Auditor-General Report critical of AHCA administration

A report from Australian National Audit Office into the administration, by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), of state/territory compliance with the Australian Healthcare Agreements (AHCAs) is critical of the level of compliance monitoring.

The report (Auditor-General Report No 19 2006-07) found that DoHA was unable to ascertain whether state/territory obligations were being met, despite the AHCAs requiring that the range of services provided to public patients be no less than those available on 1 July 1998. However, there are no lists of such services and, therefore, no evidence that services have been maintained, much less improved.

It also found that DoHA lacked resources and jurisdiction to investigate potential breaches of the AHCAs or analyse quarterly performance data supplied by states/territories. DoHA also admitted that it could not determine equity of access because it had no specific data to readily measure access to services based on geographic location. Nor were there any benchmarks in place against which to judge whether people were waiting too long for care.

DoHA generally relied on the assurances of the states and territories that they were meeting their obligations unless it received complaints from the public or whistleblowers, or saw media reports of problems.