Kym Richardson (Kingston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister inform the House of measures the government is taking to promote a healthier Australian community, particularly through health checks under our Medicare system?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kingston—the very healthy member for Kingston—for his question. I can inform him that this government has long been committed to a health system which promotes wellness rather than just treats sickness, because, as all of us know, prevention is better than cure. In 2003 my distinguished predecessor, Senator Patterson, actually said that this government had ‘installed prevention as the fourth pillar of the Australian health care system.’

Way back in 1999 the government first introduced a comprehensive Medicare funded health check for people over 75. In 2004 the government introduced comprehensive Medicare funded health checks for Indigenous people over 15. These will be extended to Indigenous children shortly. Last week at COAG, the government announced a comprehensive Medicare funded health check for middle-aged people with health risks such as smoking or obesity. We did this because by 2020 it is estimated that 80 per cent of all health care costs will be due to chronic disease. Most of these diseases are linked to lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise and they can be delayed or prevented by the right advice or the right treatment at the right time. That is precisely what we think will happen under this new Medicare item. What we saw last week, through COAG, was another example of a government which does not just talk about the health of the Australian people. We do not just talk about our Medicare system; we take the practical steps necessary to make a good system even better.