Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all senators for their contributions to the debate on the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (Abolition) Bill 2014. Of course the bill we are debating today will abolish the Australian National Preventive Health Agency, an agency established to develop policy on alcohol, obesity and tobacco, despite the ongoing role that the Department of Health can and must play to lead the government's efforts to address preventive health, and an agency which was solely funded by the Commonwealth, requiring extra costs in administration and governance and creating duplication of policy effort. I note Senator Seselja's excellent contribution on this bill here today.

Closing the ANPHA will cut red tape, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and save millions of dollars each year. These savings come from operational expenses—no funding has been cut from the program funding that was appropriated to ANPHA. This funding has been transferred to the department and ongoing measures have been reintegrated into the department. I am pleased to reiterate that the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry on this bill concluded that the transfer of ANPHA's roles and responsibilities to the department should not result in any diminution of the commitment to preventive health programs and policies, and that the committee recommended that the Australian National Preventive Health Agency Abolition Bill (2014) be passed.

Closing the ANPHA does not reduce the government's commitment to prevention. We do not need a separate agency to commission research or to undertake activities to address particular prevention issues. A separately established and solely Commonwealth-funded agency is not required for public health issues to have a priority, including issues concerning alcohol, tobacco and obesity. Again I note Senator Seselja's comments—he did indeed address those issues directly. What we do need is to make sure that our prevention policies and programs are evidence based and that they are integrated with other investments in the health system and with other government priorities. The new arrangements will achieve this while streamlining and better coordinating the government's preventive health efforts and producing savings that can be more effectively directed.

I am pleased to confirm that the transfer of ongoing functions and programs from ANPHA back to the Department of Health has been managed smoothly, with no interruptions to the measures or to the government's commitments to the stakeholders involved. The government has a track record of supporting preventing health initiatives that have led to improved population health outcomes. We initiated action in the late 1990s to improve immunisation rates to their current levels. Between 1995 and 2007 the immunisation rate among our children went from 52 per cent to over 90 per cent. It was a previous coalition government that began the national bowel cancer screening program back in 2006, and we have committed funding to fully implement a biennial screening interval for all Australians aged 50 to 74.

The government supports effort where it is going to make a difference over the long haul. The health impact of lifestyle risk factors is gradual, and the effort needed to turn them around is also a long-term commitment that requires coherent policy. Numerous short-term programs will not have the sustained effect that is needed. There is no doubt that many Australians are overweight and obese, that some continue to smoke despite the clear evidence of its harms and that alcohol misuse can lead to short- and long-term harms to individuals and to the community. Obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse can lead to poorer health outcomes, particularly in Indigenous communities, and this has the potential to increase the long-term burden on the health system, a system we are committed to putting on a more sustainable footing for the future. Addressing alcohol, obesity and tobacco requires all Australians to take personal responsibility for their behaviours. The government will continue to support Australians in making healthy lifestyle choices, including by raising awareness of the issues and helping people to manage their behaviours and health conditions.

The coalition has a long track record in being successful in lowering smoking rates. It was the current Prime Minister who, as the health minister, introduced graphic warnings on tobacco packaging that helped contribute to a significant decline in smoking rates.

Essential ongoing programs, such as the National Tobacco Campaign which previously transferred from the Department of Health to the ANPHA, have returned to the department. From 31 May 2014, a new tranche of the National Tobacco Campaign was run, with $4.6 million in advertising targeting those sections of the community where smoking is more entrenched. These include rural and regional communities, some culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The campaign promotes tools that will support people attempting to quit smoking.

We recognise that more work is needed to encourage still more Australians to quit smoking. The budget includes ongoing funding for the campaign, which will continue to focus on those groups who are disproportionately affected by tobacco use. The campaign is designed to work in parallel with other initiatives, such as tobacco excise increases, plain packaging of tobacco products, labelling of tobacco products with updated graphic health warnings, restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion, and provision of support for smokers to quit.

The government also subsidises some nicotine patches and other smoking-cessation therapies through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. These products are available at a reduced price for eligible patients with a doctor's prescription. The Australian government is tackling obesity on a number of fronts. In recognition that obesity is a complex issue, the government is addressing it through a range of activities to encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles, through increased physical activity and a healthy diet.

In this year's budget we committed $100.3 million over three years for the Sporting Schools Initiative. This initiative will encourage school aged children to participate in sport based physical activity before, during and after school. In addition, the government funds a range of guidelines and resources to promote behaviours that support a healthy weight, including the revised national physical activity guidelines, which are in line with new international evidence, and a healthy weight guide, which is a web based initiative that provides information, tools and assistance for consumers. The 2013 Australian dietary guidelines provide recommendations for people to limit the intake of saturated fat, added sugar and added salt in their diets, and the Eat for Health program provides evidence based guidelines as well as educator and consumer nutrition resources.

More broadly, the government is working with key stakeholders, including non-government organisations, health professionals and the food industry, to promote healthy living and assist consumers make healthier food-and-lifestyle choices. The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation, at its June 2014 meeting, agreed on the implementation of a voluntary front-of-pack labelling system for packaged foods.

Many in the industry have indicated they will be implementing the health-star rating scheme and it is expected that labels will appear on products in the coming months. A government-led social-marketing campaign to support industry implement the health-star rating system will be shortly announced. It will assist consumers understand and use the system when making healthier food choices. The front-of-pack food-labelling system will assist consumers make healthier food choices, and it is anticipated that this will help contribute to the reformulation of food.

The government continues to work with states and territories, parents and communities as well as with the alcohol industry in the challenge to encourage responsible consumption of alcohol. The government is also working with non-government organisations, health providers and industry to support women make healthy lifestyle choices during pregnancy and to promote awareness of the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

The government has provided $200 million this year for treatment services, education and research for alcohol and other drugs, allocated $19 million for the Good Sports program in the budget, $9.2 million to the FASD Action Plan and announced new funding for Danny Green's coward-punch campaign and the successful Hello Sunday Morning program.

This government's commitment to evidence based preventative health activities has been further strengthened in this year's federal budget. In addition to the Sporting Schools Initiative and the Good Sports program, the government is fast-tracking the full implementation of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, building on the successes it has achieved to date.

Debate interrupted.