The Australian health system is a combination of public and private services paid for through taxes and private health insurance.

The government funds a medical provision through the Medicare system, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and an assortment of other national health programs at State and Territory level.

The purpose of the national health system is to provide all Australians access to health care at an affordable cost or at no cost for individuals or families who receive certain income support payments and also cater for individuals who wish to use private health care.

The Medicare program, which includes the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, covers all Australians and subsidises their payments for private medical services and the majority of prescription medicines.

Health Care in Australia

As a whole, the population of Australia is in good health, with life expectancy at birth for women at 84 years and for men at 79 years. The exception is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations whose poor health status is complex mix of social and cultural factors.

Your first interaction with the health system will most likely be via a GP as patients must always be referred by a GP to a specialist. A routine private consultation with a GP may cost upwards of $50 although you will be reimbursed for all or part of the GP’s fee by Medicare, depending on the billing arrangements.

If you are admitted or referred to a hospital you can choose to be treated as public or private patient. Public patients receive treatment from doctors and specialists assigned by the hospital and as a private patient you can select your own specialist but are charged for all hospital services.

Visits to dentists and other private sector health professionals are not funded by Medicare and you will have to pay for these services or using private health insurance.

Government Responsibilities

Apart from providing free treatment in public hospitals and free or subsidised treatment by doctors, Medicare also covers 75 per cent of the cost of private treatment, so that a private health insurance policy needs to cover only 25 per cent of costs.

There is also a 3 tier system of government responsibility of policy forming, regulatory roles and health services.

The Australian Government, through the Department of Health and Ageing, sets national health policies, State and Territory governments are responsible for delivery of the health services while local governments provide a range of home care and personal preventive services.

Non-government religious and charitable organisations also play a noteworthy role in health services, public health and health insurance.

Roles of Different Agencies and Departments

The onus for healthcare provision in Australia is divided between various agencies and departments.

The following agencies and departments are the main contributers in the Australian healthcare industry. 

Australian Medical Council – It is the national standards advisory body for medical education and training.

Specialist Medical Colleges - They set and govern the programs of specialist medical training and examinations on a national basis and maintain professional standards in numerous medical specialties.

State & Territory Medical Boards – They are responsible for medical registration in Australia and ensuring that registered doctors maintain proper standards of conduct and competence. 

Department of Health and Ageing - Its role is to support and govern universal and affordable access to medical, pharmaceutical and hospital services, while promoting health and disease prevention activities. 

Medicare Australia - Australia's publicly-funded universal health care system. 

Department of Immigration and Citizenship - It is responsible for immigration arrangements, border control, citizenship, ethnic and multicultural affairs.

State and Territory Health Departments - They are responsible for delivery of health services, including most acute and psychiatric hospital services.

Australian Capital Territory Health Department
New South Wales Health Department
Queensland Health Department
Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services
Western Australia Health Department
South Australia Health Department
Victoria Health Department
Tasmania Health Department


Postgraduate Medical Councils – The Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils (CPMEC) is a national body that develops, monitors and evaluates postgraduate medical education.

Royal Flying Doctor Service

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is an air ambulance service for those living in remote inland areas of Australia. The service is still heavily reliant on community support for funding although the various states and Northern Territory also provide separate funding.

Its services include:

• on site emergency first aid;
• safe transport to hospitals as needed;
• transportation of a general practitioner for regular clinical visits to remote areas;
• consultation, communication, and support for rural and remote doctors across Australia;
• inter-hospital transfer of patients.

The majority of medical positions in the RFDS are in Areas of Need, so this can provide many opportunities for overseas trained doctors.

It is important to note that the nature of the work undertaken by the RFDS means that they seek highly experienced doctors with broad ranging skills who can work unsupervised.