Outcome 1: Population Health > Part 2 Performance Information

All Public Health Education and Research Program-funded universities participated in funding agreement review and negotiations.

New Public Health Education and Research Program funding agreements were negotiated to incorporate review recommendations.

Based on the results of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2004, there is evidence of a continued reduction in the number of Australians using tobacco and illicit drugs.

The proportion of the Australian population aged 14 years and over who smoke daily decreased from 21.8% in 1998 to 17.4% in 2004. The proportion of the Australian population aged 14 years and over who have used illicit drugs at least once in the previous 12 months decreased from 22.0% in 1998 to 15.3% in 2004.

The data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey indicated that levels of alcohol consumption at risky levels have remained relatively stable between 1991 and 2004. In 2004, 10.0% of people drank at risky or high risk levels for harm in the long-term and 35.0% drank at risky or high risk levels for harm in the short-term.

• the 'Healthy Active Australia' Community and Schools Grants Program - grants were advertised by the Department on 12 May 2007, with the grants expected to be awarded in late 2007. Not-for-profit community organisations including schools, peak bodies, and Aboriginal controlled health organisations are eligible to apply for grants between $10,000 and $200,000; and
• the Healthy Active Ambassadors Program - this program was announced on 19 July 2006. The Department appointed 12 ambassadors in 2006-07. It also developed a website for the program and launched a national healthy active schools competition for primary schools.

The latest available data through BreastScreen Australia on breast cancer screening rates for women in the target age range indicate participation rates remained stable at 55.6% in 2003-04 compared to 56.1% in 2002-03. However, participation rates for women in inner regional areas (57.4%), outer regional areas (58.2%) and remote areas (58.6%) were significantly higher than the national average. The participation rate for Indigenous Australian women aged 50-69 years (35.3%) was much lower than the non-Indigenous rate (55.5%), although this rate increased significantly from 30.3% in 1998-99 to 35.3% in 2003-04.2

In 2004-05 the National Cervical Screening Program overall age standardised participation rate for women aged 20-69 years in two-yearly screening was 61.0%, an increase from 60.7% in 2002-03.

At 30 June 2007, the crude participation rate for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program was 36.0% based on the number of completed faecal occult blood test kits received.

Compared to 2004, new diagnoses of HIV and diagnoses of specific sexually transmissible infections increased in Australia in 2005 by 9.3% for HIV infection, 14.0% for chlamydia and 11.5% for gonorrhoea. In 2006, there were 998 new diagnoses of HIV infection. Increasing numbers of new diagnoses of HIV infection and other sexually transmissible infections are not confined to Australia but have been noted in other developed countries.

However, the latest surveillance data from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (2006) indicated that the rate of reported Hepatitis C infections in Australia continues to fall from 105.6 per 100,000 in 2001 to 63.4 per 100,000 in 2005.

Notification rates for vaccine preventable diseases are historically low, due to high levels of vaccination coverage amongst the age groups targeted by the National Immunisation Program.

• the National Tobacco Campaign, which specifically targeted smoking rates among young people;
• the National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Campaign which aimed to raise community knowledge and awareness about program benefits and encourage target audiences to participate in the program; and
• the National Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign, which was aimed at decreasing the incidence and/or prevalence of skin cancer among teenagers and young adults.

• Coverage in age cohort 1 (12-<15 months) increased from 90.2% at 31 March 2006 to 91.0% at 31 March 2007.
• Coverage in age cohort 2 (24-<27 months) decreased slightly from 92.1% at 31 March 2006 to 92.0% at 31 March 2007.
• Coverage in age cohort 3 (72-<75 months) increased substantially from 83.8% at 31 March 2006 to 88.0% at 31 March 2007.

In 2006-07, the Department undertook a review of methodological options for evaluating the effect of BreastScreen Australia on breast cancer mortality. The review was completed in December 2006 and has been used to inform the development of the larger BreastScreen Australia Evaluation Plan.

A review of the National HIV Testing Policy was also completed in 2006-07. The review recommended that the routine offer of HIV testing should be made to all pregnant women with the primary aim of preventing mother to child transmission of HIV. Based on the recommendations of this review, new testing policy has now been endorsed which includes the recommendation.

• directly engaged State and Territory governments in a collaborative effort to develop a national integrated strategic approach to chronic disease management and prevention through the Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee;
• established a Steering Group comprised of medical experts and representatives of relevant research centres to oversee the review of the current HIV Testing Policy and to assist with the development of new policy based on the review outcomes;
• utilised the National Immunisation Committee to provide expert advice on the development and implementation issues for the National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program. Through the committee, State, Territory and local governments, medical professionals and consumers were given the opportunity to participate in the development of this program;
• established a National Advisory Group on Smoking and Pregnancy to provide advice on the development and implementation of the Department's Smoking and Pregnancy initiative including development and implementation of effective initiatives to assist pregnant women to stop smoking;
• consulted with the states and territories in regard to the implementation of recommendations from the review of the Gene Technology Act 2000 and the Gene Technology Amendment Bill 2007 exposure draft; and
• consulted on the Gene Technology Amendment Bill 2007 with the Gene Technology Ministerial Council.

100.0% of Category 1 evaluations by the Therapeutic Goods Administration were made within legislated timeframes while 956 of 957 Category 3 evaluations were made within legislated timeframes (1 evaluation was completed in 46 days rather than the 45 day legislated timeframe. Procedures were reviewed to prevent a recurrence of the incident).

During the reporting period, 100.0% of the 50 Design Examination Conformity Assessments received were completed within the 255 day legislated timeframe.

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme issued 179 New Chemicals assessment certificates and 145 New Chemical permits. 99.0% of these were within the legislative timeframes. The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme identified and formally declared that it would assess 1 priority existing chemical and completed 27 priority existing chemical and other assessments. The 2 applications made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 2005-06 were both withdrawn in 2006-07.

The Director of the scheme granted confidential listings on the Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances for 16 chemicals from a total of 24 applications received. As at the end of 2006-07, there were 4 pending applications with 4 listed on the public inventory.

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator conducted 27 evaluations with 100.0% completed within the legislated timeframe. There were no appeals of decisions made by the Gene Technology Regulator.

The Office of Chemical Safety completed 140 registration human health assessment reports and 24 human health risk assessments under the existing chemical review program.

100.0% of timeframes for the registration of assessment reports were met and all registration assessment reports were accepted by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

The Office established or amended, following review, 200 public health standards for pesticides and made 306 scheduling decisions. 85.0% of pesticide review work orders were completed within agreed timeframes. 7 of 24 completed review work orders required post-assessment amendments for the pesticides regulator.

Compliance activities for licit use of controlled substances saw 786 licences, 5,164 permits, and 406 traveller permissions issued this financial year. 96.0% were within timeframes.

A total of 2.3 million domestic movements of controlled substances were monitored and tracked as part of the national anti-drug diversion program. Monitoring results were provided to state and territory health agencies and law enforcement agencies within agreed timeframes. Australia's compliance efforts for the calendar year 2006 were reported to the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board as required. All reports were accepted by the United Nations.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration investigated 653 alleged breaches under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.

During the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007, 653 new referrals of breaches were received from stakeholders including members of the public, industry, local and international law enforcement and regulatory agencies, with 463 investigations completed. The Therapeutic Goods Administration Surveillance Unit issued 234 formal warnings to persons/companies and charged 20 persons/companies with 104 criminal offences.

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme reported a total of 63 compliance cases for this financial year under the Industrial Chemicals (Notifications and Assessment) Act 1989. Of these, 35 have been closed while 28 remain under investigation. The scheme audited 44 companies holding 183 Cosmetic Interim Permits.

The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator assessed 13 reports (100.0%) of alleged breaches of the Gene Technology Act 2000 within 10 working days.

• enhanced access to product information and consumer medicines information and improving business practices in the Therapeutic Goods Administration;
• the transition to the new medical device regulatory framework;
• the development of Rules and Standards to apply under the Australian New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority; and
• regulatory change for industrial chemicals matters, notably on cosmetics and the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme fees and charges.

• the Parallel Review Project with Health Canada for prescription medicines with the aim to enhance cooperation between the two regulators;
• international benchmarking of new medicines review times through the Centre for Medicines Research, United Kingdom under which review and approval times are monitored for Australia, the United States of America, Japan, the European Union, Canada and Switzerland;
• consultations with Health Canada, the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission, Health Sciences Authority (Singapore), the Ministry of Health (Malaysia), the State Food and Drug Administration (China) as well as other regional regulators;
• attendance at the medical devices Global Harmonization Task Force Annual Conference;
• participation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) New and Existing Chemicals Task Forces, the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials and the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety; and
• participation in the OECD Working Group on the Harmonisation for Regulatory Oversight in Gene Technology, the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Colloquium on the Environmental Risk Assessment of GM Plants, the Australian delegation to an Australia Group Plenary regarding biological weapons controls.

End date: 1 March 2009

End date: Second half of 2008

Timeframe:

Commencement date:  October 2004
End date:  May 2005

Timeframe:

Commencement date:  April 2006
End date:  April 2007