This disease has infected America. Australia must remain immune
The toll of preventable chronic disease is rising fast. More than two-thirds of Australian adults are overweight or obese, putting them at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Yet despite commitments to prevention – including plans to tackle obesity and chronic disease – governments haven't followed through.
Australia's prevention spending remains well below the average among wealthy nations. Countries such as Canada and the UK allocate a much bigger share of their health budgets to prevention, recognising that long-term investment in public health saves lives and money.
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As well as spending more, other countries have adopted taxes and regulations to promote healthy choices. These include taxes on sugary drinks (adopted in more than 100 countries), stricter limits on salt in manufactured foods, and bans on junk food advertising to children.
Not only are we failing to introduce policies embraced by our peers, but policies we've had for decades are starting to fail us.
Each year since 2020, vaccination rates for children in Australia have fallen. Too many older people are missing out on vital vaccines as well. Last winter, one in five aged care homes vaccinated less than half their residents against the flu.
And now, new threats to public health are on the horizon.
The ongoing bird flu outbreak across North America highlights the risk of another pandemic. The virus has been detected in many wild bird species, has spread to livestock, and has infected 70 people, resulting in one death.
And as the climate gets hotter, new risks will follow from bushfires, heatwaves, and tropical diseases moving south into more populated parts of Australia.
Despite longstanding and emerging threats, complacency reigns. Even the loudest wake-up call imaginable didn't work. A once-in-a-century pandemic that upended the country, killed tens of thousands, and left many more with ongoing symptoms. It has resulted in disappointingly little change.
Some new pandemic preparedness measures have been announced, and we've seen progress on problems like vaping. But Australia's promised Centre for Disease Control hasn't been legislated or fully established, and there is no sign that governments are shifting their focus towards keeping Australians healthy.
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That slide back into complacency after a crisis is a well-known problem in public health, called the 'panic-neglect cycle'.
When political incentives, vested interests, and short-termism block policies that are in the national interest, independent institutions can help break the panic-neglect cycle. Election season is a great time to see them in action.
As the campaign heats up, Australia's independent bodies are beavering away. The Australian Electoral Commission, the nation's most trusted public service body, is making sure the rules are followed and the election runs smoothly. The Parliamentary Budget Office will publish an independent costing of every election commitment, free from political spin.
The next parliament will have a golden opportunity to establish a similarly independent, capable, and well-resourced Centre for Disease Control. The Coalition doesn't think we need one at all. But independent MPs – who could be an influential force in the next parliament – might advocate for this reform.
The last time Australia had a minority government, independents fought for the creation of the Parliamentary Budget Office. In the current term, they were crucial in pushing for an independent National Anti-Corruption Commission.
The chance to establish a truly independent Centre for Disease Control doesn't come often. Done right, it could safeguard Australians' health for generations – and finally break the panic-neglect cycle for good.
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Search below for an aged care home: It was estimated that some aged care providers were spending as little as $6 a day on meals for each aged care resident. Poor nutrition was related to falls, fractures, pressure injuries and unnecessary hospitalisation, the report found. In response, the federal government introduced the Basic Daily Fee supplement in 2022, which incorporated a payment to providers of $10 per resident per day to improve the quality of food as well as the general daily needs of residents. The October-December 2024 Quarterly Financial Snapshot of the Aged Care Sector found the median total expenditure on food and ingredients for the sector to be $15.49 per resident per day. Dr Iuliano said an increase in that monetary amount did not necessarily indicate the situation had improved dramatically. "They are spending more, but the cost of food has gone up a lot as well," said Dr Iuliano. "And if they are spending more, we still don't know what they are buying." 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The aged care sector was under increasing pressure as the nation's population aged, Dr Iuliano said. "The key is we still need to respect the older adults in care," she said. Fancy curried lentil and pumpkin soup and butter chicken curry with naan bread. For dessert, try lemon meringue pie with cream, or homemade sticky date pudding. It could be the menu of a premium restaurant. Instead, it's dinner at Uralba Hostel for Aged Care in Gundagai in the NSW Riverina. Uralba Hostel was nominated in May as one of the top aged care homes for food quality in the Department of Health and Ageing annual Residents' Experience survey of more than 30,000 aged care residents. Uralba manager Katie White said that all the food was prepared fresh, on-site. "This stimulates positive emotions and memories of home-cooked meals, providing comfort to our residents," she said. Not all aged care residents are so lucky. Do you know more? Email the journalist: Bread with sausage is one of the meals served to Australians in aged care as they survive on a $15.49 daily food allowance. Nutritionist and University of Melbourne research fellow, Dr Sandra Iuliano, told ACM that food quality varied greatly in aged care homes around Australia. Residents might get crumbed lamb cutlets, with a side of potato bake, carrots, peas, zucchini, corn, and mushroom gravy. But some do not. "Some of the food I would pay to eat at a restaurant," Dr Iuliano said. But party pies were not that unusual either, she said. "It appears things may not necessarily be better since the Royal Commission." The Royal Commission into Aged Care final report in 2021 made for stark reading. It found "staggering" rates of malnutrition in Australian aged care homes. Food and nutrition were singled out as one of four areas in "urgent need of improvement." 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