Dr LIM - 1996-08-22
We all recognise that diabetes is one of the major lifestyle diseases affecting our society, especially among our Aboriginal population. The minister announced recently that diabetes has been named as one of the 5 national health priority areas. What does this mean for the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question and for his keen interest in pursuing this subject. As a doctor, he is interested in the adequacy of national health goals and targets, and the practical application of these targets in reducing mortality and morbidity in Australia.
We could step back a little to the time of the previous federal government. In determining national health goals and targets, basically it asked the question: What makes people sick? As a result, it came up with 700 health areas in terms of establishing national goals and targets. Unfortunately, well-intentioned though it may have been, it ended up with a fairly scattergun approach. There was no real focus at the national level on doing anything practical to reduce mortality and morbidity in Australia.
When the Coalition took government, it was very pleasing to see that it narrowed the focus right down to 4 major health areas: injury, mental health, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Health ministers are now committed to providing the leadership that is required by
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setting standards and identifying priority areas in their own jurisdictions, ensuring that there is some sort of rationale in this whole new program approach to these national health priority areas.
As a little pat on the back personally, I had some influence with the federal Minister for Health, Mike Wooldridge, when I was at the health ministers conference in Hobart. I think that is evidence of the degree of cooperation that now exists between the Territory government and the federal government in relation to health issues, and certainly with regard to the health of Aboriginal Territorians. It is worth noting that Dr Wooldridge has made 21 visits to the Northern Territory, and in fact worked as a doctor at Hermannsburg. He has a very close interest in Aboriginal health issues, and is very keenly interested in trying to avoid duplication and in getting a better focus on areas where we can improve the health of Aboriginal Territorians. Hence his interest in diabetes and in my wish to take the opportunity to get diabetes onto the national agenda as the fifth target area.
There are 2 types of diabetes: insulin-dependent diabetes and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The first type affects approximately 10% of the population, whilst 90% of cases of diabetes are the non-insulin-dependent type. Diabetes places a socioeconomic burden on people with the disorder and on the nation as a whole. That is particularly the case in the Northern Territory. It is sad to report that between 10% and 50% of the population of Aboriginal communities suffer from some form of diabetes. Of course, there are other high-risk groups, such as people from southern European and Asian backgrounds, as well as pregnant women. With our rates of diabetes, there is a steam train coming down the track, particularly in the Northern Territory. It is renal failure. Diabetes can be included as one of the major contributors to renal failure, particularly among Aboriginal Territorians who are developing mature-onset diabetes at a younger age than the general population, at between 20 and 30
years of age compared to 40 to 60 years of age for others. Complications include coronary heart disease, blindness and renal failure. The first and last are the major causes of death in the Aboriginal community.
I strongly support this initiative of the federal Minister for Health and Family Services. I believe strongly that it will assist our ability to obtain more and more health funds for the Northern Territory, funding that we can use with the diabetes focus to try to address this problem, particularly among Aboriginal Territorians. I think this is a major step in combating the disease, and I endorse the federal government's initiative.
Mr COULTER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the question paper.
Mr BAILEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! Earlier this morning, I asked a question of the Minister for Asian Relations, Trade and Industry who was not in the Chamber at the time. When I asked to whom the question should be directed, the Chief Minister informed me that there was no one to refer it to. Therefore, I asked the question of the Chief Minister who said he would pass it to his colleague. I am wondering whether the minister is in a position now to answer that question, because this is the last Question Time of these sittings.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
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Mr Bailey: Mr Speaker, it is normal practice that ministers are allocated ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. You had the opportunity to ask the question again, after the minister came in. You did not do so. The Leader of Government Business has called the end of Question Time. Question Time is over, unless the minister wishes to stand and answer a question - of which he is not aware, I might add. There is no point of order.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question and for his keen interest in pursuing this subject. As a doctor, he is interested in the adequacy of national health goals and targets, and the practical application of these targets in reducing mortality and morbidity in Australia.
We could step back a little to the time of the previous federal government. In determining national health goals and targets, basically it asked the question: What makes people sick? As a result, it came up with 700 health areas in terms of establishing national goals and targets. Unfortunately, well-intentioned though it may have been, it ended up with a fairly scattergun approach. There was no real focus at the national level on doing anything practical to reduce mortality and morbidity in Australia.
When the Coalition took government, it was very pleasing to see that it narrowed the focus right down to 4 major health areas: injury, mental health, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Health ministers are now committed to providing the leadership that is required by
Page 1553
setting standards and identifying priority areas in their own jurisdictions, ensuring that there is some sort of rationale in this whole new program approach to these national health priority areas.
As a little pat on the back personally, I had some influence with the federal Minister for Health, Mike Wooldridge, when I was at the health ministers conference in Hobart. I think that is evidence of the degree of cooperation that now exists between the Territory government and the federal government in relation to health issues, and certainly with regard to the health of Aboriginal Territorians. It is worth noting that Dr Wooldridge has made 21 visits to the Northern Territory, and in fact worked as a doctor at Hermannsburg. He has a very close interest in Aboriginal health issues, and is very keenly interested in trying to avoid duplication and in getting a better focus on areas where we can improve the health of Aboriginal Territorians. Hence his interest in diabetes and in my wish to take the opportunity to get diabetes onto the national agenda as the fifth target area.
There are 2 types of diabetes: insulin-dependent diabetes and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The first type affects approximately 10% of the population, whilst 90% of cases of diabetes are the non-insulin-dependent type. Diabetes places a socioeconomic burden on people with the disorder and on the nation as a whole. That is particularly the case in the Northern Territory. It is sad to report that between 10% and 50% of the population of Aboriginal communities suffer from some form of diabetes. Of course, there are other high-risk groups, such as people from southern European and Asian backgrounds, as well as pregnant women. With our rates of diabetes, there is a steam train coming down the track, particularly in the Northern Territory. It is renal failure. Diabetes can be included as one of the major contributors to renal failure, particularly among Aboriginal Territorians who are developing mature-onset diabetes at a younger age than the general population, at between 20 and 30
years of age compared to 40 to 60 years of age for others. Complications include coronary heart disease, blindness and renal failure. The first and last are the major causes of death in the Aboriginal community.
I strongly support this initiative of the federal Minister for Health and Family Services. I believe strongly that it will assist our ability to obtain more and more health funds for the Northern Territory, funding that we can use with the diabetes focus to try to address this problem, particularly among Aboriginal Territorians. I think this is a major step in combating the disease, and I endorse the federal government's initiative.
Mr COULTER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the question paper.
Mr BAILEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! Earlier this morning, I asked a question of the Minister for Asian Relations, Trade and Industry who was not in the Chamber at the time. When I asked to whom the question should be directed, the Chief Minister informed me that there was no one to refer it to. Therefore, I asked the question of the Chief Minister who said he would pass it to his colleague. I am wondering whether the minister is in a position now to answer that question, because this is the last Question Time of these sittings.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Page 1554
Mr Bailey: Mr Speaker, it is normal practice that ministers are allocated ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. You had the opportunity to ask the question again, after the minister came in. You did not do so. The Leader of Government Business has called the end of Question Time. Question Time is over, unless the minister wishes to stand and answer a question - of which he is not aware, I might add. There is no point of order.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016