Wellbeing and the Australian quality of life

In this paper, Tim Soutphommasane examines state of Australia’s quality of life, and finds that, despite concerns, Australians have very little reason to feel a sense of crisis. While rising costs of energy bills, food and petrol, traffic congestion and longer working hours make headlines, the United Nations Development Programme’s annual study of global wellbeing places Australia very close to the top, showing Australia’s quality of life is strong.

Guidelines for the establishment and initial operation of Medicare Locals

The Commonwealth Government is establishing Medicare Locals to drive improvements in primary health care and ensure that primary health care services are better tailored to meet the needs to local communities. Medicare Locals will be primary health care organisations, established to coordinate primary health care delivery to address local health care needs and service gaps.
These guidelines take into account submissions received on the Medicare Locals Discussion Paper on Governance and Functions released on 29 October 2010 on the yourHealth website and views of other key stakeholders.

Between a rock and a hard place

A new workers manual to the legal system called "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" has just been released. The comprehensive guide takes a welfare perspective of the law and is an excellent starting point for workers in disability, youth, drug & alcohol and other community/welfare sectors who need to understand the legal system but don’t want to get bogged down by the law. For ease the publication has been divided into chapters and you can download by chapter or download the entire publication.You can find it at the new Fitzroy Legal Service site Law for Community.

Compendium of Workers' Compensation Statistics Australia

Safe Work Australia has released the Compendium of Workers' Compensation Statistics Australia 2008-09 report. The Compendium provides a detailed analysis of compensated work-related injury and disease among employees in Australia. This is the seventeenth report released as part of the Compendium series. Preliminary data in the Compendium showed that in 2008-09 there were 223 compensated fatalities and 128 735 serious workers' compensation claims in Australia. This equates to 2.3 fatalities per 100 000 employees and 13 serious workers' compensation claims per 1000 employees.
The Compendium of Workers' Compensation Statistics Australia 2008-09 report is available for download from the Safe Work Australia website.

Atlas of cancer in Queensland

More than 1,200 deaths in regional Queensland could have been prevented in the ten years to 2007 if regional cancer survival rates had been equal to the Queensland average. While there were many advances in health care during the 20th century, these benefits have not been shared equally across all population subgroups, particularly for people living in rural and disadvantaged areas. This report describes the variation in cancer incidence and survival across small geographical areas in Queensland.

Housing, loneliness and health

Loneliness is highly distributed socially and spatially but has remained largely hidden and difficult to detect. Levels of loneliness on a scale we are witnessing in Western urban contexts today are arguably unprecedented and therefore the stakes and the potential pay-offs from interventions will be high. Loneliness poses one of the most exciting challenges for housing policy makers in a very long time. This essay asks whether housing, loneliness and health are connected and if so, where can policy be changed to intervene.

Stress and its effects on the body

Some degree of stress is good for us, and we are biologically primed for it. But 'toxic' stress makes us physically sick, and powerful research is now revealing its potent impact on our developing bodies and brains. In this program from ABC Radio National's All in the Mind, Natasha Mitchel interviews Tom Boyce, Professor of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia and Bruce McEwen, Neuroscientist and neuroedocrinologist from the Rockefeller University. They assert that high levels of resting cortisol in disadvantaged children leads to all sorts of problems in later years, from tooth decay to cardiovascular disease and mood disorders.

Stressed out : the powerful biology of stress is a fascinating half-hour podcast.

Active and Healthy website - falls prevention

NSW Health has just launched a new website aimed at enabling older people and health professionals to access physical activity services that will help prevent injury and chronic disease.

Preventing falls and harm from falls is a priority of NSW Health, and the Active and Health website comprises a web-based directory of community exercise programs throughout NSW. Searching by suburb or postcode reveals local programs which focus on improving balance and strength, such as tai chi, yoga, strengthening programs and other classes designed for older people. The programs have been reviewed against specific criteria established by falls experts.

The site also contains lifestyle and home safety checklists, exercises that can be done at home and what to do if you have a fall. For health professionals, there are links to best practice guidelines, factsheets and research information.

Non-disclosure of violence in Australian Indigenous Communities

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) released in January 2011 the results of recent research. The AIC paper Non-Disclosure of Violence in Australian Indignenous Communities explores some of the reasons for the high rates of non-disclosure of violence in Indigenous communities. It begins by examining reasons for non-disclosure in the broader Australian community before discussing how factors specific to Indigenous Australians influence individual decisions to disclose violence. As well as using Australian and international literature to build an understanding of why people choose not to disclose, the paper uses scenarios developed by the Australian Crime Commission from their work with Indigenous communities to illustrate the circumstances in which these choices are made. The paper concludes by considering ways of encouraging disclosure through services, training and education and community responses. It emphasises the need to locate these within broader efforts to address the cycles of intergenerational violence that can so heavily impact the lives of Indigenous Australians.

Supporting Australians to Live Well at the End of Life

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler has released the updated National Palliative Care Strategy - Supporting Australians to Live Well at the End of Life. The strategy provides the key framework for delivering palliative care services in Australia. The National Palliative Care Strategy, originally developed and endorsed by the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council in 2000, has guided service planning and policy development in palliative care over the past decade. It has been updated in partnership with state and territory governments and key stakeholders to ensure it accurately reflects current policies and practices.

Review of Food Labelling Laws and Policy

In October 2009 a Review Panel was set up to undertake a comprehensive review of food labelling law and policy by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council (Ministerial Council). The Panel consisted of former Australian Health Minister Dr Neal Blewett, public health law academic Dr Chris Reynolds, economic and consumer behaviour expert Professor Simone Pettigrew, food and nutrition policy academic Associate Professor Heather Yeatman, and food industry communications, marketing and corporate affairs professional Nick Goddard.

The Review Panel considered stakeholders' perspectives provided in written submissions and other information gathered during the course of the Review process to inform the development of its recommendations. During this time the Panel directly approached individuals and organisations for further information regarding any of the written submissions received. The Final Report Labelling Logic was released on 28 January 2011.

Review of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set

The purpose of this Review of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS-NMDS) was to assess the collection as an information source for alcohol and other drug services policy; assess data gaps; and, propose options for future development within the collection. The review has highlighted the importance of a comprehensive, robust and consistent data collection about alcohol and other treatment. The AODTS-NMDS remains a key component of the data toolbox available to inform government, service provision and the public on alcohol and other drug issues in Australia. (AIHW catalogue no. (HSE94))

10 of the Best Research Projects 2010

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, launched a booklet on 9th February 2011 titled 10 of the Best Research Projects 2010. It describes ten Australian health and medical research projects chosen from among the thousands of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded medical research projects underway in Australia.

Public Health Expenditure in Australia, 2008-09

Since the first public health expenditure report in 1999-00, expenditure on public health activities by health departments has grown, in real terms, by 88%. Total expenditure on public health activities in Australia in 2008-09 was $2,300.2 million. This was in increase of $120.5 million, or 5.5%, on what was spent in 2007-08, raising the 2008-09 per person expenditure to $106. After adjusting for the effects of inflation, there was a real increase in per person expenditure of 2.2% from 2007-08 to 2008-09, continuing the growth in total public health expenditure which has averaged 7.3% per year since 1999-00. The report is availabe from this link. (AIHW cat. no. (HWE52)

Asthma Snapshot

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released a new web product on 1st March 2011. The AIHW will showcase topics on the health and welfare of Australians in a new 'snapshot' format. The snapshots will summarise the issues of each topic for web viewing providing up to date and relevant information. The first of these is the Asthma Snapshot . Links to more detailed information is also available from the page.