About Us

Information about the Department.

In this section:

Who are we?

We are the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA).

Our Central Office is located in Canberra and we have State Offices in every capital city in the country as well as offices in Alice Springs and Townsville.

DoHA is one of the largest departments in the Australian Public Service (APS) and employs around 5,000 staff in a wide variety of roles.

Our Ministers are:
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Health - As senior Minister and a member of Cabinet, Minister Plibersek holds overarching policy responsibility for all issues pertaining to health.

The Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform - As Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Social Inclusion and Mental Health Reform, Minister Butler is responsible for matters relating to mental health and ageing.

The Hon Warren Snowdon, Minister for Indigenous Health - As Minister for Indigenous Health, Minister Snowden is responsible for Indigenous health.

The Hon Catherine King, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health – Parliamentary Secretary King assists Minister Plibersek by assuming responsibility for specific portfolio matters.

What do we do?

The Department of Health and Ageing has a diverse set of responsibilities, but throughout there is a common purpose, which is reflected in our vision statement: "Better Health and Active Ageing for all Australians".

We lead the development of Australia’s health and aged care system by providing expert policy advice, analysis, program advice and other services to our Minister, Government and other external stakeholders and clients. From mental health awareness to obesity and nutrition, infectious disease control, pharmaceuticals, aged care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, we develop policies and implement large programs that have a direct impact on the Australian community.

Our current priorities include focusing on healthy lifestyles, early prevention and best practice handling of chronic disease; progressing reforms to ensure choice and access to quality aged care services; working with state and territory governments to deliver efficient, value for money health and aged care services through an adaptable and sustainable health and aged care workforce; working towards improved health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and leading a whole-of-government approach to strengthening Australia's readiness for disease threats, national emergencies and other large scale health incidents.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is a division of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, and is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods including medicines, medical devices, blood and blood products.

This includes goods that we rely on every day, such as sunscreens, through to goods used to treat serious conditions, for example prescription medicines, vaccines, blood products and implants.

Essentially, any product for which therapeutic claims are made must be listed, registered or included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before it can be supplied in Australia.

What kind of work is available at DoHA?

The Department has work that involves program management, research, strategic policy making and regulation as well as corporate services, Ministerial support, Health reform and Indigenous health reform. To see what specific programs we are working on, have a look at our website.

The TGA evaluates therapeutic goods before they are marketed and monitors products once they are on the market. They assess the suitability of medicines and medical devices for export from Australia and also regulates manufacturers of therapeutic goods to ensure they meet acceptable standards of manufacturing quality.

The TGA works with consumers, health professionals, industry and its international counterparts in order to effectively regulate increasingly complex products resulting from rapid scientific developments. To find out more information about TGA, please visit their website.

What is it like to work at DoHA?

The Department upholds the principles and practices of workplace diversity and equity in employment. As a result, employees enjoy a workplace full of people from different backgrounds and experiences.

Our Equity in Employment strategies address the removal of employment-related bias that may be experienced by groups of people including:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
people with disability;
people from Linguistically and Culturally diverse backgrounds; and
people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex.

We are an active employer of people with disability and are one of the largest employers of people with disability in the Australian Public Service. The Department aims to increase the number of people with disability employed in the department and strongly supports and encourages people with disability to join its workforce.

The Department has its own Disabilities Network and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network which supports the needs of its members. If you identify with one of these networks, we invite you to join.

Graduates are entitled to access leave in accordance with the Department’s provisions and conditions of employment are detailed in the Enterprise Agreement 2011-2014.
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