The value of science was reinforced over the two years of the pandemic as trust spiked and Australians turned to scientists and experts to guide us out of the threat. We saw accelerated change and rapid adoption of new trends in living, doing work and accessing health care. What have we learned? The strong message from the latest CSIRO (Australia’s National Science Agency) report: Our Future World - Global megatrends impacting the way we live over coming decades, published last month, encourages us to call on our leaders, organisations and governments – and each and every one of us – to keep thinking about the reality of future change. . “Megatrends are trajectories of change that typically unfold over years or decades and have the potential for substantial and transformative impact,” the report tells us. Adapting to rapidly changing climate conditions, digital transformation and geopolitical shifts are among the seven megatrends identified in the report. The report also contains insight for those of us thinking about the future health of Australians. It dramatically details how preventive health has been neglected. Despite high returns on investment, there is too little funding for measures that will make big differences to population health and wellbeing in Australia, advising that “ongoing investment in early detection and prevention is associated with lower economic and mortality costs, and … is needed improve our future resilience to infectious disease risks.” A healthier and happier public is less likely to suffer from chronic health conditions. Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has forewarned that he will be delivering a sobering Budget in October as we face up to the economic realities of a two-year pandemic. However, the Treasurer has shared his intention to deliver ‘Wellbeing Budget’ Budgets in the future. A ‘Wellbeing Budget’ expands government measures of progress to natural, human, and environmental factors, arguing that financial prosperity alone is not a sufficient measure of quality of life. A Whitepaper published by Ending Loneliness Together captures further detail of the health, social and economic cost of loneliness and the importance of this issue. You can access the Whitepaper here. CHF supports CSIRO in its case for future, long term investments in addressing the social determinants of health, including housing, social supports and education. We have long argued for a national social prescribing scheme. Social prescribing by primary health care providers to support consumers accessing a range of government and community services will help alleviate many of the conditions that lead to poor physical and mental health. These conditions are often interconnected, and include homelessness, poverty, social isolation and loneliness, poor nutrition, and family violence or instability. We wrote to the Treasurer in advance of the October Budget to set out the issues important to CHF, our members, and health consumers broadly. We said that we welcome the Government's decision to deliver wellbeing Budgets and look forward to opportunities to be part of this vision. We reinforced the importance of health care reform in this and future Budgets, and applauded commitment of an additional $1 billion to primary health care as a great start to deliver key reforms to strengthen Medicare. The CSIRO Megatrends Report tells us that expenditure on healthcare will continue to increase, as our aging population and health care advancements adds to fiscal demands. Strategic thinking must be applied to determine how the taxpayer’s health dollar can be most productive. The seventh and final megatrend – ‘Unlocking the Human Dimension’ – could be the most important solution in tackling the other rising concerns in Australia’s future. Yet the consumer and community sector – the very avenue that can help unlock human voices and bring them into policy making and better program delivery - has also been squeezed by funding cuts. We reminded the Treasurer that strengthening the community sector and the capacity for peak bodies to consult and advise the Government, is an investment with returns, and with a view to utilising our human potential, we asked for more support to develop consumer leadership skills. The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Hon Mark Butler, generously met with us last week in a webinar to answer questions form members and consumers about priorities for health in this government’s first term. View the webinar replay here. He pledged to work with CHF to lift the capacity for consumer advocacy. It is with that pledge in my mind and the importance of the CSIRO’s message of the ‘human dimension’ that I bring you this final CEO editorial. I step down from CHF on Friday 12 August after 7 ½ years, buoyed that the future is bright, albeit challenging. It has been a pleasure to lead CHF and work with so many committed and talented people. Peak bodies such as CHF are nothing if not for our Board, talented staff, committed and engaged members and partners and – importantly – the confidence of our funders. I look forward to CHF continuing to flourish and have impact. |
