January, 2012

Could special recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Parliament and in the Constitution bring benefits for Indigenous health? In the article below, Dr Enrico Brik, the pseudonym of a self-employed consultant and sometime writer and blogger who has worked for over a decade in various roles in health services policy and [...]

Dr Lesley Russell writes: Since 2006, Australian governments have committed to spending around $8 billion of new money on mental health.  Given the huge burden of mental illness and the unmet needs for mental health services, proper accountability for this expenditure is crucial to ensure that it is targeted at the areas of greatest need [...]

Public health advocate Professor Mike Daube writes: The finals this weekend of the KFC T20 Big Bash could have been better (especially if the Perth Scorchers had won), but the cricket was lively and would have made exciting viewing for many children as they watched all the KFC promos, as well as seeing their sporting [...]

The National Mental Health Commission held its first meeting in Sydney this week, and one of its first priorities, according to Minister Mark Butler, is to deliver the first annual National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention In a related interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, the Commission’s chair, Professor Allan Fels, highlighted [...]

As the Government mounts its case for means testing of private health insurance rebates, a new report urges the Government to withdraw all support for private health insurance, on equity and efficiency grounds. The report says private health insurance should be viewed as a form of industry assistance which subsidises queue jumping. It “is administratively [...]

In its latest Croakey update, the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (better known as PHC RIS) highlights an article examining the relationship between caring for country and health. *** Healthy country, healthy people: Involvement in land management has positive health benefits for Aboriginal Australians Bradley Smith writes: Aboriginal people have jurisdiction over roughly [...]

An ACCC investigation into breast imaging highlights broader concerns about a lack of regulation of unregistered health practitioners, writes Rebecca Johnson, Policy Advisor, Cancer Council Western Australia. *** Why are health regulators leaving the heavy lifting to the ACCC? Rebecca Johnson writes: Early in January, the ACCC launched legal proceedings  against two commercial breast imaging [...]

Croakey has a new feature: a listing of public health and health policy conferences. Meanwhile, the organisers of a forthcoming conference on social media in healthcare have put out a call for help. *** Seeking experts and ideas on social media and healthcare Madeline Vaughan from Informa Australia writes: Informa Australia is pleased to announce [...]

In the article below, Sara Irvine from ShareLife Australia responds to a Croakey article about organ transplant policy by Anne Cahill Lambert that was published last month. *** We should be doing better on organ donation rates Sara Irvine writes: The Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King recently announced: “In 2011, 1001 Australians [...]

Healthy Weight Week is due to kick off on Sunday. But Professor Mike Daube, Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Curtin University, wonders whose interests are really being served by this initiative. *** What have Coco Pops and Froot Loops got to do with healthy weight? Mike Daube writes: National Healthy Weight Week [...]