Monthly Archives: July 2010

John Mendoza’s damning assessment of Labor’s mental health history

July 30, 2010 – 2:52 pm

This article was published today in the Crikey bulletin. John Mendoza, Adjunct Professor of Health Science, University of Sunshine Coast, writes: “On Tuesday Julia Gillard made her first policy announcement on mental health, Mental health: taking action to tackle suicide. The new PM has made the point publicly on several occasions that she understands the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in federal election 2010, health reform, mental health | Comments (3)

On mental health, who should you vote for? An indepth analysis

July 30, 2010 – 12:27 pm

Further to a recent Croakey post comparing election mental health policies, here is a far more indepth analysis. Sebastian Rosenberg, Senior Lecturer, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, writes: “The recent high profile resignation of the chair of Minister Roxon’s own expert committee, John Mendoza, and the profile of the Australian of the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in federal election 2010, health reform, mental health | Comments (7)

Is the obesity focus costing tobacco control?

July 30, 2010 – 11:26 am

In the United States, tobacco control is losing out to the focus on obesity, according to Croakey’s Washington correspondent, Dr Lesley Russell. She writes: “In the race for preventive health-care dollars from foundations, charities and federal and state governments, the increasing focus on obesity has meant that anti-tobacco efforts are losing out. Yet cigarette smoking [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in Journal articles, obesity, public health, tobacco control | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

Bored? Uninspired? Depressed? This book may help you survive the election campaign

July 30, 2010 – 10:02 am

For those feeling uninspired, unimpressed and downright disappointed in the election campaign, have we got a book for you….featuring some fresh ideas about health policy, amongst other things. Jennifer Doggett, a Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development, writes: “Anyone frustrated by the lack of debate on health policy in the election campaign might be [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in federal election 2010, health financing and costs, Health inequalities, health reform, Media-related issues, private health insurance, quality and safety of health care | Comments (4)

Mental health: who is offering the best election deal?

July 27, 2010 – 9:35 pm

In a stroke of incredible timing, the Insight show on SBS tonight had an impressive selection of mental heath experts, consumers and carers to weigh up the mental health election policies of Labor and the Coalition. Surely it couldn’t have been a complete coincidence that the PM today announced funding for suicide prevention measures, and [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in child health, federal election 2010, mental health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

Will preventative health issues ever figure in the election campaign?

July 27, 2010 – 5:48 pm

Finally, we’re getting a little election campaign action on health. As you’ve no doubt heard, the PM today announced a series of mental health initiatives (stay tuned for more comment on these in a later Croakey post). But the Parents Jury is wishing for much more attention to some bigger-picture health issues. Caitlin Syrett, Project [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in child health, federal election 2010, Food, mental health, obesity, prevention, public health | Comments (3)

What to make of Family First’s binge drinking policy?

July 27, 2010 – 5:13 pm

Family First has announced a policy to tackle binge drinking. So what does the public health crowd make of it? Sarah Jaggard, Community Mobilisation Policy Officer at the Australian Drug Foundation, might be more optimistic about the policy if it weren’t for some recent history. She writes: “I felt vaguely excited when I read in [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in alcohol, federal election 2010, public health | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Why everyone wants you to eat more…the problems confronting our forthcoming dietary guidelines

July 27, 2010 – 3:58 pm

As reported in a recent Croakey post, an NHMRC committee is in the process of drafting new dietary guidelines. This is inevitably an incredibly fraught and contested process. There are so many powerful players with an interest in encouraging us to eat more of whatever it is they sell. Often these marketing campaigns are dressed [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in environmental health, evidence-based issues, Food, obesity, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Unpicking the Oz’s recent splash on NHMRC’s “green diet push”

July 27, 2010 – 11:35 am

Last week The Australian newspaper splashed with this story about a “green diet push” which accused the National Health and Medical Research Council, which is currently developing new national dietary guidelines,  “of subverting food science to fit a green agenda”. The paper followed up with a particularly ill-informed editorial under the headline “Social engineers want [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in environmental health, Food, global health, NHMRC, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Is home-grown the best, when it comes to WA Health?

July 27, 2010 – 8:15 am

Western Australia has so far been the standout in refusing to do a deal with the Feds on national health reform. While this has been widely attributed to the partisan politics involved, perhaps there are broader cultural issues also at play? The West has been known to regard those self-absorbed Easterners with some suspicion. Professor [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Posted in health reform, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (1)