Kevin Rudd cares deeply for his historical legacy, but it’s not yet time to pen History of Rudd the Great. Refugee policy, preventative health and tax changes will all mark his prime ministership, says Josh Gordon.
National Preventative Health Taskforce
Keane: Everything that’s wrong with the Preventive Health scheme
Bernard Keane is not a fan of the government’s proposed National Preventive Health Agency, and it’s not just the Nanny State thing (though there is that): it’s because the bulk of the agency’s funding will be directed to pointless “social marketing campaigns”.
Health departments are not equipped for the new focus on prevention
Prevention is the new black in health policy. But do our politicians really understand prevention and are our health departments well equipped to understand and implement this new focus?
Roxon: I’m not a nanny and I won’t nag
Get ready for a new ‘Life Be In It’ campaign, with Nicola Roxon pimping a new agency aimed at preventative health issues. Like dealing with obesity, smoking and alcohol issues.
Indigenous smoking is finally out of the too-hard-basket
The federal government has put tackling high smoking rates amongst Indigenous people at the centre of its plans to “close the gap”, writes David Thomas.
Taxing fags an unhealthy obsession
Is more taxation the solution to Australia’s “health crisis” — if there even is a health crisis? asks Sinclair Davidson. The medical profession may get more money, but there’s no reason to believe it will solve the smoking or alcohol crisis.
A life high in sugar is driving us mad
Next year is a red letter year for our health and social security systems — and especially for the handling of Alzheimer’s disease — as the the first of the baby boomers turn 65.
The BCA launches a spam-alanche
Yesterday, the Business Council of Australia mistakenly emailed the same screed hundreds and hundreds of times to Australia’s elite. Oops.
Health Taskforce wishes you all a long, dull life with nanny
People get fat because they eat too much and don’t exercise enough. Yesterday’s National Preventative Health Taskforce’s report was full of surprises, writes Tim Wilson.
Political snippets: A Whitlam rethink
Richard Farmer rethinks Gough Whitlam’s contribution to Australian life, is willing to pay more to keep smoking, and looks at himself in cartoon form.
Fat chance of diet regulation, but we’ll weight and see
Will the weight loss industry just standing there and take the imposition of professional standards, set by the Preventative Health Taskforcem without a fight? Not likely, writes David Gillespie.
The politics and health consequences of taxing sin
Our friends in the US are seriously considering slapping a sin tax on soft drinks, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas — should we? asks David Gillespie.
