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What I found on this entity
$7B health administration. Medicare processing near target. Aged care reforms behind schedule. Significant pass-through funding makes departmental effectiveness hard to isolate.
Annual Budget
$7.0B
Prior year: $6.8B (+3%)
Headcount
6,500 staff
$1M per employee
Budget Trend
→ Budget Flat
Portfolio
Health
Performance Targets vs Actuals
Target
99% of Medicare benefit claims processed within 7 days
Actual
98.1% of Medicare benefit claims processed within 7 days (2023–24 Annual Report)
$890M spent on regulation — quality outcomes unchanged
ANAO found $890 million in regulatory spending across the aged care sector produced no measurable improvement in quality outcomes. Of 412 serious non-compliance findings, only 23% resulted in enforcement action. Average time to resolve serious non-compliance: 14 months. Provider self-assessments were accepted without verification in 71% of cases. Your money. Paying for oversight. That doesn't oversee.
$11.0M overrun on Indigenous health evaluation direct-sourced to EY
An Indigenous Health Program Evaluation direct-sourced to Ernst & Young hit $8.2M — a staggering 134% cost overrun adding roughly $11.0M to the original price tag. The contract was handed to EY without open competition, meaning taxpayers never got to see if better value was on offer. Your taxes are funding consultant blowouts while First Nations health outcomes remain among the worst in the country.
$13.4M blown on audit contract with KPMG after 89% cost overrun
The Department of Health and Aged Care handed KPMG a panel arrangement for audit and assurance services that blew out by 89%, costing taxpayers an extra $13.4M on a contract now totalling $28.4M. That's your money going to Big Four consultants instead of frontline health services. An 89% overrun on an audit contract suggests the department can't even keep tabs on the people hired to keep tabs on spending.