The Sirius Building, the head office of the Department of Health, in Woden, ACT. |
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Department overview | |
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Formed | 18 September 2013 |
Preceding Department | |
Jurisdiction | Commonwealth of Australia |
Headquarters | Canberra |
Employees | 3,487 (at June 2014) |
Ministers responsible | |
Department executives |
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Website | www |
The Australian Federal Department of Health is a department of the Government of Australia charged with the responsibility to oversee the running of Australia's health system, including supporting universal and affordable access to medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, while helping people to stay healthy through health promotion, participation and exercise and other disease prevention activities.
The head of the department is the Secretary of the Department of Health, currently Martin Bowles, who reports to the Minister for Health and the Minister for Sport, currently the Hon. Greg Hunt MP, and the Minister for Aged Care and the Minister for Indigenous Health, currently the Hon. Ken Wyatt AO, MP. The ministers are assisted by the Assistant Minister for Health, currently David Gillespie MP.
According to the Administrative Arrangements Order issued 18 September 2013, matters dealt with by the Department are:
The Department of Health (I) was established in 1921 and was the precursor to today's Department of Health. The first Department of Health was dissolved in 1987, when it was merged with the Department of Community Services to form the Department of Community Services and Health.