More than 350 community and health leaders have written to Premier Jacinta Allan calling on the Victorian Government to keep VicHealth as a strong, independent and fully funded health promotion agency. A petition supporting the call has already received more than 2,500 signatures and continues to grow as Victorians speak up for prevention and stress that what matters most is "the health and wellbeing of our families and communities."
The letter explains that Victoria must keep a strong focus on helping people stay healthy and well, not just treating them when they are sick, and warns that absorbing VicHealth into the Department of Health will weaken the very part of the system that prevents illness and keeps people out of hospital.
For 40 years, VicHealth has been at the forefront of campaigns and programs that have improved health across the state and saved countless Victorian lives, including Quit, SunSmart, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program, This Girl Can and the first Victorian breast and cervical screening programs. It has also supported thousands of local partnerships that help people be active, feel safe, eat well and stay connected close to home.
Bendigo Foodshare Board Chair, Sue Clarke said communities see this impact every day.
"VicHealth's investment in our local community has allowed us to partner and create local solutions that have had a profound impact for marginalised groups such as the Karen refugee population and young people disengaged from community."
"Over the past five years, VicHealth funding has enabled us to engage with thousands of young people setting them up for success, equipping them with life skills and teaching them how to grow food and cook a cheap, nutritious meal. The true impact of this prevention work for our younger generation is immeasurable: it strengthens resilience and builds a healthier future for our entire community."
VicHealth's independence is central to this work. Sitting at arm's length from government and beyond four‑year political terms allows it to build enduring community partnerships, back new ideas and stay with communities for the long haul.
Health equity consultant, Mr Khalid Muse said VicHealth shows the impact that genuine partnerships alongside community can have on wellbeing, noting that this is impact that has been measured and shared. "VicHealth has amplified voices in health that systems have overlooked for so long. The absorption of VicHealth means risking losing the very community-led prevention models that research and sector have talked about for years." "We can't afford to backtrack on prevention efforts. We can't afford to risk the genuine partnerships and investments in community. And let's be real we cannot afford to be doing this at a time that communities in Australia are doing it tough." Leaders caution that stepping back from prevention now when chronic disease and mental health conditions are rising, misinformation is growing and hospitals are under strain is a false economy, given one in four hospital beds is occupied by someone with a chronic, often preventable condition. Prevention is the part of the health system that keeps people out of hospital in the first place, and every dollar invested in prevention saves many more dollars in future health and social costs.
Dr Simon Judkins, a director of Emergency Medicine at a regional hospital and a long‑time emergency physician, said those statistics show up as real people in emergency departments. "The burden of preventable disease in Emergency Departments and hospitals is profound. Whether it be from smoking, drug and alcohol use, poor diet and obesity leading to diabetes and cardiovascular complications, it impacts our hospital systems and fills up hospital beds. And now we are seeing immunisation rates dropping through misinformation and fear, so we are expecting to see the consequences of that." "Having a trusted voice, providing clear and accessible information to the public about their health and that of their families is so important. It can really be a "sliding-doors" moment in one's health and the path they choose."
Community and health leaders say this is a choice about the kind of Victoria people want: a state that waits until people are in crisis, or one that invests in keeping people healthy, connected and able to contribute to their communities.
Victorians are being encouraged to add their names to the petition and contact their local MPs to support the call to "Keep VicHealth Independent and Strong."
