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Minister signs national public health agreement

The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, has signed a national agreement on public health that is expected to be co-signed by other State and Territory health ministers tomorrow.

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Minister signs national public health agreement

The Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, today signed a national agreement on public health that is expected to be co-signed by other State and Territory health ministers tomorrow.

Signing the Memorandum of Understand for a National Public Health Partnership in Australia, Senator Patterson said the agreement bound all Governments to work closely together on population health prevention programs including projects to improve

  • chronic disease prevention;
  • child, youth and mother's health;
  • healthy ageing;
  • public health approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health; and
  • public health workforce.

Senator Patterson said: "For too long disease prevention has been the poor cousin to acute care. However, this public health agreement, which has been endorsed by all Australian health ministers, provides an opportunity to consolidate gains across all public health strategies and to provide the best primary health care, that, in turn, can take significant pressure off the acute care sector.

"The National Public Health Partnership will provide national guidance on a range of priority population health issues. I am delighted to have signed this agreement, which sends a signal to the States and Territories that I am serious about the gains that can be made to the health system by promoting primary health care."

Media inquiries, contact Randal Markey, Media Adviser, Senator Patterson's office, 02 6277 7220.