Review of the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) Primary Health Care Grant Funding

The Department of Health and Ageing (the Department) is reviewing funding arrangements for the Indigenous primary health care sector with the aim of improving health outcomes for Indigenous people, through the provision of sustainable, equitable, and transparent arrangements that support the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services.

The review will be in the context of the Council of Australian Government's (COAG) Health Reform, the Closing the Gap policy agenda and the Strategic Review of Indigenous Expenditure (SRIE), which recommended the Department: '...review the relationship between current grant funding for Indigenous health services and Medicare billing arrangements, to ensure consistency and equity in funding levels as Medicare billing rates vary between providers and over time.'

The Department would like to explore efficient and effective funding options that will encourage and assist Indigenous health organisations to deliver appropriate and high quality health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.