The role of the AHMC and AHMAC

The Australian Health Ministers' Conference (AHMC) consisting of the Health Ministers of the Federal, State and Territory Governments aims to ensure a consistent and coordinated national approach to health policy development and implementation. The AHMC meeting is one of the coordinating mechanisms whereby matters of mutual interest concerning health policy, services and programs can be discussed and public health policy direction can be determined in Australia.

The Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC) is the primary national advisory body which reports to the AHMC, and facilitates governments' participation in national programs, thereby achieving a degree of uniformity. The members are the Heads of the Health authorities of the Federal, State and Territory Governments. The main public health objective of the AHMAC is accomplished through its sub-committee, the National Public Health Partnership Group, whose primary function is to promote a consistent and coordinated national approach to health policy development and implementation. A number of other Ministerial Councils and Ministerial Advisory Councils as well as the Partnership contribute to the information available to the AHMC.

The role of the National Public Health Partnership

The National Public Health Partnership (The Partnership) is a recent initiative of governments which recognises the importance of a coordinated public health system. It is the first national health effort which clarifies the respective responsibilities and roles of the Australian Government and States and Territories as the principal partners. The Partnership acts to:

• link sectors
• fill in gaps
• redevelop systems
• coordinate across jurisdictions
• report on the health of Australians
• provide a framework of national public health priorities and feedback to service providers

The Partnership is responsible for increasing the value of the work of each jurisdiction complementing decision making or the setting and pursuit of local priorities. Governmental public health activities can be delivered consistently with the capability of pooling expertise and resources. The multilateral public health policy framework of the Partnership provides a context for negotiation of specific bilateral public health outcome funding agreements between the different jurisdictions. The result is better management of existing public health issues (such as immunisation and food safety), more efficient strategy in response to emerging issues (such as Hepatitis C), and more efficient utilisation of resources.

The Partnership operates through the National Public Health Partnership Group, whose members are from the Commonwealth, States and Territories, and include senior representatives from the AIHW and the NHMRC, reporting through the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC). The review of legislation, funding and workforce development, the development of the information and research framework to address public health issues and the coordination of national public health strategies is the direct responsibility of the Partnership's established Working Groups. Subject to any directions and approvals from AHMAC, the Partnership will implement the following principles within the Memorandum of Understanding.

 

 

Partnership principles

• Each community or population sub-group should have access to strategies, services and activities which optimise their health status which is determined by access to a healthy and safe environment including clean air and water, and adequate food and housing.
• Public health efforts must proceed in partnership with public health sectors, non-health sectors and in collaboration with international partners to optimise population health outcomes.
• A supportive legal and political environment is integral to the public health effort.
• Priority setting and decision making should be based on scientific evidence as far as possible, on optimum capacity to scan and monitor the health determinants, and on criteria that are open to public scrutiny and debate.