PM&C supports the government to deliver its domestic reform agenda to benefit Australian families and communities, including through collaboration with states and territories through National Cabinet.
Health has been National Cabinet’s first priority issue over the previous 12 months, with agreement reached on key reforms to strengthen our health system. Work in the area of health has also focused on further strengthening Medicare and increasing access to more affordable services, reducing the costs of medicines and vaccines, and strengthening Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention system.
National Cabinet has also been focused on securing the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). In December 2023, there was agreement to implement NDIS legislation and rule changes, adjust state and territory NDIS contribution escalation rates, and jointly design foundational supports to support people with disability outside the NDIS. Over the year ahead, the department will work to consolidate and deliver key decisions of National Cabinet, including practical measures to deliver secure and affordable housing to Australians, and building on efforts underway under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
In 2024–25, the department will continue its focus on working in genuine partnership to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The department is committed to meeting its obligations under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and working across the APS to embed the 4 priority reforms into ways of working.
Reforming Australia’s migration system and bringing migration back to sustainable levels are high priorities for the Australian Government. PM&C will continue to support the government in delivering on its Migration Strategy announced in 2023, with a focus on meeting skills shortages, preventing migrant worker exploitation, better planning for sustainable migration and improving the system by being fast, efficient and fair.
In 2024–25, we will continue to support the Australian Government’s efforts to strengthen social cohesion, which includes dedicated programs and recent Budget measures targeting discrimination and hate, strengthening community engagement, countering harmful and divisive information, building resilience and analysing social cohesion indicators.
Ongoing reform to the higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors is also a priority. We will continue to support the government to deliver a new 5-year National Skills Agreement with the states and territories to strengthen the VET sector and help ensure Australia has the skilled workforce it needs, as well as partnering with states and territories to deliver 500,000 Fee Free TAFE and VET places across Australia over 2023–26.
Building on the government’s initial response to the findings of the Universities Accord, we will continue to focus on additional funding for Regional University Study Hubs and new Suburban University Study Hubs, expanding demand driven funding to all eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, indexation relief for student HELP debts, Commonwealth Prac Payments for mandatory course placements, expanded funding for enabling courses, and a commitment to establish an Australian Tertiary Education Commission and new funding arrangements for managed growth and needs-based funding.
We will continue to support reforms that build on existing foundations and connections across the aged care system, ensuring services of the future are sustainable and equitable and continue to improve the quality of life for older Australians.
We will also continue to focus on commitments that have been made to support Australian athletes and national sporting organisations, including investing in the Australian Institute of Sport to ensure a modern and fit-for-purpose national facility in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In September 2023, the government announced an independent inquiry to review the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and make recommendations to improve response measures in the event of future pandemics. The inquiry is being conducted by an independent panel, supported by a taskforce based within the department, and will provide a final report to government by 30 September 2024.
In 2023–24, PM&C stood up Australian Government Consulting (AGC), an in-house consulting service for the APS. In the year ahead, AGC will continue to deliver strategy and organisational transformation projects that would otherwise have been outsourced, and will build on the release of the Consultancy Playbook to support APS agencies to get better value when engaging external consultants. AGC is an APS-wide capability, and is supported by an advisory group of senior officials from across the APS.