Unit rationale, description and aim
Australia's health care systems are complex, involving multiple tiers of government, intricate funding arrangements and a mixture of public and private financing. There are also multiple providers with different interests and resources, diverse health programs, services and projects, and a variety of regulatory regimes. This unit will introduce students to key structural components and interrelationships of Australia's health care systems. It will examine the health status of Australians, government (departmental and interdepartmental) structures, system inputs (finance, workforce, and technological resources) and outputs (participation in prevention and promotion activities, early intervention program rates, and program reach). It will also explore institutional arrangements and interrelationships (public health, primary health, community and acute health). The unit will introduce students to the roles and functions of government, non-government and private sectors, and the role of consumers. It will consider issues of health system equity, inclusion, and access for specific population groups such as rural communities, aged and disabled people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The aim of the unit is to develop students’ understanding of and ability to critically assess the components and interrelationships of Australia's complex and multifaceted health care systems.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Evaluate structural components of Australian healt...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically review the organization, coordination a...
Learning Outcome 02
Assess the roles, functions and interactions of th...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically examine how the organisation, delivery ...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Define concepts and components of Australia's health care systems
- Governments’ (national, state, and local) roles and responsibilities in delivering and funding health care
- Population health (demography, health status, specific needs groups)
- Structures underpinning the health systems (Medicare; Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)
- Financing healthcare (public and private)
- Programs and services (public health, primary care, community and acute care, mental health, drugs and alcohol, aged care, oral health, complementary health care)
- Focus on public health: protection, disease prevention and health promotion
- Health workforce (education and training; regulation and accreditation)
- Health data and monitoring
- Health complaints and regulation
- Ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment in this unit will comprise three assessment tasks, combining written, and interactive oral activities. The assessment strategy allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills by first understanding structures, processes and institutions that underpin Australia's health care systems, then applying this knowledge to a more comprehensive understanding of the organisation and delivery of programs and services, and the subsequent effects on specific population sub-groups.
The first assessment task requires students to write a short report that addresses structures, inputs-outputs, and processes that comprise Australia's health care systems. Students will describe various structures and interrelationships of Australia's health care systems.
The second assessment task, building on the first, requires students to write a critical review of a selected public health program or service that will enable students to gain insights into the organisation, delivery, and funding of a part of Australia's health care systems.
The third assessment task consolidates the learning of the previous two assignments, requiring students to create and deliver an interactive oral presentation in order to analyse how the health of specific population sub-groups (e.g. rural communities, older people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and others) are affected by the organisation, delivery, and funding of public health programs and services.
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in the unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Written assessment. To write a sh...
Assessment 1: Written assessment.
To write a short report on a topic drawn from weeks one to five. This will enable students to critically describe different aspects Australia's health care systems. (800 words
20%
Assessment 2: Written assessment. To critically ...
Assessment 2: Written assessment.
To critically review a selected public health program or service that will enable students to gain insights into the organisation, delivery, and funding of a part of Australia's health care systems. (1,500 words)
40%
Assessment 3: Interactive oral presentation. To ...
Assessment 3: Interactive oral presentation.
To create and deliver an interactive oral presentation on how the health of a specific population sub-group (e.g. rural communities, older people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, etc.) is affected by the organisation, delivery, and funding of public health programs and services. (15 mins)
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Teaching and learning strategies addressing basic concepts and frameworks will support multiple means of engagement, representation and expression. These will include lectures, tutorials, and small group discussions. Specialised topics will rely on videos, discussions with experts in various settings, use of case studies, LMS, and asynchronous content.
The design of this unit is based on the constructivist approach, which supports active learning that encourages students to engage in a range of learning activities to facilitate the construction of new knowledge. Constructive alignment is achieved between learning outcomes, content and assessment tasks.
Representative texts and references
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024). Australia’s health 2024: in brief. Australia’s health series no. 17 ISBN: 978-1-923085-90-9 Cat. no. AUS 249. Canberra: AIHW. Australia’s health 2024: in brief, Summary - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Biggs, A. (2016). Medicare: a quick guide. Canberra: Department of Parliamentary Services.
Biggs, A. & Cook, L. (2018). Health in Australia: a quick guide. Canberra: Department of Parliamentary Services.
Department of Health (2026). The Australian health system. Canberra: Department of Health.
Duckett, S. (2022). The Australian Health Care System (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Goddard, M. (2014). How the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme began. Medical Journal of Australia. 201 (1), 23-25. doi: 10.5694/mja14.00124
Health Workforce Australia (2014). Health Workforce Australia 2014: Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Doctors. Canberra: Department of Health.
Lin, V., Smith, J., & Fawkes, S. (2026). Public health practice in Australia: The organised effort, 3rd edition. Routledge
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. (2017). Report on Government Services. Volume E: Health.
Schwartz, S. (2019). Educating the Nurse of the Future - Report of the Independent Review into Nursing Education.
Somerset, S., Robinson, P. & Kelsall, H. (Eds). (2016). Foundation Competencies for Public Health Graduates in Australia. (2nd ed.) Canberra: Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia.
Willis, E., Reynolds, L. & Rudge, T. (2020). Understanding the Australian Health Care System. (4th ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier Australia.