My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Health, and it is in relation to diabetes funding in Victoria. On 7 October 2010 the Victorian Parliament’s Rural and Regional Committee, a joint investigatory committee, tabled its final report, Inquiry into the Extent and Nature of Disadvantage and Inequity in Rural and Regional Victoria. In December 2011 the current government responded to recommendations made in the Rural and Regional Committee’s report. I would like to bring to the attention of the house recommendation 38 of the report, which states:
“That the state government fast-track a public health campaign on diabetes among farming communities, including information on how to recognise symptoms, where help can be found and effective preventative measures.
“The government could design and implement this program in partnership with the National Centre for Farmer Health based in Hamilton.”
The Baillieu government’s position and response on this recommendation, as stated in the government’s response to the report, was tabled in December 2011. That response was:
“The 2011 budget provided funding of $22.2 million over four years to continue the Life! program, which provides a statewide diabetes prevention program in partnership with the National Centre for Farmer Health/Sustainable Farm Families. The program will be further developed and promoted to include a focus on preventing cardiovascular disease.”
The action I seek is for the minister to investigate this matter and provide me with written advice on any diabetes funding that has been provided by the Liberal-Nationals coalition government to the National Centre for Farmer Health since the government was elected in the 2010 election.