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The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee (committee) examined the proposed 2020–21 additional expenditure for the Health Portfolio and the Social Services Portfolio at public hearings held on 24 and 25 March 2021 and a spill-over hearing on 3 May 2021.
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This report does not attempt to analyse the evidence presented to the committee; however, it does outline the key issues considered by the committee during its examination of the proposed 2020–21 additional expenditure
Referral of documents
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The Senate referred the following documents to committees for examination and report:
Particulars of proposed additional expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2021 [Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2020-2021];
particulars of certain proposed additional expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2021 [Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2020-2021]; and
the final budget outcome 2019-20 and the advances under the annual Appropriation Acts for 2019-20.
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The Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements for 2020–21 were tabled in the Senate on 18 February 2021.
Portfolio oversight
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The committee is responsible for examining the proposed expenditure of the department and agencies within the Health Portfolio and the Social Services Portfolio.
Questions on notice
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In accordance with Standing Order 26, the committee drew the attention of the departments and their agencies to the agreed deadline of Friday, 7 May 2021 and Friday, 21 May 2021 for the receipt of answers to questions taken on notice.
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Tabled documents from the hearing, along with responses to questions on notice and additional information provided to the committee are tabled in the Senate and uploaded to the committee's website.
Health portfolio
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At its hearing on 24 March 2021, the committee examined the outcomes of the Health portfolio. Evidence was provided by the following ministers, representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care and Minister for Sport, and Minister for Aged Care Services:
Senator the Hon Anne Ruston;
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash;
Senator the Hon Amanda Stoker;
Senator the Hon Jane Hume; and
Senator the Hon Zed Seselja.
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Evidence was also provided by senior officers of the Health portfolio led by the Secretary of the Department of Health, Dr Brendan Murphy.
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Specifically, the committee heard evidence from all outcomes of the Department of Health, as well as from the Aged Care Pricing Commissioner, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, National Mental Health Commission (NMHC), National Rural Health Commissioner, Australian Sports Foundation, Sport Australia (Australian Institute of Sport), Professional Services Review Scheme and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Key issues
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The committee discussed a wide range of topics relating to the Health portfolio, including:
COVID vaccine rollout and supply (pp. 7-15);
vaccine booking process (pp. 10-11; pp. 20-21);
distributions of grants from the Medical Research Future Fund (p. 32);
update on projects under the Community Health and Hospitals Program (pp. 37-38);
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care response to Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations regarding governance standards and quality indicators (p. 39);
difficulties collecting wait times data regarding state run mental health services (pp. 41-42);
establishment of adult mental health centres (pp. 43-45);
building models aimed at supporting rural health workforces to meet the individual needs of rural and remote communities (pp. 57-58);
financial impact of COVID-19 on all recognised sports, projecting $28.6 million, excluding high performance operations (p. 71);
future of telehealth, ongoing arrangements and consultation with medical peak bodies (p. 85);
$13 billion investment in Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme since 2013 (p. 86);
local production of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine (pp. 9, 14);
Australia's importation standards for medicinal cannabis (pp. 97-98);
the two different approaches presented in the recommendations of Aged Care Quality and Safety Royal Commission's final report and which recommendations the government will respond to (p. 121); and
home care packages and home care wait list data (pp. 123-124, p. 127).
Social Services portfolio
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At its hearing on 25 March 2021, the committee examined the outcomes of the Social Services portfolio. Evidence was provided by Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, Minister for Families and Social Services and senior officers of the Social Services portfolio, led by the Secretary of the Department of Social Services, Ms Kathryn Campbell AO CSC.
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The committee heard evidence from all outcomes of the Department of Social Services as well as the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) and Services Australia.
Key issues
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The committee discussed a wide range of topics relating to the Social Services portfolio, including:
National Housing and Homelessness Agreement with states and territories and levels of funding provided by the federal government (pp. 4-5);
funding for states and territories to deliver of frontline services for women and children escaping domestic violence, including an advertisement for each jurisdictions to share local support services (p. 9);
Help is Here campaign that ran during the coronavirus pandemic to direct individuals experiencing family and domestic violence to support services (p. 9);
Department of Social Services partnership with ABC to promote initiatives such as the International Day of People with Disability (pp. 8-9);
call data for 1800 RESPECT and accessibility for culturally and linguistically diverse communities (p. 36);
Cashless Debit Card (pp. 54-61), including:
technical issues with cards declining and product blocking;
evaluations and working group; and
transition of participants in Northern Territory.
national redress scheme and Fairbridge matter (pp. 68-69);
NDIS Commission's jurisdiction in regards to Fair Work findings (pp. 69-71);
NDIA (pp. 74-92), including:
models of employment and matching platforms;
continuity of support services during pandemic;
independent assessment process and translation of tools for culturally and linguistically diverse participants; and
development of app for participants to see plan, recent claims and make claims for payment.
COVIDSafe app and unique contacts found (p. 113);
update on refunds for the income compliance program (p. 115);
Services Australia preparedness to transition people from JobKeeper to JobSeeker (p. 104, p. 118);
call wait times for people in flood affected areas and processing of disaster recovery payments (p. 124);
mobile service centres being established in Taree and Port Macquarie (p. 125); and
cybersecurity and security of Service Australia's data (p. 126).
Spill over hearing
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The committee examined outcomes of the Health and Social Services portfolio at the spill over hearing on 3 May 2021. The areas examined were:
Department of Health whole of portfolio and outcome 6: ageing and aged care, including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission;
Services Australia whole of portfolio; and
Department of Social Services outcome 3: disability and carers, including the NDIA.
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Evidence was provided by Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services and Minister for Sport, representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care. The committee also heard evidence from Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services.
Key issues
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The committee covered a range of topics at the hearing, including:
health advice provided by the Department of Health to the Minister for Health and Aged Care regarding the India travel ban (pp. 3- 5);
quarantine facilities and benchmark to lift ban (p. 6);
data collection in aged care and the Serious Incident Response Scheme (pp. 9-12);
closure of aged care facilities in regional areas (p. 15);
debt recovery activities being undertaken by Services Australia (pp. 30-31);
NDIA and the use of independent assessments (pp. 41); and
growth and sustainability of the national disability insurance scheme (p. 41-47).
Hansard transcripts
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A verbatim record of the committee's hearings is made via the Committee Hansard, which is published on the estimates webpage.
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References in this report are to the proof Committee Hansard. Page numbers may vary between the proof and the final versions of the Committee Hansard.
Acknowledgments
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The committee thanks the ministers and officers of the Health portfolio and Social Services portfolio who provided evidence and support for the committee's hearings.
Senator Wendy Askew
Chair