Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As pleased as I am to speak in this debate and voice my strong support for Australian National Preventive Health Agency Bill 2010, it is very frustrating to know that over a year has passed since I made a similar speech about the government’s commitment to this area of health policy and the importance of the national leadership and governance of preventive health initiatives at the heart of this bill. The government has long grasped the urgency for action in preventative health but it appears that the evidence of increasing rates of chronic disease, preventable disease more generally and the contribution of lifestyle factors to these problems, let alone any sense of responsibility to address this challenge, has passed the opposition and others by. As a result, the bill passed by this House at the end of last year did not pass the Senate before dissolution of the parliament in July. So we are back where we have started. We have lost much valuable time already, something all members and senators need to keep in mind as we debate the bill for the second time. Let us hope for a more responsible approach this time around.

There are a couple of changes to the bill as a result of the negotiation process and amendments which took place when it was before the Senate. The bill now requires the Preventative Health Agency to prepare strategic plans to run over a five-year period rather than the original three-year period. There is also now explicit reference to alcohol, tobacco and other substance abuse as well as obesity programs being included in the social marketing campaigns to be developed by the agency.

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