Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:26): My question is for the Minister for Health. The government proposes to absorb the health promotion agency VicHealth into the Department of Health in order to save money. Much of VicHealth’s budget is spent on small grants to community groups like sporting clubs, encouraging participation of women and girls in healthy activities like sport, for example; on campaigns like SunSmart; on programs like the kitchen garden program in schools; and on a recent study into the benefits of opening school grounds to the community after hours – the subject of a press release this week by the Minister for Education. What VicHealth activities will the government be cutting to achieve these savings?
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Women) (14:26): I thank the member for Brunswick for his question. There is no doubt about it: when VicHealth was established more than 40 years ago, it was world leading, but times have changed significantly. Its original remit was to buy out the tobacco sponsorships that existed at that time in sport and theatre and arts and so on, and of course it was very successful in driving down smoking rates, and that driving down of smoking rates has been sustained. But there have been significant changes in Victoria’s health prevention and promotion landscape since that time. Many more organisations are now involved with health prevention and promotion, including many that are funded by our government. I point to the $40 million that is invested in the community health promotion program through our community health services and NGOs so that they can undertake important health promotion and prevention work. We are very pleased to be able to deliver more than $6 million to Diabetes Victoria for their very successful Life! program. It is why we have directed $9.5 million of investment to Cancer Council Victoria for their important work, including – as I know is very important to the member for Brunswick – the SunSmart program, which is another very important health promotion program. But we also invest in our Aboriginal community controlled health organisations. We have established the local public health units. The landscape has changed significantly.
Will Fowles: My point of order is on relevance, Speaker. The minister is explaining what the government is spending money on but not explaining what the government will no longer be spending money on.
The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question that was asked.
Mary-Anne THOMAS: Another significant investment, which I know the member for Brunswick will be well aware of, is our leading investment – the largest single investment ever made in preventative health care in this state – in Smile Squad. We know that poor oral health is the leading cause of preventable hospital admissions in under-10s, and our Smile Squad program is targeted at those kids that need it most. It is clear that new problems need new solutions, and that is what the government is absolutely focused on. My department will continue the coordination and leadership that is necessary to shift the dial when it comes to preventative health care in this state.
Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:29): It seems as though VicHealth is still relevant when the member for Tarneit and the Deputy Premier are issuing press releases about its achievements even this week. In fact so many Victorians with an interest in promoting public health have called for VicHealth to continue. They include former ministers Nicola Roxon and David White, immunologist Gustav Nossal, multiple former chairs of VicHealth, the CEO of the Heart Foundation, Women’s Sport Australia, VCOSS, the Public Health Association of Australia, the International Network of Health Promotion Foundations and the European Public Health Association. Will the government now abandon its plan to dissolve VicHealth into the department?
Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Women) (14:30): No, we will not, and the reason is, as I have already tried to outline, that new problems need new solutions. The greatest public health challenge that we face at the moment comes to poor diet and obesity. Quite frankly, it is this government, through the leadership that we have shown at health ministers in striving to mandate the health star rating system, which will be a leading impact in tackling this issue. Also, as the Minister for Community Sport reminded me, our government’s record investment in community sport and the healthy active kids vouchers are making a real difference, ensuring that kids are getting active. These two things, helping support healthy diets and encouraging kids to stay active, are what will shift the dial on public health care in this state.