Australian Governments spent $880 million on activities designed
to promote health and prevent illnesses in Australia during
1998-99, according to a report issued jointly by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the National Public
Health Partnership (NPHP) today.
This figure represents about 2% of recurrent expenditure on
health services in Australia in a year.
The National Public Health Expenditure Report 1998-99
presents the results of the first comprehensive study into
government expenditure on public health-collected from eight main
public health activities throughout Australia.
Of the $880 million, about 21% was spent on health promotion
activities, 20% on immunisation and 16.5% on communicable disease
control.
Breast cancer and cervical screening, environmental health, food
standards and hygiene were among other public health activities
described in the study.
According to the report, 70% of public health activities in
Australia are delivered through programs managed by State and
Territory Governments. The funding of those activities, however, is
shared almost equally between the Commonwealth (52%) and the States
and Territories (48%).
Acting Head of the AIHW's Health Expenditure Unit, Tony Hynes,
said that this study covered all public health activities funded by
Commonwealth and State and Territory health authorities.
'Public health activities are also funded by local government
authorities, non-government organisations and other government
bodies. These activities will be included in future work under the
National Public Health Expenditure Project.'
State of Play of Expenditure on Public Health by Australian
Governments, a companion report also released today by the
AIHW and NPHP, outlines the status of public health expenditure
data up to 1999.
'This report highlights the lack of consistent information about
expenditure on public health activities that had existed across
Australia,' Mr Hynes said. We have gone a long way to address this
with National Public Health Expenditure Report 1998-99, but we
still need to know more about this critical area of health
expenditure in Australia.'
20 September 2001
Further information: Mr Tony Hynes, AIHW, tel.
02 6244 1160
Mr John Goss, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1151, or mobile: 0409 307
671
Ms Cathy Mead, NPHP, tel. 03 96161515
Media copies of the report: Publications Officer,
02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW
Publications Catalogue for availability, (public health
expenditure 1998-99 and state of play)