Peak body urges spending increase on preventive health measures

The state government should dedicate five per cent of the health budget to preventive health measures, TasCOSS says. Here’s why.

Patient in dental office. Picture: iStock.

The state government should dedicate five per cent of the health budget to preventive health measures, TasCOSS says.

The group has released its state budget submission for the 2025/26 financial year.

The state government spends more than $3bn a year on health. Five per cent of that figure would amount to more than $150m.

TasCOSS has released three budget priority statements: on health and wellbeing and on ensuring the community sector is sustainable and in addressing digital literacy.

TasCOSS CEO Adrienne Picone. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

It recommends the government “establish a dedicated preventive health budget and increase funding to initiatives for preventive health, including for mental health, to per cent of total spending on health, in order to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and mental health conditions, prevent hospitalisations and improve wellbeing for all Tasmanians”.

“While there is no readily available figure for Tasmania, Australian governments generally dedicate only a small proportion of their health care spending to investments in preventive health: Australia’s national figure was three per cent in 2021.23

In order to achieve the proposed vision of the 20-year Preventive Health Strategy of ‘All Tasmanians live healthy, active lives,‘ the Government will need to commit significant resources to preventive health measures.

In 2015, the state government announced a bush to make Tasmania the healthiest state in the nation by 2025.

Health experts are leading the way in trying to understand fertility preservation in young woman being treated with cancer. Supplied.

TasCOSS has also called on the government to review the Residential Tenancy Act to better protect tenants and to spend more on socials housing and homelessness services and to maintain $500 a year energy relief payments.

TasCOSS also wants the government to address under-investment in the state’s public transport system.

“There is clear evidence the Tasmanian Government has not adequately funded the public transport system to deliver services which meet the needs of Tasmanians,” the submission says.

“On a per capita basis, the Tasmanian Government contributes the least amount of money of any jurisdiction in Australia towards routine public transport services, and spends the second lowest proportion of its state budget on public transport.

“There has been little investment in ensuring the system is contemporary.”

The state budget is scheduled to be handed down on May 29.

Originally published as Peak body urges spending increase on preventive health measures