Tuesday, 9 December 2025

 Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (14:23): My question is to the Minister for Health. The world’s first health promotion foundation VicHealth was established in 1987 by bipartisan agreement to promote health and prevent many of the diseases filling our public hospitals and adding to the massive health budget. VicHealth is an internationally respected independent voice able to speak out against and take on well-funded corporations, whether it be the tobacco, gambling, alcohol or junk food lobby. But now the government plans to close VicHealth and absorb it into the department, which is not independent of government. Will the minister heed the growing outcry from the community and public health experts and reverse the decision to dissolve VicHealth?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:24): I thank the member for Melbourne for her question. Of course VicHealth was proudly established by a Labor government some 40 years ago.

The SPEAKER: Order! I just interrupt the Minister for Health to remind members that this is part of a bill that is before the Parliament, the entities bill, so just be careful with your response, Minister. You can talk about the policy.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Okay. As I was saying, it was proudly established by a Labor government some 40 years ago, but it is true to say that the health landscape has changed rather significantly during that time. When we look back at its original function, it was to buy out tobacco sponsorship, which at that stage played a large role in funding sport and the arts and so on. What we know now, as I have said, is that we have seen significant changes, and our government has only ever increased its commitment to investing tens of millions of dollars, supporting a range of organisations to deliver health promotion and prevention, including our community health organisations, our ACCHOs, not-for-profits and a new innovation of our government, which are the local public health units. The LPHUs were established in 2021, and they are very well placed to deliver localised prevention and promotion support to communities.

The LPHUs, if I think of some of the things that they have done over in the south-east, for instance, have promoted community awareness of cervical cancer screening and the importance of the HPV vaccine. This is so that we can become the first jurisdiction in the world to eliminate cervical cancer, which is something that we are on track to do. In the Goulburn Valley the LPHU has received funding from us to focus on breast and bowel cancer screening in community languages. Similarly in Barwon South, again in community languages, they are providing cancer screening information advice. The point that I am making is that the government has, over that time, changed the way in which it is delivering health promotion and prevention, including through our own LPHUs.

It is important anywhere in health that we avoid waste and duplication, and that is the intention of the government. The government will continue to invest in some very significant programs. Chief amongst these is the funding that we deliver to Cancer Council Victoria, some $9.682 million, which of course delivers Quitline, which continues the work, I might say, that VicHealth was initially established to deliver, as well as the Vic Kids Eat Well and achievement program, as well as a range of cancer screening initiatives. It is a great legacy, but it is time to do things differently.

 Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (14:27): Minister, LPHUs are important, but they play a very different role. VicHealth supported the SunSmart and Quit campaigns when government withdrew support. They have supported healthy initiatives in regional communities and multicultural communities, and surely public health is as relevant now as ever. It makes little sense to abolish a 38-year-old institution to save the government the equivalent of a day and a half’s interest payment. Will the minister guarantee that VicHealth will retain its independence, which is such a key element of the organisation, and its protected funding?

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:28): While I thank the member for Melbourne for her question, the member for Melbourne is focused more on an entity and an institution rather than the value of the programs and the best place to deliver programs. I have already mentioned Quit and the important work that they do, and I have also mentioned the Cancer Council. I could mention also Diabetes Victoria, which is another organisation funded directly by our government to run the Life! program. The point is that our government continue to invest in a whole range of health promotion and prevention programs, and we will continue to do so. We are proud investors also, I might say, in our women’s health service organisations – again, organisations that deliver prevention and promotion programs in our community.