Draft National Preventive Health Strategy

Overview

Preventive health is a key pillar of Australia’s Long Term National Health Plan with mental health.

In June 2019, the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP announced that the Australian Government would develop a 10-year National Preventive Health Strategy (the Strategy). In April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister agreed to delay the public consultation process and extend the timeframe of the Strategy until 2021.

An Expert Steering Committee has provided advice on the development of the Strategy since September 2019. The committee is composed of experts from a range of specialties to reflect the extensive scope of preventive health, including experts from the public health, health promotion, medical, nursing, allied health and consumer advocacy fields.

The Strategy provides the overarching, long-term approach to prevention in Australia by working to build systemic change to ensure the best outcomes for all Australians. Areas of focus for the next 10 years are identified in the Strategy as well as evidence-based policy achievements.

The Strategy will aim to help Australians improve their health at all stages of life, through early intervention, better information, targeting risk factors and addressing the broader causes of poor health and wellbeing.

The Strategy recognises that health is not just the presence or absence of disease or injury – more holistically, it is a state of wellbeing. The approach to the Strategy is not disease specific but rather, it focusses on system wide, evidence-based approaches to reducing poor health.  

The Strategy has been developed to fully align with the commitments made under the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap and other key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy initiatives, including the refresh of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, and the commitment to develop a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Plan. 

Since September 2019, over 6,000 people have been consulted on the development of the Strategy, including eight topic-specific workshops delivered around Australia, as well as an online national consumer survey. Secondary to these activities, a Consultation Paper was developed and was available for public comment from 28 August to 28 September 2020. Over 300 responses to the paper were received. Feedback received on the Consultation Paper has been used to inform the development of the Strategy, in collaboration with advice from the Expert Steering Committee. You can access the now closed consultation, including the Consultation Paper, here: https://consultations.health.gov.au/national-preventive-health-taskforce/consultation-paper-for-the-national-preventive-hea/

It is anticipated that the final Strategy will be launched in mid-2021.

When responding to the questions with specific examples, it would be appreciated if you could please provide the appropriate source of evidence for your response.

*Please note: in this draft version of the Strategy, there are duplications of references at the end of the document. This will be rectified in the final version of the Strategy.

Why your views matter

The purpose of this consultation is to seek stakeholder and community feedback on the draft National Preventive Health Strategy. The diverse perspectives, experience and knowledge of all stakeholders and interested members of the community are valued and will contribute to the final Strategy.

What happens next

The feedback received as part of this consultation process will contribute to the finalisation of the National Preventive Health Strategy in consultation with the Expert Steering Committee. It is anticipated that the final Strategy will be launched in mid-2021.