1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: I know that there's plenty happening around the place and 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: more than three one hundred and sixty experts are gathering 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: at Darwin's Convention Center for a three day preventative health 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: conference the latest research into vaping, tobacco control, indigenous health, 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: school canteen, food, climate change, and material health, maternal I 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: think that is maternal health. I do apologize are on 7 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: the agenda. Now joining me on the line to tell 8 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: us a little bit more about the situation and what 9 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: exactly is being discussed is Public Health Association of Australia's 10 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: CEO Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin. Good morning to you, Terry Katie. 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 2: How you doing? 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, really well, Thank you so much for your time 13 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: this morning. Now, I understand the conference is focusing on 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: the latest research in prevention, well preventative health, and what 15 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: more can you tell us about what's being discussed. 16 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: Well, we know about the enormous burden of chronic disease 17 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 2: in the NT around Australia, around the world, kadievascular disease, cancer, diabetes. 18 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: These are the things that are sending our families to 19 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 2: hospital and sending us to an early grave. There are 20 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 2: ways in which we can prevent those kind of chronic diseases. 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 2: But they involve making changes to the way we live, 22 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 2: not only the personal choices that we make, but the 23 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 2: rules by which we play the game. Things around alcohol, 24 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 2: and you've been talking about that this morning in relation 25 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 2: of domestic violence, and we know that long standing challenge 26 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 2: in the end too, about the amount of alcohol consumed here. 27 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 2: Now we know that we can run campaigns selling people 28 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 2: at drinking too much is no good for their health. 29 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 2: But there's a whole bunch of other things we can do, 30 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 2: influencing things around like licensing laws, influencing things around drink driving. 31 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: And the like. 32 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 2: And when we put all of these things together, we 33 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 2: do shift the dial. We shifted the dial when it 34 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 2: comes to smoking, and there's more work being done there. 35 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: But it's not just one thing. It's not just an 36 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 2: ad on Telly telling us that's smoking it's no good 37 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: for us, or ringing out a sponge full of tar 38 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 2: and telling us that's what our lungs look like that 39 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,559 Speaker 2: we smoke. It's also about smoke free zones, changing tax 40 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 2: policy on tobacco, all of those things. When you put 41 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 2: those things together, you can reduce the extent to which 42 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 2: people smoke and when you reduce smoking, you reduced lung 43 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 2: cancer and a range of other chronic diseases that go 44 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 2: with smoking. So we can provide really important solutions to 45 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 2: the problems that are killing people or reducing the quality 46 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 2: of life for us and our family. But it means 47 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 2: putting a whole bunch of the pieces of the puzzle together, 48 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,119 Speaker 2: and that's the complex challenge that we're wrestling with. Through 49 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 2: the course of the conference, Terry talk. 50 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: Us through as well, vating and how that is going 51 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: to sort of be discussed. I know that for a 52 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: lot of parents, if you've got kids that are teenagers, 53 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: even a bit younger, it's become a real concern. 54 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, and Katie, we've got people at the conference today 55 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 2: who are actually right now sitting in a Senate inquiry 56 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 2: about the issue of vaping, and the Australian Government's put 57 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 2: in place a propose piece of legislation that we think 58 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 2: will change the game. What it will mean is if 59 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 2: it's passed in the Senate that smokers who want to 60 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 2: quit and use vaping as a vehicle to do so, 61 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: it can go to their doctor, get a script and 62 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 2: then get access to vapes. Only through that pathway. But 63 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: no longer will they be available in the corner store, 64 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 2: in the convenience shop, in the place where the kids 65 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 2: buy ice creams and lullies, but rather it will only 66 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 2: be available through that narrow pathway. Now that's the way 67 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 2: vaping was sold to us in the first place. Is 68 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 2: a way of helping people us quit. But what's happened 69 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 2: is at one in six of our teenagers events using 70 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 2: vapes in recent weeks. So that is a way of 71 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:44,119 Speaker 2: addicting kids to nicotine. It's a way of creating addictions 72 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 2: for the future which will have unknown and probably very 73 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: substantial chronic disease problems, and those kids are going to 74 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 2: have problems with their lungs and all kinds of other 75 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 2: challenges in addition to the immediate addiction problem they're facing. 76 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,040 Speaker 2: So that's a classic example where we can put preventive 77 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 2: practices in place, and that means changing the rules. That 78 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 2: means telling people about the adverse effects of vaping and 79 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 2: making sure the signals that society is seens is consistent 80 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 2: and not falling for the trap of the people who 81 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: just want to sell as many of these products as 82 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: they can and make as much money as they can 83 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 2: getting kids addicted to nicotine. 84 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: Terry. I think it goes without saying that preventative health 85 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: is really so important, and I think a lot of 86 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: people do realize that, but there are still plenty of 87 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: people that don't. I mean, how important is having a 88 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: conference like this so these issues can be discussed and 89 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: that it can really I guess, you know, hopefully have 90 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: some outcomes that we can get out to a broader audience. 91 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: It is really important, Katie. I mean, one of the 92 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: things I often talk about is that, you know, when 93 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 2: it comes to the health system, people think about doctors 94 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 2: and nurses and hospitals and fixing the diseases that people have. 95 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 2: But if we put efforts in place to prevent disease, 96 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 2: what we've effectively done is stopped a bad thing for happening, 97 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 2: and people just generally tend not to notice that. So 98 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 2: if you think about the idea of cutting funding to 99 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 2: Darwin Hospital, everybody would be horrified and politicians would be 100 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 2: hung drawn and courted. But if they quietly stop funding 101 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 2: a prevention program, then it often goes unnoticed and there's 102 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 2: far less of an outcry when it comes to reducing 103 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 2: the investment in those long term prevention efforts, and so 104 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 2: the resource that's put into prevention always waxes and ways, 105 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 2: and when budgets get tired, it's the first thing that 106 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 2: gets cut. So the case that we've been making is 107 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 2: that when we look at how much we currently put 108 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 2: in into prevention, it's less than two percent of our 109 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 2: ill spending in Australia and it makes no sense when 110 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 2: we think about what achievements we have made when it 111 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 2: comes to prevention in the past and what we can 112 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 2: potentially generate in terms of value for future health and 113 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 2: quality of life for people. We make the case that 114 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 2: a stronger investment huge amount, we move it from less 115 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 2: than two percent to around five percent one dollar in 116 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 2: twenty for prevention that's going to pay dividends so much 117 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 2: more into the future the current generation of kids and 118 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 2: those that follow. So thinking long term is a challenge 119 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 2: we put to all of our policymakers and politicians and 120 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 2: investing in prevention as a way of investing in the future. 121 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I agree with you, and you know, I 122 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: think that if we're able to prevent a lot of 123 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: these different different illnesses or different diseases, if we're in 124 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: a situation where we can do that. Surely it's going 125 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: to be more cost and beneficial in the long term 126 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: than dealing with it at the pointy end. 127 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 2: That's right. And the people who generate the evidence to 128 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 2: test exactly that question and do the assessment about the 129 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 2: extent to which investment in prevention produces benefits for the future, 130 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 2: they get together at the conference that we're running down 131 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 2: here on the beautiful dar and Harbor and compare notes 132 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 2: and learn from each other and build those messages that 133 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 2: we then pass on to the policymakers and politicians because 134 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: we had to have a strong case for that kind 135 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 2: of long term investment. I just talked to my mates 136 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 2: who run and tackling and digital smoking programs, and we 137 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 2: know that smoking in aboriginal torch right on to people 138 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 2: is much much higher than we'd like it to be. 139 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: Now. 140 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 2: I've been banging on about this for probably five or 141 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 2: ten years, but we have to make sure they continue 142 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 2: to get in get the resources that they need, the 143 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 2: investment in those programs because we know they're making progress. 144 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 2: We like it to be faster and we like there 145 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 2: to be more, but they need the chance to have 146 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 2: that effect, and they need long term commitment of those 147 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 2: resources and that's the kind of discussion that we have, 148 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 2: and that's the kind of work that goes on at 149 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 2: these conferences. 150 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: Well, Terry Slavin, Public Health Association of Australia's CEO and 151 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: adjunct professor, really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you 152 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: so much for having a chat with us about the conference. 153 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 2: Great to have you with you, Caadie, and have a 154 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 2: good day you too. 155 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: Thank you, thanks so much.