Advocating for our members this federal election
With a date now set for the federal election, St Lukes is advocating for the health of our members and all Tasmanians, making sure we get the best investments to help our state break the cycle of generational health challenges.
As part of our vision to make Tasmania the healthiest island on the planet, St Lukes CEO Paul Lupo has already met with the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Health Minister Mark Butler, Braddon candidate Mal Hingston and the office of Senator Anne Urquhart. Here, he’s raised three key areas where we want to work with the federal government; areas where our combined efforts can make a big difference to the health and wellbeing of you, your family, and our whole community.
A major commitment to preventative health
We’ve all heard the adage “prevention is better than cure”. Still, Tasmania has some of the nation’s worst health outcomes and highest rates of smoking, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and more – issues that can often be improved or completely reversed through lifestyle changes.
These chronic conditions put a huge strain on our healthcare system, and yet only three per cent of the state’s health budget goes to preventative health, with acute issues consistently pulling focus.
This is an area where we – a leading not-for-profit committed to improving health outcomes in Tasmania – can work with the Australian Government to help our members stay well, as well as reducing pressure on the state public health system. We’re asking candidates to commit to a ‘Future Fund’-style model for preventative health, with a funding commitment to exclusively roll out preventative health measures, to be piloted Tasmania.
This could set a blueprint for regional areas throughout Australia. Tasmania has the most decentralised population in the country and this issue is particularly relevant in regional areas, where the chronic illness burden is high and acute hospital services are scarce.
The federal government already has a future fund set up for investment in infrastructure, so why can’t we take a similar approach by investing in the health of Tasmanians.
Taking our successful wellness hubs to the North-West
We’re joining forces with the Devonport City Council to bring our proven wellness hub model to the Coast and deliver better health outcomes for North-West Tasmanians.
In 2021, 41 per cent of the Devonport population reported having a long-term health condition –1.6 per cent higher than the rest of Tasmania and 5.3 per cent higher than Australia as a whole. Something needs to change, and we have a tried and tested way to do things differently.
St Lukes is asking for $1 million in federal funding to build a wellness hub in Devonport, delivering our proven model to the North-West of the state, in partnership with the council. The Devonport wellness hub would benefit from the learnings of our Hobart and Launceston hubs, which in the past couple of years have already welcomed more than 15,000 people participating in a range of events that promote nutrition, movement and connection.
We’ve seen a huge response from the public since opening our Hobart and Launceston hubs, with more than 15,000 people attending sessions that promote movement, nutrition, and connection. They’re a proven, easy entry point for people in the community who want to make positive changes to their health but simply don’t know where to start. It’s a place. These are places hardwired for health, where our members and the broader community can connect with each other and access a range of services to help them on their health journeys.
Further investment in preventative health and wellbeing will make a huge, multi-generational impact for the region. We’ve done so much groundwork for Tasmania in this space, and we know it works. Now we’re asking the federal government to come to the table.
Launching a home-based pilot care program
We want to help keep people out of hospital. This is a real challenge especially in our regions, where there’s a scarcity of GP resources and people with acute illnesses struggle to get the care they need, at the right time, in the right setting. This leads to emergency department demand and hopsitalisations that could be avoided.
It’s a problem of scale. Tasmania’s small, dispersed population makes it harder to establish stand-alone community public or private services that can divert people away from hospitals.
We’re seeking block federal government funding of $7.5 million over three years to establish a pilot program, which would provide home-based acute care through a multidisciplinary model of GPs, registered nurses and allied health professionals.
The pilot would enable GPs to focus on their primary care roles, refer both public and private patients into the program, and remain involved in collaborative discussions about patients’ care. This ensures continuity while sharing the healthcare load in a way that’s manageable.
St Lukes is now Tasmania’s biggest private health insurer, covering more than 90,000 lives. We don’t take that lightly, and as a not-for-profit we invest everything back into our members and the whole community. It is crucial we see big-picture commitments from our political leaders that will make a positive difference, as we continue our work to make Tasmania the healthiest island on the planet.