Federal Financial Relations (National Health Reform Payments for 2017-18) Determination 2019

This is a determination (a type of legal instrument made by a Minister) that sets out exactly how much federal money the Australian Government will give to each state and territory for public hospitals and health services for the 2017-18 financial year.

What it does:

• Authorises $19.88 billion in total payments to be distributed among the eight states and territories
• Specifies the exact dollar amount each jurisdiction receives (from NSW's $6.15 billion down to the NT's $263 million)
• These payments are made under the National Health Reform Agreement — a deal between the Commonwealth and states about how to fund public hospitals

Who it affects:

• State and territory governments — they receive this money to run public hospitals
• Patients — indirectly, as this funding supports hospital services they use
• Taxpayers — this is federal tax revenue being redistributed to states

Why it matters: This is the legal mechanism that actually transfers the money. Without this determination, the Commonwealth couldn't legally make these payments. It provides transparency about how much each state gets and ensures the funding is tied to the National Health Reform Agreement (which sets rules about how the money should be spent on hospital care).