Health and Wellbeing Queensland Bill 2019
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill establishes Health and Wellbeing Queensland as a new statutory body dedicated to preventing chronic disease and improving the health of Queenslanders. With an initial budget of $32.955 million, it takes a multi-sector approach to tackling obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity, with a particular focus on reducing health inequity for disadvantaged communities, remote areas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Who it affects
All Queenslanders benefit from a dedicated prevention agency, but the biggest impact is for people in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, remote communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who experience significantly higher rates of chronic disease and premature death.
Key changes
- Creates Health and Wellbeing Queensland as a statutory body with powers to commission health promotion activities, give grants, develop cross-sector partnerships, and advise the government on prevention policy
- Governed by a board of up to 10 members with a mix of government chief executives and external experts, with at least one Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander board member required
- Targets preventable risk factors for chronic disease such as obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity, which account for 43 per cent of deaths in Queensland
- Focuses on reducing health inequity for disadvantaged communities, remote areas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through place-based, evidence-driven programs
- Transfers existing Queensland Health prevention activities to the new body and amends the Hospital Foundations Act 2018 to allow a fundraising foundation to be established for HWQ
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
▸Committee28 Feb 2019View Hansard
Referred to Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee
The Education, Employment and Small Business Committee examined the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Bill 2019 and unanimously recommended it be passed. The committee received 33 submissions and held a public hearing, finding strong support across health, medical, sporting, and community organisations for establishing an independent health promotion agency. The bill followed two earlier parliamentary inquiries into establishing a Queensland health promotion body, and the committee found the governance model, including a skills-based board with cross-government representation, was well designed to lead whole-of-government health promotion efforts.
Key findings (5)
- All submitters supported the establishment of Health and Wellbeing Queensland as an independent statutory body for health promotion
- Stakeholders emphasised the importance of the agency's independence from political processes to ensure bipartisan support and evidence-based decision making
- The committee found the governance model was well designed, with a skills-based board including cross-government representation and at least one Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander member
- The initial operating budget of $32.955 million for 2019-20 was noted, with stakeholders urging sustained and growing funding in future years
- Submitters highlighted the need for cross-sectoral partnerships to address the social determinants of health beyond the health sector alone
Recommendations (1)
- The committee recommends the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Bill 2019 be passed.
Committee report tabled
▸Second Reading1 May 2019View Hansard
▸34 members spoke33 support1 mixed
As shadow health minister, supported the bill on behalf of the LNP while criticising the government for taking four years to deliver on their election commitment and raising questions about funding allocation and KPIs.
“The LNP supports this bill because the LNP supports preventive health.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
As Minister for Health, moved the second reading and outlined the bill's purpose to establish a health promotion commission to tackle obesity and chronic disease in Queensland.
“Queensland is suffering from an obesity crisis—2.5 million adults and almost 225,000 children are overweight or obese in this state. That is two in three adults and one in four children.”— 2019-05-01View Hansard
As committee chair, strongly supported the bill, noting she had been involved in all three parliamentary inquiries into establishing a health promotion agency and praised the bill as an exciting opportunity for long-term health promotion leadership.
“This bill and the establishment of Health and Wellbeing Queensland provides an exciting opportunity to provide long-term strategic leadership and direction on whole-of-government initiatives and partnerships to address the social determinants of health.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Stated the LNP supports preventive health but criticised the government for taking four years to deliver on its election commitment and for cutting the preventive health budget. Debate was adjourned during her speech.
“From the outset I want to categorically state that the LNP supports preventive health from both a public health and an economic perspective. However, I hold reservations about just how serious this Labor government is about improving the overall health and health outcomes of Queenslanders.”— 2019-05-01View Hansard
As deputy committee chair, supported the bill while criticising the government for delays and raising concerns about grant distribution transparency, governance, and the need for measurable outcomes.
“For this legislation to work—and we hope it does—the outcomes must be measured with dedicated monitoring and an evaluation framework, and long-term investment is essential.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill as a proactive step to address chronic disease, highlighting the high cost of food in low socio-economic areas and the need to educate people about healthy eating.
“This is a step in the right direction. This has to be one of the best policies to come out of Health for a long time to ensure that people are heading in the right direction and eating the right foods.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while expressing scepticism about its potential to become a 'quango' and questioning whether the $32 million could be better spent on hospital beds and reducing ramping.
“As the member for Mudgeeraba said, the LNP supports this bill, but I have raised a number of questions and I hope that the minister might be able to respond to those questions in his summing-up of the debate.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Strongly supported the bill as essential legislation, particularly for regional areas where the breakdown of the traditional family unit impacts health outcomes.
“This bill is absolutely essential. It was requested in our communities.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill and the concept of preventive health strategies, noting the significant economic and personal costs of obesity and chronic disease.
“The concept has my full support. From personal experience, I can say that Queensland Health programs have made a huge difference to the health of one of my family members.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill, emphasising the personal nature of health challenges and the importance of reducing judgement around weight issues.
“This bill puts the wellness of Queenslanders at the forefront of our health system.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill on behalf of KAP, highlighting its potential to coordinate health promotion activities and provide long-term funding certainty for organisations like Diabetes Queensland.
“I firmly believe that this bill offers a great opportunity to place Queensland at the forefront of preventive health and to educate and better the health of all Queenslanders.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill drawing on her background as a health educator and school principal, emphasising the social model of health and the importance of addressing social determinants.
“I congratulate our minister and our government for this initiative and the proactive approach to addressing some of the most significant lifestyle factors that affect Queenslanders.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while criticising the government for four years of delays and calling for more Indigenous representation on the board.
“The LNP supports any advance in preventive health measures, and we on this side understand the correlation of healthy living and economic perspective for Queenslanders.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Strongly supported the bill as a nurse, arguing that an independent statutory authority with a separate budget is needed to prioritise health promotion and address social determinants of health.
“I support this bill and the establishment of the Health and Wellbeing Queensland statutory authority because it deals with many of the issues that I have just outlined in this speech.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while sharing personal health experiences with cholesterol and blood pressure, and noting the importance of preventive health from both public health and economic perspectives.
“The LNP will not be opposing the bill. However, we will raise several issues as part of the debate including the delays in implementing the election commitment.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill as chair of the health committee, noting the significant body of work behind it including travel to Victoria and Western Australia to compare health promotion models.
“I believe that the commencement of Health and Wellbeing Queensland is a giant step forward in better health outcomes in Queensland.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while criticising the four-year delay, noting the importance of preventive health given rising obesity rates and health inequities in Indigenous and disadvantaged communities.
“The LNP supports preventive health measures and we will be supporting the bill. The Health and Wellbeing Queensland health promotion agency is a good idea.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill as delivering on the government's election commitment, emphasising the need for prevention over cure and cross-government alignment on health outcomes.
“Investing in prevention is better than trying to find a cure.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while criticising the government for wasting four years and cutting the preventive health budget, warning that more bureaucracy does not deliver better patient care.
“I do not oppose the bill.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill, highlighting wellbeing as a complex combination of physical, mental and emotional health, and acknowledging the importance of access to affordable healthy food for disadvantaged communities.
“Improving our health and wellbeing not only improves our quality of life; it can have broader benefits for our society such as better productivity, happier families and reduced demand on health and social services.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
As Minister for Sport, supported the bill and noted it fills the gap created by the Abbott government's abolition of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency and the Newman government's cuts to health promotion.
“The establishment of Health and Wellbeing Queensland does a very important thing in our state—that is, it fills a large gap.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill as an Independent, praising its holistic approach and the mechanism it provides for organisations to partner rather than compete for funding.
“Acknowledging the underlying causes of poor health and chronic illness and giving local communities the means to tackle these endemic issues from a local and holistic viewpoint is essential.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
As an Independent, did not oppose the bill but questioned whether the $33 million could be better spent on existing programs like Get in the Game and sport participation initiatives.
“I will not be opposing the bill. However, I want to echo the sentiments of a number of members in the House who have expressed concerns about the resources that have been put into this new statutory authority.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill, focusing her contribution on the health benefits of breastfeeding in preventing childhood obesity and calling for greater support for breastfeeding mothers.
“I hope that the health promotion agency that this bill will establish, Health and Wellbeing Queensland, will take the evidence on board and consider ways in which we can help support women in Queensland to initiate breastfeeding and continue on their breastfeeding journey with their babies.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill, sharing his personal experience with PTSD from military service to advocate for mental health awareness being included in HWQ's focus.
“I absolutely encourage Health and Wellbeing Queensland to make sure it considers mental health awareness and suicide prevention because I think those are very important aspects of public health that need promotion.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
As Minister for Police, supported the bill noting its particular relevance to the Caboolture region which has high chronic disease rates.
“I am very happy to put my name on the record as a supporter of the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Bill 2019.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported preventive health but questioned spending priorities, arguing the $35 million could be better spent on health services like renal dialysis in regional communities such as Emerald and Longreach.
“Preventive health is very important and there is one health board that does it fantastically well: the Central West Hospital and Health Service board.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill drawing on her experience as a health worker in remote Torres Strait communities, emphasising that health is not an isolated issue and requires addressing broader social determinants.
“I firmly believe that the establishment of an independent agency to work with people in communities is a game changer for health outcomes in Queensland.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill but urged that funding reach grassroots organisations rather than creating bureaucracy, and highlighted the role of sport in maintaining healthy lifestyles.
“I do support the notion of Health and Wellbeing Queensland, but I again go back to what I said earlier. It must ensure that it does not become another bureaucracy.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill drawing on his experience as a personal trainer, emphasising that exercise alone is not enough without nutrition education and highlighting mental health concerns in children.
“I support the bill and what it is doing. I hope it is not just setting up another bureaucracy.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill and called for HWQ to prioritise mental health, suicide prevention, obesity reduction and combating the anti-vaccination movement.
“My hope is that with this bill the government can prioritise what will make a real difference to the health of Queenslanders—to cut out the politics and increase preventive action.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill while raising detailed questions about board appointment models, whether the body should sit within DPC rather than health, the proportion of budget going to grants versus administration, and how outcomes would be measured.
“I do not for one second intend to run down this new body, but there is a lot of work to be done if this body is to drive success.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
Supported the bill in principle but urged the government to base staff in regional Queensland and ensure the body serves communities outside the south-east corner.
“I can support this bill because I believe in what it is trying to achieve overall.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
As Minister for Transport, supported the bill and criticised the former Newman LNP government for gutting preventive health funding, noting the link between transport infrastructure and active lifestyles.
“Studies have also shown that for every dollar invested in public health interventions there is an average return of $14.”— 2019-05-02View Hansard
▸In Detail2 May 2019View Hansard
Government amendments Nos 1 to 4: Technical amendments including adjusting commencement provisions for a new division, correcting details required for criminal history disclosures, fixing punctuation in the confidential information clause, and inserting a new Division 4 to amend the State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Act 2017.
Government amendment No. 5: Amended the long title of the bill to include reference to the State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Act 2017.
Assent date: 7 May 2019