Health Budget 2006-2007

COAG Health Services - Promoting Good Health, Prevention and Early Intervention

The Commonwealth will contribute $250 million to building joint Commonwealth and state and territory programmes for prevention, early intervention and management of preventable, chronic disease.

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Why is this important?

• Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and arthritis account for nearly 80 per cent of the total burden of disease and injury in Australia, and more than two thirds of all health expenditure.
• At the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) 10 February meeting, the Commonwealth agreed to a $250 million contribution to a greater shift within the health system towards health promotion, and prevention, early intervention and management of disease.

Who will benefit?

• People with chronic disease, or at risk of chronic disease, will particularly benefit from support to identify and manage their condition. This will be achieved through building national, Commonwealth and state and territory programmes in five key areas:
  • promoting healthy lifestyles;
  • supporting the early detection of lifestyle risks and chronic disease;
  • supporting lifestyle and risk modification;
  • encouraging active patient self-management of chronic disease; and
  • improving the integration and coordination of care, including better integration of Australian, state and territory government primary care programmes and services.

What funding is the government committing to the initiative?

• This measure forms part of the Government’s contribution to the COAG Health Services Package as announced on 10 February 2006.
• The Commonwealth will contribute $250 million over five years, to be complemented by funding from the states and territories of $250 million.

What have we done in the past?

• The Commonwealth has contributed to the national approach to chronic disease prevention and care adopted by Australian Health Ministers in November 2005, including the National Chronic Disease Strategy, the National Service Improvement Framework, and the Blueprint for Chronic Disease Surveillance. Other associated programmes funded by the Government include $25.9 million over four years for Building a Healthy Active Australia, to address childhood obesity; $5.5 million for a National Approach to Lifestyle Prescriptions; and $3 million to survey Australian children’s nutrition and physical activity behaviours.

When will the initiative conclude?

• The measure will be reviewed in the 2010-11 Budget.