What is the Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program?
The Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program is a grant opportunity which aims to enable health peak and advisory bodies to contribute to the national agenda by providing expert, evidence-based and impartial advice to inform current health policy and program development whilst supporting communication and consultation activities.
Background
The Australian Government continues its support for health peak and advisory bodies across the health sector, and recognises the important role they play in informing and supporting the achievement of positive health outcomes.
The Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program builds capacity in the health sector by improving linkages, networks and cooperation with their members, the health sector, the wider community and the Australian Government. The Australian Government values the role that peak bodies play
in informing health policy by actively consulting with their members to ensure that the views of their sector are equally and fully represented to the Commonwealth.
The program aims to provide the Australian Government with access to high quality health sector information to improve the capacity, quality and safety of Australia’s health care system.
Objectives
The objective of the Health Peak and Advisory Bodies Program is to enable health peak and advisory bodies to:
- effectively consult and share information with their members, the wider health sector, the community and the Australian Government;
- function as a repository and source of sector knowledge and expertise;
- provide well-informed and impartial advice to the Commonwealth within their area of expertise; and
- provide education and training to health practitioners working in the relevant part of the health sector (including general practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals) to improve the quality of health services.
The intended outcome of the grant opportunity is to provide the Australian Government with access to high quality health sector information that will inform health policy, improve decision-making capacity and the quality and safety of Australia’s health care system.
Funding
The Australian Government has announced a total of $23.7m (GST exclusive) over three years to undertake an open competitive grant funding process for the Program for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025.
Funding will be approved and awarded to successful applicants with funding levels of up to a maximum amount of $1,000,000 per annum. The assessment of the grant amounts will take into consideration size and scope of the organisation, its members, geographical coverage and capacity to support those members and priority health issues. There will be no indexation applied to the per annum funding level.
Eligible Projects
The following activities are eligible for funding:
- consultation with members on health sector policy and/or program matters for the purposes of providing relevant, well-informed information and advice to the Commonwealth (Australian Government Department of Health);
- activities that support the sharing of information about particular health matters, including Australian Government health policy and program information, the prevention, treatment and control of diseases, the availability of health services and other matters affecting public health. These activities may include:
- maintaining telephone and internet-based services for the purposes of disseminating accurate information;
- preparation of relevant content and materials for dissemination; and
- promoting and supporting best practice.
- inquiries, investigations, and provision of impartial, well-informed information and advice to the Australian Government on matters affecting public health;
- national secretariat activities, which may include:
- participation in relevant Australian Government advisory/consultation forums;
- co-ordination of responses to Australian Government requests for information on health matters, such as discussion and position papers and consultations; and
- promoting networks, partnerships and co-operation within the health sector.
- Providing information for the education and training of health practitioners working in the relevant part of the health sector (including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals), where such education and training is directed at:
- improving the quality of medical services that are funded by the Commonwealth; and
- improving the quality of health services that are provided to persons in the event of sickness.
Eligible expenditure items include:
- expenditure associated with consultation undertaken with members (i.e. domestic travel and accommodation);
- maintaining and updating website and telephone services;
- targeted member events, such as secretariat meetings, roundtables and associated costs;
- production of publication costs;
- provision of information for the purposes of education and training of health practitioners where this will result in improvements of quality of services; and
- salaries associated with the project.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible you must:
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN);
- be registered for the purposes of GST;
- be a permanent resident of Australia;
- have an account with an Australian financial institution;
and be one of the following entity types:
- a company incorporated in Australia;
- a company incorporated by guarantee;
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust (where you apply as a trustee on behalf of a trust, please apply using the trustee name, not the name of the trust);
- an incorporated association;
- a partnership;
- a registered charity or not-for-profit organisation;
- a publicly funded research organisation (as defined in the Glossary); and/or
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.
In addition to the above eligibility criteria, eligible applicants must be a health and peak advisory body that is constituted for public purposes and represent national memberships.
Timing
Applications close 21 May 2021.
