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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-20 Daily Xml
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Preventative Health

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:56): My question is directed to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Will the minister update the council on preventative health programs in South Australia?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for his question. The Marshall Liberal government has a strong commitment to preventative health. Our parliamentary opponents ignored preventative health. Their McCann review gutted preventative health, ripping $11 million annually out of programs that were assisting people in staying out of hospitals. Labor's disastrous Transforming Health experiment—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —then further concentrated care in hospitals. We are working to undo this damage. One of the many ways we are addressing this deficit is through the Healthy Towns Challenge.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order: I don't know about you, but I can't hear the minister and I would like to hear the answer.

The PRESIDENT: Your point of order is well made. I am also struggling to hear the answer. The opposition will listen in silence.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I appreciate the honourable—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Why don't you answer the question instead of slagging off what happened in the past?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You have had two years in office, Steve; what have you done?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The honourable Leader of the Opposition, you don't need to join in.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Nothing is. Everything is at arm's length with this minister: 'Oh, it's the board's fault, not mine.'

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, enough! Minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Marshall Liberal government, in an election commitment, made a commitment to establish the Healthy Towns Challenge, which is an investment in community programs to encourage and support health and wellbeing, and it was delivered in our first budget. This is a government that delivers on its promises. Whether it is the new Women's and Children's Hospital or whether it's the preventative health programs—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —this government is delivering. The first round of projects finished in November last year.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, I can't hear your answer.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The opposition will come to order so I can hear the answer.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: He is a laughing stock.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, enough! Minister.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Yet again, the people of South Australia listening online can see the inverse relationship between the embarrassment of the Labor opposition and the extent to which they laugh. They laugh because they are embarrassed.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, there is a point of order. The honourable Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order: again, the minister is speaking to matters that have absolutely nothing to do whatsoever with the question asked.

The PRESIDENT: I am sure the minister is getting to the nub of the question. Minister, please get to the nub of the question so we can move to the crossbench.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I thank the honourable President for his guidance. As I was saying, the Healthy Towns Challenge is an investment in community programs to encourage and support health and wellbeing. It was delivered in our first budget. We are now at the stage where we are actually seeing the fruit of that first round of grants.

The first round of projects finished in November last year, and just last week I was delighted to go to Port Pirie to present the Healthy Towns Challenge Award to the FoodHub Health and Wellbeing Project. As part of that program, volunteers are receiving training in support for customers of FoodHub, including healthier food choices within budget constraints. FoodHub also engaged with universities and delivered cooking classes and demonstrations. Nearly 600 new customers joined FoodHub during this time, and the ongoing benefits will be seen through the work of the volunteers at the FoodHub and the resources developed through the program.

Concurrent with the announcement of Port Pirie as the winner of the inaugural Healthy Towns Challenge Award, the government has launched round 3 of the Healthy Towns Challenge. I encourage all South Australian communities to take advantage of this opportunity. Each community, we appreciate, has different needs. The programs which ran during round 1 and which are now running through round 2 demonstrate the different responses to different communities. For example, a cycling and bicycle maintenance program for Aboriginal youth was funded as part of round 1. I congratulate everyone involved in Port Pirie's winning program.

This morning I was also delighted to be part of another important preventive health initiative being rolled out in South Australia. The Whole Nine Months program, which is a coalition of South Australian-based clinicians and researchers, is working to launch a multifaceted campaign to help prevent preterm birth. We all know that preventing preterm birth will reduce the level of fatalities. Complications arising from preterm birth are actually the leading cause of death in Australian children under five years of age.

What is most concerning is there has actually been an increase in the number of preterm births in recent years. This is an important national initiative, an important preventive health initiative, which will reduce the number of deaths that could be related to the complications of a preterm birth.

It is very important for the full development of the child. Children who are born preterm are more likely to have developmental issues, educational issues and health issues. This is yet another example of this government working with clinicians and with partners right across the nation to deliver better health outcomes for South Australian women, children and families. Preventive health is vital to the future of South Australia.

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