealand Ministers responsible for community
services and welfare, with an open invitation to
the Papua New Guinea Ministers. Neither the
Conference nor the Council has statutory powers,
and decisions are reached by consensus.
In 1999 Community Services Ministers discussed
a wide range of issues relating to child protection
and family reunification, care for children with
intensive support needs, foster care,
cross-jurisdictional issues, youth and youth
homelessness, aged care and ageing, and
a national families strategy. Ministers also
continued negotiations and discussions on
renewal of the Supported Accommodation
Assistance Program.
Ministers with responsibilities for disability
services continued discussions on the future
directions of disability services.
Department of Health and Aged Care
The Commonwealth Department of Health and
Aged Care provides policy advice and implements
Commonwealth government policies on public
health, health care, health care funding and aged
care, including the links between aged care and
health.
The Department provides national coordination
and monitoring of health and aged care.
It promotes outcome-focused planning by
governments, and investment in prevention
of and early intervention in disease, providing
incentives for efficient, best practice care.
The Department also represents and promotes
Australia’s health and aged care achievements
and capabilities internationally.
The Department’s role in policy advice, and the
administration and financing of Commonwealth
government health and aged care programs,
encompasses the following areas:
public health and medical research;
health promotion and disease prevention;
national drug abuse strategy;
primary health care of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people;
health benefits schemes (including Medicare
benefits and pharmaceutical benefits);
general practice and other medical workforce
issues;
acute care;
mental health;
regulation of therapeutic goods;
hearing services;
services for the aged, including carers; and
community care.
The Department works in association with other
agencies in the Portfolio, including the Health
Insurance Commission, the Australian Institute of