Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As part of the process of establishing this agency, I engaged in numerous Senate inquiries looking at preventative health but specifically at this agency. I was engaged in rigorous debate both in the community and in this parliament. I reviewed the evidence. I am convinced absolutely that preventative health is the best way to go. It is still the best way to go. We should be keeping this agency and making sure that we put in place effective programs that are driven with independent advice—not tainted by industry, not influenced by an industry dollar that wants to keep selling alcohol, that wants to keep selling junk food, that has an interest in keeping obesity rates high. That is not the way to go. We need to be looking at effective programs that effectively manage peoples health and keep them well. If we do invest properly, we will get on top of chronic disease, not only in the broader population but particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where we know that chronic disease is killing people. We need to be addressing that. We need to be investing in making sure that we do not see even further chronic diseases in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We do not support the abolition of this agency. It should keep going and we will be opposing this bill.