SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HEALTH COMMISSION
AND ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STRUCTURE

The South Australian Health Commission (the Commission) is established and its powers and functions are determined by the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976. The Commission is a body corporate. It consists of five members and is under the control and direction of the Minister for Human Services. The Chairman of the Commission is also the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services.

Amendments to the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976 and Resulting Changes in the Powers and Functions of the South Australian Health Commission

The powers and functions of the Commission for the year ended 30 June 2001 reflect significant changes from July2000 following amendments to the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976.

In effect the amendments and their operation resulted in the following principal changes from 2000-01:

• Significant functional responsibilities and powers that were previously vested in the Commission in relation to the planning, funding and administration of the health services in this State were conferred on the Minister for Human Services. Pursuant to the amended Act the Minister has delegated certain conferred functions and powers to the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services.
• Under the amended Act and by proclamation of the Governor the assets, rights, liabilities and obligations of the Commission were vested in the Minister.
• The Department of Human Services assumed from the Commission, both the day to day administration responsibility and the annual financial reporting obligations, associated with the funding and delivery of the State’s health services and the assets and liabilities that were vested in the Minister. This is by virtue of the Minister having delegated certain functions and powers to the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services.

As a result of the significant amendments to the Act the Commission’s main functions now involve provision of:

• advice and assistance to the Minister (to the extent determined or requested by the Minister) regarding the performance of functions and the exercise of powers conferred on the Minister under the amended Act;
• assistance and support to the Minister in the promotion, support and investigation of matters relating to public and environmental health or health services within the State.

The Commission must in the exercise of its functions seek to coordinate its activities with the Department of Human Services.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE COMMISSION AND AUDIT

Section 25 of the Act requires the Commission to maintain proper accounts of its financial affairs and that the Auditor-General audit the accounts.

Following the amendments to the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976 the only substantial financial transactions undertaken by the Commission were the transfer of its assets, rights, liabilities and obligations to the Minister and subsequently to the Department. Financial Statements have been prepared for the Commission reflecting the transactions for the year to 30 June 2001 and have been provided to Audit in accordance with requirements of the Act and the Public Finance and Audit Act 1987.

Recognising that the only material transactions were the transfer of the Commission's assets, rights, liabilities and obligations through the Minister to the Department the full financial statements have not been included in this Report. A table disclosing the financial details of the material transactions is set out below in the next section of this Report.

The financial activities that were undertaken by the Commission in the past years were undertaken by the Department of Human Services in the year to 30 June 2001. The financial statements of the Department are included elsewhere in this Report and the impact of the transfer of functions from the Commission to the Department are fully discussed in Notes to the Department's Financial Statements.

Before the amendments to the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976 the Commission had the power to provide directions to Health Services and was consequently required to prepare consolidated financial statements. With the amendments to the Act the power to direct Health Services is explicitly provided to the Minister who has not delegated this power to the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services. Consequently there is no requirement for the Department to prepare general purpose financial reports which consolidate the financial statements of the individual Incorporated Hospitals, Health Centres and Health Services.

TRANSFER OF COMMISSION ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

The table below, summarises at 1 July 2000, the assets and liabilities of the Commission which were vested in the Minister for Human Services and which came under the administrative control of the Department of Human Services.

South Australian Health Commission Assets and Liabilities Transfer at 1 July 2000

				2000
CURRENT ASSETS:				$’000
Cash				30 140
Receivables				32 246
Other				9 750
Total Current Assets				72 136
NON-CURRENT ASSETS:
Receivables				34 185
Land and improvements				10 373
Plant and equipment				983
Total Non-Current Assets				45 542
Total Assets				117 678
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Payables				44 027
Borrowings				4
Employee entitlements				190
Provisions				1 326
Other				1 062
Total Current Liabilities				46 609
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Payables				23 557
Borrowings				28 910
Employee entitlements				100
Provisions				58 974
Other				606
Total Non-Current Liabilities				112 147
Total Liabilities				158 756
EXCESS OF LIABILITIES OVER ASSETS				(41 078)
EQUITY:
Accumulated surplus (deficit)				(41 227)
Asset revaluation reserve				149
TOTAL EQUITY				(41 078)

UNAUDITED HEALTH SERVICE ACTIVITY AND FINANCIAL TRANSACTION DATA

The section of this report for the Commission has, in the past, presented summary data with respect to activity and financial transactions undertaken by Health Services established pursuant to the South Australian Health Commission Act 1976. This information has again been provided in the section of this part of the report relating to the Department of Human Services.