Ms BURNET – Thank you Chair. Minister, every dollar spent on keeping people well is a dollar saved, according to multiple sources, and yet there seems to be little in this budget that will aid in improving communities’ access to health and wellbeing options. According to the Australian Prevention Partnership, each additional kilometre walked has been estimated to result in health‑related benefits that range in value from $1 to $2.08. Each additional kilometre cycled results in health‑related benefits that range in value from less than two cents to $1.12.
Minister, there’s a holistic approach to health, which is really important to both you and me, and the Greens have been pushing this for a very long time, but yesterday we had the release of the news that upgrades to the Tasman Bridge, particularly the walking and cycling facility will not be improved. That’s a huge impediment to people’s health and wellbeing across –
CHAIR – That’s an infrastructure –
Ms BURNET – I’m getting to it and it is an infrastructure‑related question but it’s about health and wellbeing. So, as a cyclist and somebody who is very aware of the benefits to keeping healthy, what is the joined‑up thinking reflected in this Budget about making communities active, safe and well?
Mr BARNETT – Well, thank you very much for your question and interest in this matter. We are very much on the same page in terms of the benefit of prevention and as a government we are very keen to support healthy, active lifestyles and that’s why, as a government, we’ve funded the Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan, which kicked off some years ago. We have funding in the Budget and the Healthy Tasmania launch in September 2022. Since then $4.2 million has been provided to 179 organisations and communities, delivering 217 initiatives.
In terms of the Health in All Policies approach, which I know that’s where you’re sort of getting to, I’m happy to put on the record, which I mentioned earlier, that we will be releasing a 20‑year strategic plan to improve the health of Tasmanians. It’s focused on prevention. It will be released. It’s a discussion paper. We will be seeking feedback from stakeholders and members of the community on ways we can do that even better over a 20‑year period.
Subsequent to that we’ll then have a further draft and we’ll get further input from the community. I want this as a bottom-up approach where we can all work together, Team Tasmania, to deliver a healthier outcome for all Tasmanians over the decades ahead. I think it was just last week that many of us around this table participated in the Heart Foundation Walk. You’ve mentioned the benefits of walking and I commend the Heart Foundation for that launch. Simon Wood, I know, is a co‑walker with Craig Farrell and I think Vica Bayley was very much involved as well.
You’ve mentioned the benefits of walking, you’ve mentioned cycling and, as a keen cyclist, I love it and I know the benefits for me but also for so many other Tasmanians, walking, cycling, just being active more generally. So, I appreciate your question and the motivation, and I look forward to working with you and others to deliver a healthier outcome for all Tasmanians.
Ms BURNET – One final question, today is my last day of the Get Bus Active trial. It’s run through Menzies and it’s about getting people active by catching buses. Again, it seems to be a limitation as to having that incidental exercise because we’ve got such a broken transport system. So, again, how can you influence that joined-up thinking?
Mr BARNETT – Well, just to indicate that part of our election campaign – and I’m not the Minister for Transport – was the half‑priced Metro bus fares. You mentioned buses and so I’m very pleased to remind Tasmanians of that. It’s getting more people using public transport and then, of course, walking wherever possible and I acknowledge that.
I’m also not the Minister for Infrastructure. You mentioned the Tasman Bridge and the upgrade, and we’ll do everything we can across government to make a difference, to provide more healthy, active options for Tasmanians and deliver a healthier community over the years and decades ahead. We need to look long term when we’re talking about our health policies. And that’s why we’ve got a 2040 plan for the workforce, a 2040 plan for our health policy and we’re going to have a 20-year plan for health prevention in this state and that’ll be subject to feedback from the members of the local community and we will deliver on that vision for Tasmania.
Ms BURNET – Thank you.
