HEALTHY
TASMANIA FIVE-YEAR
STRATEGIC PLAN
2022–2026
Department of Health
2
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan
2022–2026
© Government of Tasmania 2022
For further information, please contact:
Department of Health
Public Health Services
GPO Box 125
Hobart TAS 7001
Telephone: 13 0 0 135 513
Website: www.health.tas.gov.au
Published March 2022
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Image: Buttongrass plains, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Photographer Jillian Mundy
Acknowledgement of Country
The Department of Health Tasmania respectfully acknowledges Tasmanian Aboriginal people
as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, work and play and pays respect to
Aboriginal Elders past and present.
Recognition statement
Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples’ traditional lifestyle promoted physical and emotional health and wellbeing, centred
around Country, Kin, Community and Spirituality. Aboriginal people continue to value the importance of culture,
community connection and being on Country as vital components of health and wellness.
Through colonisation, Aboriginal people experienced displacement and disconnection, which has signicantly
affected their health and wellbeing.
We recognise that Aboriginal people are the knowledge holders and provide best practice in promoting health
and wellbeing for Aboriginal people. We acknowledge and learn from the ongoing work of Aboriginal organisations
in ensuring continued health and wellness. We commit to working in partnership with Tasmanian Aboriginal
communities and health leaders now and into the future to improve health and wellbeing.
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
About the Plan
The Department of Health wrote this document.
When you see the words ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’, it can
mean the State of Tasmania, Tasmanian Government,
Tasmanian Department of Health or Healthy Tasmania.
Healthy Tasmania refers to the many government
agencies working together, in partnership with the
Tasmanian community, to develop, support and invest
in key areas of action under the Healthy Tasmania Five-
Year Strategic Plan.
Data used in this Plan
The data used in this Plan come from trusted sources
and is the most current at the time of writing.
These include:
• Tasmanian Population Health Survey (TPHS) 2019
• A ustralian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, including
the National Health Survey 2017–18
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publications
and other reports.
Please contact ahealthytasmania@health.tas.gov.au
if you would like more information about the data
used in the Plan.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Content
Acknowledgement of Country 3
Recognition statement 3
About the Plan 4
Minister’s message 6
Healthy Tasmania at a glance 8
Context 9
Prevention as wellness 9
State of health in Tasmania 10
Determinants of health 12
Economics of prevention 13
Investing in the future of children
and young people 13
What we heard 14
Vision 15
Outcomes 16
A healthier population 16
Greater equity of health outcomes
across the Tasmanian community 16
Liveable, vibrant and healthy places 16
Greater social connectedness 16
Principles 17
Equity 17
Empowerment 17
Sustainability 17
Ways of working 18
Lead to enable change 18
Work across government and communities 18
Build capacity 19
Promote community decision-making 19
Build, use and share evidence 19
Focus areas 20
1. Priority populations 21
2. Health literacy 23
3. Mental health and wellbeing 25
4. Active living 27
5. Eating well 29
6. Smoke-free communities 31
7. Reducing alcohol harm 33
8. Climate change and health 35
Governance 37
Measuring progress 39
Next steps 40
APPENDIX 1 41
Tasmania Statement 41
APPENDIX 2 42
The policy landscape 42
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Minister’s message
Our Tasmanian
Government
is committed
to safeguarding
and improving
the health and
wellbeing of all
Tasmanians.
To ensure health
and wellbeing,
we need to go
beyond investment in health services and infrastructure.
Preventive health is crucial for Tasmanians to live their
best lives for as long as possible. Prevention of disease
promotes physical and mental health and wellbeing,
increases participation in the community, and safeguards
our economy.
In 2016, preventive health became an integral part of
our health reform agenda with the launch of the Healthy
Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan. This aimed to bring
communities, services and government together to work
in partnership for better health. Under the Plan, we
invested over $5.6 million in community-led action that
delivered more than 100 projects across Tasmania to
improve health and wellbeing.
Five years on, it is great to see that we have made strong
progress, as described in the Healthy Tasmania Five Year
Report. I am thrilled to see positive trends, including
more people becoming smoke free, increases in physical
activity rates and fruit and vegetable intake, and a
greater emphasis on mental health and wellbeing.
However, more action is needed to build on these
foundations and address the risk factors for disease,
such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, harmful alcohol
consumption and tobacco use.
We consulted widely with the community to inform our
next steps. We know that working in partnership with
communities is necessary to drive action, and to ensure
that our government policies achieve outcomes that
matter most to Tasmanians.
We learned that we need to take an holistic approach to
health in our communities, including mental health and
wellbeing. We also need to acknowledge that the factors
inuencing health are often beyond individuals’ control.
These factors include where people live, the natural and
built environment, transport, food, housing, work, poverty,
social inclusion, cultural respect and climate change.
Based on this evidence and our recent targeted
consultation with key stakeholders and the community,
we have developed a plan for creating environments,
settings and services that will support Tasmanians to live
longer and healthier lives.
I am pleased to present to you the next Healthy
Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026, which will
build on the strengths and successes of the rst.
Over the next ve years, we will focus on actions to
support Tasmanians to be more connected in their
communities, have positive mental health and wellbeing,
limit harmful alcohol use, be smoke free, eat well, and
live more active lives.
We will make sure no person is left behind in this Plan,
with a focus on priority populations and on health literacy.
Our actions will include a focus on children and young
people as we aim for intergenerational change to secure
the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians into the future.
We have added climate change and health as a focus area
to acknowledge the impacts of climate change on health
and wellbeing and to ensure our strategies will positively
contribute to the climate change goals of this Government.
Healthy Tasmania will help us to deliver the Tasmania
Statement, Working Together for the Health and Wellbeing
of Tasmanians (Appendix 1). The Tasmania Statement
commits us to working together across government
and with communities on shared priorities, for the best
outcome for us all. This Plan also aligns with a range
of strategic priorities of the Tasmanian Government,
including recommendations from the Premier’s Economic
and Social Recovery Advisory Council; Closing the Gap
Implementation Plan; Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy;
Our Healthcare Future and Rethink Mental Health 2020.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
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We have committed $10 million over ve years to
implement this Plan and an additional $8 million over
four years for the Healthy Tasmania Fund. We have also
committed funding for other preventive health initiatives
such as community health and wellbeing networks,
youth smoking prevention programs, and school lunch
pilot and education programs.
We have also identied some early actions in our ways
of working, with the community’s voice at front and
centre of everything we do.
We will set up a governance structure that ensures
continued community input, clear accountability and
monitoring, and coordination across tiers of government.
We are working with the University of Tasmania
to develop a research and evaluation framework to
measure Healthy Tasmania’s success and help us improve
into the future.
I would like to acknowledge and thank the many
organisations and individuals who contributed to the
development of the Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic
Plan 2022–2026, and especially to the many communities
who have informed our thinking over the past ve years.
I commend this Plan to you and look forward to the
continued development of a prevention system for
this state that delivers long-lasting, sustainable health
benets to Tasmanians now and for future generations.
Jeremy Rockliff
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Healthy Tasmania at a glance
This is a strategic plan to guide preventive health activity across the whole
of government and with communities.
Principles: Equity | Empowerment | Sustainability
V
i
s
i
o
n
All Tasmanians have
the opportunity to live
healthy, active lives
in communities that
support connections
to people, place
and culture
F
o
c
u
s
a
r
e
a
s
• Priority populations
• Health literacy
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Active living
• Eating well
• Smoke-free communities
• Reducing alcohol harm
• Climate change
and health
y
s
o
f
w
o
r
k
i
n
g
W
a
• Lead to enable change
• Work across government
and communities
• Build capacity
• Promote community
decision-making
• Build, use and share
evidence
O
u
t
c
o
m
e
s
• A healthier population
• Greater equity of health outcomes
across the Tasmanian community
• Liveable, vibrant and healthy places
• Greater social connectedness
Committed funding
• $10 million implementation fund
• $8 million Healthy Tasmania Fund
• Additional funding for a range
of preventive health initiatives
New governance model
• Yearly action plans, shaped
together with communities and
agency partners
• Flexibility to respond to new
issues and opportunities
• Communities partner in
decision-making
• Clear accountability and
coordination across tiers of
government
Evaluation
• Research and evaluation
framework
• Ongoing monitoring of
population health and how
we are working together
• Listening to communities
and learning about what
is working and what is not
to adjust the action plans
accordingly
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Context
Prevention as wellness
Our Healthcare Future is Stage Two of the Tasmanian
Government’s long-term reform agenda to consult,
design and build a highly integrated and sustainable
health service. Preventive health is an important
component of this reform.
Healthy Tasmania is a strategic plan for preventive health
in Tasmania. Preventive health is the term for activities that
help protect, promote and maintain health and wellbeing.
Healthy Tasmania supports wellness. Wellness is the best
possible state of health and wellbeing for people and
communities. Focusing on wellness allows people
to do what they want to do and to reach their potential.
It means the whole person is considered in the context
of their daily life and their community.
Healthy Tasmania will guide our actions across
government and with the community to improve
the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians. It will enable
community-based action for health and wellbeing and
encourage joined-up approaches across all layers of
government, civil society and the private sector to
address the determinants of health and wellbeing.
The gure below shows where the Healthy Tasmania
Plan sits within the health system, crossing both
prevention and intervention activities.
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Scope of Healthy Tasmania
Prevent
Keep people healthy through
preventing illness and
protection from harm.
Target the determinants of
health and wellbeing – these
factors include where people
live, the natural and built
environment, transport,
food, housing, work, poverty,
social inclusion, cultural
respect and climate change.
Intervene early
Identify and support people
at risk of developing disease.
This includes screening,
early detection and self
management.
Treat
Manage and care for people
when they are ill. This includes
treatment, rehabilitation and
palliative care.
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
State of health in Tasmania
The health and wellbeing of all Tasmanians is enhanced
by natural open spaces, fresh food, and clean air and
water. Tasmania’s economy, culture and communities
are strong and diverse. We work together to build
connected and supportive local communities and
harness a wide variety of resources.
However, there are challenges to our health and wellbeing.
The number of Tasmanians with chronic (long-term)
conditions, such as mental ill health, cancer, diabetes and
heart disease, is steadily increasing. Compared to other
states and territories, Tasmania has an older population,
higher rates of disability, more people living in rural and
regional areas, and lower socioeconomic levels. People
who experience greater disadvantage have the greatest
burden of disease.
Chronic conditions can often be prevented through
improving key risk factors including unhealthy diet,
physical inactivity, high-risk alcohol use and tobacco use.
Tasmanians also have higher rates of exposure to these
risk factors compared to people elsewhere in Australia.
If action is not taken, this growing burden of disease
will reduce people’s health outcomes, quality of life
and participation in all aspects of life. It will also reduce
workforce productivity and economic growth.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how our
communities can mobilise and collaborate to respond
to a major health and social challenge.
Although COVID-19 has challenged our physical and
mental health and wellbeing and added another level of
complexity in our health system, society and economy,
it has also provided a unique opportunity for positive
change. Across Tasmania, people have come together
to support each other through stressful times. Our own
health and the health of our families, workplaces and
communities is more important than ever. We can see
how isolation, digital connectivity and being engaged
through work, volunteering and our social networks
impact on our health and wellbeing. For example, older
people have been more unsure about participating in
social activities, which has impacted their health and
wellbeing. Tasmanians are taking steps to stay well
and want to avoid becoming unwell and having to
seek treatment.
The Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory
Council (PESRAC) was formed to make recommendations
on actions to soften the impacts from COVID-19, help
us recover more quickly and to build a better future.
Healthy Tasmania will contribute to achieving PESRAC’s
recommendations (see Appendix 2).
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Tasmania’s
Report Card
Nearly
8 out of 10
Tasmanian adults rate
their health as good
or very good
Around
1 in 4
Tasmanians will be aged
65 or older by 2050
Half
of Tasmanian adults have
one or more chronic
conditions
N
early
1 in 5
Tasmanian adults smoke
95 in 100
secondary school students
are smoke free
N
early
1 in 5
Tasmanian adults risk
lifetime harm by drinking
more alcohol than
recommended
Fewer than
1 in 10
Tasmanian adults
eat enough fruit and
vegetables
Over
one-third
of Tasmanians’ daily
kilojoule intake comes
from foods high in fat,
sugar and salt
Close to
1 in 5
Tasmanian adults have run
out of food because they
could not afford to buy
more (food insecurity)
Most women
start breastfeeding, but
many stop earlier than
they had planned
3 out of 10
Tasmanian children
(aged 2–17 years) do
enough physical activity
for good health
F
ewer than
2 in 10
Tasmanian adults meet
the physical activity
guidelines
Nearly
half
of Tasmanian adults said
the COVID-19 pandemic
impacted their mental health.
1 in 5
Tasmanians have a mental
or behavioural condition
1 in 10
Tasmanians have difculty
understanding health
information
Close to half
of all Tasmanian adults
report difculties with
accessing the healthcare
providers they need
Socioeconomic
disadvantage is
greater in
Tasmania
than in Australia overall
N
early
1 in 8
Tasmanians cannot nd
money in an emergency
(raise $2 000 within
a couple of days)
A
mbulance dispatches
go up 34%
in extreme heatwaves
in Tasmania
Each extreme bushre
s
eason costs Tasmania
an additional
$34 million
from smoke -related deaths
and healthcare costs
An estimated
65 Tasmanians
die each year from wood
heater smoke
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Determinants of health
Better health and wellbeing is not just about individual
behaviour or genetic make-up.
There is a close relationship between people’s health
and the circumstances in which they live, work, play,
grow and age, known as the wider ‘determinants of
health’. These social, environmental, structural, economic,
cultural, commercial and digital factors can lead to
unfair a nd unequal health outcomes for some people
and communities.
Many of these factors lie outside of the health sector,
so addressing them requires a systems approach,
collaboration and action across sectors. A systems
approach recognises and addresses the root causes
of a problem, looking at all interconnected issues.
e
r
m
i
n
a
t
n
t
s
o
f
e
d
e
h
e
a
T
h
l
t
h
Social
• Family and early
childhood
• Housing
• Working conditions
• Social support and
participation
Environmental
• Climate change and
extreme weather events
• UV radiation
• Biodiversity
• Air pollution
• Built and natural
environments (walkability,
food environment,
green spaces, transport)
Structural
• Geographical location
• A ccessible health and
community services
• Healthcare costs
• R acism and discrimination
in services and systems
Economic
• Education
• Literacy
• Employment
• Income
Cultural
• Connection to Country
• Family, kinship and community
• Beliefs and knowledge
• Cultural expression
and continuity
• Language
• Self-determination
and leadership
• Cultural safety
Commercial
• Marketing and advertising
• Undue corporate
activities
• Corporate social
responsibility
Digital
• Telehealth technology
• Wearable health technologies
• Digital platforms
• Access to data and devices
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Economics of prevention
Australia has greatly improved health through
prevention. There is general support in the Australian
community for government intervention to safeguard
health and wellbeing. High rates of immunisation and
vaccination, laws requiring seat belts and random breath
testing, and changes in sleeping positions to prevent
sudden infant deaths have all saved lives.
We are also making progress in preventing people
from developing chronic conditions. Deaths from heart
disease and stroke have halved in the past 40 years in
Australia due to measures such as reducing tobacco use
and treating high blood pressure. But there are still many
people who are at risk and have poor health outcomes
that could be prevented. This is where we need to focus
our efforts in Tasmania.
Prevention not only saves lives and reduces illness and
disability, it is good value for money. There is a growing
body of evidence that prevention is effective and saves
money in the healthcare system and society.
Investment in prevention is not just about saving money.
If people are healthier, they are able to work and
participate in daily life, which is good for both health and
wellbeing and the economy.
Investing in the future of
children and young people
It Takes a Tasmanian Village is Tasmania’s Child and
Youth Wellbeing Strategy. Its vision is that children and
young people in Tasmania have what they need to grow
and thrive.
The strategy domains are:
• Being loved, safe and valued
• Having material basics
• Being healthy
• Learning
• Participating
• Having a positive sense of culture and identity.
We will work to achieve this vision, particularly through
action in the ‘being healthy’ domain and by creating
healthy places where children and young people live,
learn and play. We will contribute to the other domains
through our ways of working and the focus on priority
populations where identity and culture is recognised as
a determinant of health.
We recognise the importance of the rst 1 000 days
(from conception until the end of a child’s second year)
and will deliver community-based programs to support
communities, families parents and carers to provide
healthy settings for children to grow up in.
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
What we heard
A broad cross-section of Tasmanians contributed to this strategy through
consultations and evaluations as part of our ongoing learning about what
works and what can be improved.
What we heard:
For all Tasmanians to
have the opportunity
to live healthy, active
lives in communities that
support connections to
people, place and culture
we need to …
Focus on systems-
level change to
address the wider
determinants of
health
Work better
together across
government and
sectors so that we
are not working in
silos
Involve people with
lived experience
and community
organisations in
decision-making
Align actions with
key national and
state priorities
Engage
meaningfully
with priority
populations
Build on the evidence
and lessons from
the rst ve years of
Healthy Tasmania
Ensure sustainable,
long-term funding
and investment for
generational change
Strengthen
the policy
and legislative
environment
Have clear, measurable
outcomes with regular,
transparent reporting
on progress
Create sustainable
local level funding and
resourcing for local
government
Support
community-led
and co-designed
action
Recognise the impacts
of climate change and
the co-benets of taking
action on health and
wellbeing
Build capacity
within
communities,
organisations and
workforces
Provide accessible local
population health data
to enable planning,
action and measurement
of progress
Strengthen health
literacy
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
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Vision
All Tasmanians have
the opportunity to
live healthy, active
lives in communities
that support
connections to
people, place
and culture.
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Outcomes
To achieve our vision, we are working towards
the following outcomes.
A healthier population
Everyone in Tasmania has access to affordable, nutritious
food and eats well. Tasmanians are more physically
active. More communities are smoke free and fewer
Tasmanians smoke.
Everyone has improved mental wellness and less
psychological distress. There is reduced harm in the
community from alcohol.
Greater equity of health
outcomes across the
Tasmanian community
Everyone in Tasmania has the knowledge, skills and
resources they need to achieve and maintain good
health and wellbeing and to live their best life.
People experiencing the greatest inequities are prioritised
and can access the services they need in a culturally safe
and timely way. Our services, environments, transport,
information and communication are accessible, safe,
respectful and inclusive.
As a result, when health outcomes are measured at a
population level, the gap in health outcomes between
population groups is reduced.
Liveable, vibrant and
healthy places
All Tasmanians live, learn, work and play in places that
are safe, socially cohesive, inclusive and environmentally
sustainable. The air is clean and safe to breathe all year
round. Tasmania’s neighbourhoods, towns and cities are
supportive environments where healthy choices are easy
and straightforward.
Public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure
connect people to their employment, education, shops,
services, public open space and social, cultural and
recreational opportunities. Communities have access
to local, seasonal nutritious food.
Healthy lifestyles are promoted through the built and
natural environment. Liveability is improved through a
strategic focus on urban planning, transport, housing,
employment, smoke-free areas and the food industry, and
through reducing the health impacts of climate change.
Greater social connectedness
Tasmanian communities are diverse and inclusive,
where everyone is treated with respect and dignity,
and everyone has opportunities to achieve meaningful
connections with others.
Tasmanians are supported to connect with others and
participate in all aspects of community life throughout
their lives.
People are able to maintain or improve their health and
fewer people experience social isolation and loneliness.
There is trust and people are resilient.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Principles
Healthy Tasmania has three central organising
principles that will guide the decisions and
actions of governments and partners.
Equity
Tasmanians have a diverse range of lived experiences and
abilities. We acknowledge that our systems and culture
create social and economic disadvantage and that this
impacts Tasmanians’ health and wellbeing.
Tasmanians have a right to a standard of living that supports
health and wellbeing. This includes access to good food,
housing, care, employment and healthy environments.
We will be inclusive. We will include many different types
of people in all aspects of our work and treat them all
fairly, equally and with compassion.
We will work across government and communities to
reduce health inequities for all Tasmanians.
Empowerment
Tasmanians are experts in their own lives and communities.
People and communities have many strengths and assets
that can be built on to create healthy lives.
Many people do not have the power or resources
they need to participate in decisions that affect them.
We will create a system that enables all individuals and
communities to drive and shape decision-making. We can
and will share power. We will create solutions together.
When individuals and communities are empowered, they
can take responsibility for their own health, the health of
their families and contribute to healthy communities.
Sustainability
We need a healthy planet in order to stay healthy
and well. Investing in health and wellbeing creates a
sustainable environment, economy and society.
We will build a sustainable health system and we will
plan and act for future generations. This requires a long-
term view and strong relationships, to embrace diversity
and different perspectives, and to learn from the past.
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Ways of working
Our ways of working will support actions to
ensure Tasmanians live healthy, active lives
in communities that support connections to
people, place and culture.
The people of Tasmania are at the centre of each of
these ways of working. A stronger community voice is
vital to raise awareness of general health and wellbeing
and achieve changes in behaviour at the individual and
community level.
For health and wellbeing, people-centred approaches are
integrated and holistic, and place individuals at the centre
surrounded by relationships with family, organisations
and community.
In our work, we will:
Lead to enable change
Inclusive leadership encourages innovation and agility
to achieve better health outcomes for Tasmanians and
to build strong partnerships between communities and
governments.
We will create an environment that enables shared
decision-making and collective responsibility. Community
leadership is vital to design and implement solutions that
make a positive difference to health.
We will look at the whole system to see where we need
to act and how we can work together with communities
to make sustainable and long-term changes to improve
health and wellbeing.
We will progress a health-in-all-policies approach so
that all government actions contribute to the health
and wellbeing of Tasmanians. This will occur through
the leadership of the Premier’s Health and Wellbeing
Advisory Council.
We will explore legislative and policy options to better
recognise and support preventive health.
We will explore ways to coordinate our grants across
government and the potential to include criteria for
health-promoting events.
Work across government
and communities
Many complex and interconnected factors shape health
and wellbeing – employment, environment, poverty,
housing, food security, social isolation and the way we
build and plan our communities.
The Tasmania Statement (Appendix 1) commits us
to working together across government and with
communities on shared priorities and to bring together
people with different perspectives, experiences and
knowledge to identify and work on shared priorities.
We will work with community organisations, all layers
of government and business to deliver joined-up
approaches for sustainable and positive health outcomes
in Tasmania.
We will develop a communications and engagement
strategy to engage and inform diverse groups of people
and stakeholders.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Build capacity
We will build capacity to create a sustainable preventive
health system and achieve better health outcomes.
Capacity building is not just about supporting skills,
training and resourcing. It also means supporting the
‘right time’ or readiness of a community to act. Local
people and organisations need access to data about
the issues that matter to them, and to encourage more
active engagement and connection.
We will share evidence-based advice, resources, training
and support.
We will build the capacity of the public health workforce
to strengthen all parts of the system.
We will improve access to local level health and
wellbeing data to support communities to better
understand their health needs and to drive action to
improve health outcomes.
Promote community
decision-making
Community-led approaches are important ways to
deliver long-term health and wellbeing outcomes for
individuals and communities.
In community-led approaches, decision-making power
and resourcing is transferred to local communities where
people take collective responsibility for outcomes.
Communities may be dened by place or population.
We acknowledge that every community is unique and
has its own strengths and challenges.
We will set up inclusive structures to oversee the
implementation of Healthy Tasmania. We want genuine
community engagement and to hear the voices of
people with lived experience.
Decision-making will be shared between government
and communities.
We will collectively develop policies that build capacity,
including funding models that promote cooperation
rather than competition.
Through the consultative mechanisms established in the
Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, we will consult with
children and young people about the things that support
their health and wellbeing.
We will support and empower community members to
make decisions about their own health.
Build, use and share evidence
If we want to make a difference to the lives of
Tasmanians, we need to nd out what is working well
and what is not working so well and needs changing.
We will build and share evidence that incorporates
the lived experience and knowledge of our community
members as well as formal data and social science
research.
We will build this evidence through action research, in
which participants ‘learn as they go’ to nd new and
different solutions.
We will use the knowledge and lived experience of
community members in this action research.
Through transparent and timely reporting and sharing of
information, we will monitor and understand barriers to
health and wellbeing and evaluate progress of different
actions and interventions.
We will bring people together to learn from one
another and share their stories. One of the ways
we will do this is by holding the Healthy Tasmania
Community Forum.
Revising the Healthy Tasmania Fund
We will promote community decision
-
making
by implementing the Healthy Tasmania Fund in a
different way. The new Healthy Tasmania Fund will
create a grant funding model that addresses state
-
wide
topics while focusing
on individual communities
with diverse abilities, resources and capacity.
These community
-
centred grants will aim to
encourage activities and services that improve
communities’ wellbeing, and to build local capacity
according to community need.
19
20
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Focus areas
We will focus on eight key areas to improve health and wellbeing:
1
Priority
populations
2
Health literacy
3
Mental health
and wellbeing
4
Active living
5
Eating well
6
Smoke-free
communities
7
Reducing
alcohol harm
8
Climate change
and health
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
1. Priority populations
A healthy Tasmania requires every Tasmanian
to have equal opportunities for good health
and wellbeing, and equal access to health
information and health care. Evidence shows
that addressing the needs of populations
who are most at risk of ill health can achieve
signicant health improvements and benets
the entire community.
Some population groups in Tasmania experience poorer
health than the general population. These include people
from lower socioeconomic groups, Aboriginal people,
people from the LGBTIQ+ community, people from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and
people living with disability. There are many reasons for
these inequalities, including socioeconomic and historic
disadvantage, stigma and discrimination, and language
and access barriers.
We have worked to address the needs of priority
populations through Healthy Tasmania grant funding,
developing learning resources for health staff to make
our health system inclusive and accessible, and
committing to improving cultural respect.
We will build on this work with the Aboriginal
community by implementing the Improving Aboriginal
Cultural Respect Across Tasmania’s Health System Action
Plan 2020–2026 and contributing to meeting the
outcomes of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Our action will align with the Closing the Gap
Priority Reforms:
• Partnership and shared decision-making
• Building the community-controlled sector
• Transforming government organisations
• Shared access to data and information at
a regional level.
Improving Aboriginal cultural
respect across Tasmania’s
health system
Providing culturally respectful health care is
a fundamental step towards improving
health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
The Improving Aboriginal Cultural Respect
Across Tasmania’s Health System Action Plan
–
2020 2026 outlines how the Tasmanian
health sector will improve cultural respect
for Aboriginal people across six focus
- -
areas: whole of organisation approach and
commitment; communication and cultural
visibility; workforce development and
Aboriginal employment; consumer
participation and engagement; partnerships
with Aboriginal Community Controlled
Organisations (ACCOs); and data and
evaluation.
21
22
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
What is an equity lens?
Equity is about all people having fair opportunity to attain their full health potential, and no one
being disadvantaged in achieving this potential if it can be avoided.
Applying an equity lens means we will study how the design and implementation of our policies and
programs will impact population groups in different ways. This means examining policies and services
from the perspective of people of different genders, people from lower socioeconomic groups,
Aboriginal people, people living with a disability, older people, people who are culturally and linguistically
diverse, and people from the LGBTIQ+ community.
We will:
• provide leadership, resources, training and support to ensure that our
health and community services are delivered in ways that are culturally
safe and inclusive for priority population groups
• apply an equity lens across all Healthy Tasmania policies and services to
ensure we consider the specic needs of priority populations and that our
actions have no adverse impacts
• support efforts of other government departments aiming to address and
eliminate racism by sharing cultural competency training, tools and resources
• work in partnership with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
to deliver Healthy Tasmania initiatives that address their needs and
priorities and are in line with Closing the Gap Priority Reform areas.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• there are equal health outcomes for priority populations
• an equity lens is applied to all Healthy Tasmania policies and services
• health and community services are more inclusive and responsive.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
2. Health literacy
Health literacy plays a critical role in improving
health outcomes for all Tasmanians. Other
types of literacy, such as reading and writing,
numerical, nancial, digital, media, environmental,
physical, food and mental health literacy are also
important for health and wellbeing.
In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that
about 6 out of 10 Tasmanians did not have adequate
health literacy levels. The survey now uses the Health
Literacy Questionnaire, which reports on a broader
range of health literacy characteristics (domains) and
can therefore be used to improve service delivery. In
2018, the survey found that most Tasmanians scored
favourably for each domain. However, older people,
people with multiple chronic conditions, those living in
low income households and priority populations tended
to score a lot lower.
To develop health literacy for all, we need good
organisational health literacy practices that make it
easier for people to nd, understand and use the
information and services they need for better health and
wellbeing. Examples of such practices include providing
easy-to-read written materials, engaging with consumers
in a friendly and welcoming way, checking people’s
understanding of health information, and involving
consumers in decision-making.
Action to date includes developing and implementing
the Health Literacy Action Plan 2019–2024 and
establishing a Health Literacy Network in partnership
with 26TEN, a network of organisations and individuals
working together to improve adult literacy and
numeracy in Tasmania. Health promotion coordinators
and educators across sectors have supported skills
development, networking and capacity building in health
literacy.
Resources and tools such as HelloTas have been
developed to support organisations to become health
literate organisations. The 26TEN Tasmania strategy
continues to deliver a whole-of-community approach
to raising basic literacy and numeracy, which are the
foundational building blocks for other literacies. We have
worked with Libraries Tasmania to improve access to
information to promote health through the Health on
the Shelf campaign. A Literacy Advisory Panel has been
established to develop a community-wide framework to
achieve the aspirational goal of 100% functional literacy.
What is health literacy?
Health literacy means people have the knowledge,
skills and condence to access, understand,
remember and use information and services to
make everyday decisions about their own health
and wellbeing.
Health literacy is affected by people’s individual
circumstances and social setting. Factors that
may challenge a person’s health literacy include
experiencing grief, receiving a new diagnosis,
limited literacy, or negative past experiences with
the health system. Factors that may strengthen
health literacy include having access to social
support, having at least one healthcare provider
to talk to about health problems, and knowing
how to nd the right health care.
23
24
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
We will:
• work with the Literacy Advisory Panel to review the Health Literacy Action
Plan and act on any recommendations
• continue to work with 26TEN to support the Health Literacy Network and
Working Group
• build organisational health literacy across sectors, including general
practice and primary care, local government, health care, education
and community services
• develop the health literacy skills of health, education and community workers
• develop health literacy in children, particularly in schools
• use tools such as the Health Literacy Questionnaire to identify barriers
to health literacy in priority populations and communities, and use this
information to drive service improvements
• implement community-driven solutions to connect people to the
information and services they need.
Creating networks for health and wellbeing
A k
ey part of health literacy is being able to navigate the health and
community system and to involve consumers in how services meet
their needs.
We have funded Health Consumers Tasmania to trial Tasmanian
Community Health and Wellbeing Networks in Ulverstone, Huonville
and Scottsdale. The networks aim to build the capacity of regional
communities to identify and respond to local healthcare needs.
The Health and Wellbeing Networks will be managed by local communities
and supported by a Local Health Connector, who will bring together health
consumer representatives, community advocates, health and community
services, community and sporting groups, and supportive businesses.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• m ore health and community services demonstrate health literacy best
practice
• m ore services use plain language in everything they do, including their
resources and consent procedures
• m ore Tasmanians can nd and understand health information
• m ore Tasmanians nd it easy to navigate the health system
• m ore Tasmanians nd it easy to engage with providers and feel
empowered to discuss their health and wellbeing concerns.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
3. Mental health and wellbeing
Positive mental health and wellbeing is
important for the overall health of Tasmanians.
Better mental health and wellbeing has
personal, social, nancial and economic
benets for individuals, families and the wider
community. It means people are able to
contribute to their community, work and study
productively, connect with others, and cope
with stress and challenges.
A person can achieve good mental health and wellbeing
while living with a diagnosed mental illness. In the same
way, a person may have signicant problems with their
mental health and wellbeing but not meet the criteria
for a mental illness.
Factors that help people to reach optimal levels of
mental health and wellbeing include:
• social support and meaningful connections with others
• purpose through a job, education or volunteering
• stable housing, access to open green spaces and
affordable, nutritious food
• freedom from discrimination and stigma
• physical activity.
Rethink 2020 is the state plan for mental health in
Tasmania. Its vision is that Tasmania is a community
where all people have the best possible mental health
and wellbeing. Annual Rethink 2020 implementation
plans outline the focus for action including prevention
and early intervention.
Healthy Tasmania has included a focus on mental
health and wellbeing in the Healthy Tasmania Fund
grants program. Our actions will focus on how we can
further contribute to Rethink 2020.
25
26
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
What is mental health literacy?
Mental health literacy supports mental health and wellbeing. It involves
the knowledge, understanding and skills that individuals, communities
and health and community workers need to maintain mental health
and wellbeing and reduce the impact of mental illness. Mental health
literacy includes:
• skills to maintain positive mental health
• understanding mental illness and treatments
• challenging stigma related to mental illness
• the ability to recognise mental health problems
• understanding when and where to seek help
• skills to self -manage mental ill health.
We will:
• support community action that promotes mental health and wellbeing
in communities, across all life stages, especially through opportunities
for lifelong learning, volunteering, social connection, positive relationship
building and reducing loneliness
• promote the importance of eating well, being active and reducing smoking
and alcohol use for improved mental health and wellbeing
• promote and support mental health literacy in communities and where
people live, learn and work
• work with the Arts sector to deliver innovative arts and health
approaches to promote mental health and wellbeing
• increase community understanding of mental ill health and reduce stigma
and discrimination for people experiencing a mental illness
• promote mental health and wellbeing in Tasmanian workplaces.
We will know we’ve been successful
when there is:
• increased sense of social connection and reduced loneliness
• reduced stigma and discrimination against people living with mental illness
• greater awareness of mental health literacy in communities and workplaces
• better mental health and wellbeing.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
4. Active living
The health benets of being physically active
are well known. Active living has benets
beyond physical and mental health, including
social, economic and environmental benets.
However, almost half of all Tasmanian adults
do not do the recommended amount and type
of physical activity for good health. Like most
Australians, Tasmanian children and adults
spend too much time on phones, computers
and TV and our everyday activity is less because
we use our cars a lot.
To increase physical activity in Tasmania, we need to go
beyond encouraging people to meet the guidelines and
create environments that support people to naturally
be more physically active.
For example, well-designed streets, public open spaces
and green areas, public transport and other facilities and
infrastructure all encourage people to be active on the
way to work and school and to enjoy sport and active
recreation in their leisure time. Neighbourhoods designed
for young families with prams will also suit older Tasmanians
and people living with a disability. Participation in sport
and active recreation not only encourages physical
activity, it is also good for mental health and the
development of communities.
Much work has already been done to support communities
with physical activity programs and resources. There have
also been some exciting partnerships and successes for
active living, including the Tasmanian Active Living Coalition,
which was established to work in partnership to create
accessible, inclusive environments to support all Tasmanians
to lead healthy, active lifestyles at every stage of life and
for all forms of ability. The Department of Communities
will soon release a Tasmanian Sport and Active Recreation
Strategy to help ensure all Tasmanians have the opportunity
to benet from sport and active recreation activities
and infrastructure.
27
28
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
We will:
• plan and build places that support health and wellbeing and physical
activity
• build infrastructure that makes walking, cycling, accessibility and public
transport a safe and viable alternative to driving
• strengthen the participation of Tasmanians in sport and active recreation
by providing community infrastructure and programs and by minimising
cost and access barriers
• further develop early childhood and school environments that support
and encourage physical activity
• support evidence-based, community-driven action to improve physical
activity.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• more Tasmanians are physically active
• fewer Tasmanians are sedentary
• more Tasmanians use public and active transport
• more Tasmanians use our green spaces
• more Tasmanians regularly participate in sport and active recreation.
Transform-Us! pilot project
The classroom can be a place where children do
not move around very much. Transform -Us! provides
primary schools and teachers with online training
and resources to help students move more and sit
less in the classroom. This program has been used in
Victorian schools with great success for more than
12 years. A Tasmanian pilot of the program in up
to 30 Move Well Eat Well primary schools started
in November 2021. The University of Tasmania will
evaluate the pilot to test its success in a Tasmanian
setting. If the pilot proves successful, we will offer it to
all Tasmanian primary schools.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
5. Eating well
Eating well reduces the risk of chronic diseases
such as diabetes, heart disease and some
cancers. It also improves overall physical, mental
and social wellbeing, and supports healthy ageing.
Eating well is more than just what people eat, it is about
having a positive relationship with food and enjoying food,
having the time to eat, and enjoying eating with others.
To eat well, people need access to a variety of affordable,
nutritious foods. If this food is locally produced, there will
also be benets for our environment, society and economy.
Even though Tasmania is known for growing an
abundance of prem
Tasman
1 in 5 Tasmanians exper
is not hav
food, mak
enough fruit and vegetab
foods and drinks that are high in sugar, fat, and sa
These are heavily marketed and may be eaten instead
of more nutr
We have taken a range of act ions to help Tasmanians
eat we ll. Our focus has been on creating healthy
environments where ch ildren live, learn and play, and
supporting fam ilies and children to have access to
nutriti ous food. We have promoted local seasonal
food through Eat Well Tasmania and funded
commun ity-driven actions to promote healthy
eating. The Breastfeed ing Coalition of Tasmania
has implemented a range of strategies to
promote and protect breastfeeding.
To implement recommendations from the Premier’s
Economic and Social Recovery Council, the Department of
Communities Tasmania has coordinated the development
of the Food Relief to Food Resilience – Tasmanian Food
Security Strategy (Food Relief Strategy). Its goal is to
support an integrated food relief sector that supports
Tasmanians in need to access sufcient, safe, nutritious,
quality food, and access services that support long-term
food resilience. This work is supported by a Food Relief
Community Reference Group and ongoing work to map
emergency food relief providers across the state.
ium produce, fewer than 1 in 10
ians eat enough fruit and vegetables. In addition,
ience food insecurity, which
ing reliable access to nutritious, affordable
ing it harder to eat well. As well as not eating
les, Tasmanians eat too many
lt.
itious foods.
29
30
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
We will:
• deliver the Food Relief Strategy to support an integrated food relief
sector and actions for long-term food resilience
• build on the Food Relief Strategy to form a Tasmanian food policy
coalition, involving stakeholders from across the food system, including
agriculture and hospitality, to help shift to a healthier food culture in
Tasmania
• promote the supply of local, affordable, nutritious food and reduce
exposure to unhealthy food and drink
• support Tasmanian organisations to buy and promote healthy local food
to support local farmers and producers wherever possible
• support community-based food programs
• implement social marketing and community programs that encourage
Tasmanians to enjoy local, seasonal foods
• create partnerships, policies and practices to support and protect
breastfeeding.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• more Tasmanians eat according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, with
increased fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased consumption of
food and drinks high in sugar, fat and salt
• all Tasmanians have access to affordable nutritious food
• Tasmanian organisations buy and serve more nutritious food, preferably
from local food growers and producers
• more Tasmanian babies are breastfed for longer.
Extending the school lunch program
The school lunch program was a pilot program that gave Tasmanian schools nancial and practical support to
provide healthy, cooked lunches for their students.
The Tasmanian Government has committed more funding to extend this pilot program to 15 schools in 2022
and a further 15 schools in 2023. School Food Matters (formerly the Tasmanian School Canteen Association)
will support the 30 schools to develop food plans and implement a free healthy lunch program.
Positive feedback from the initial pilot includes better concentration, increased school attendance and a
reduction in behavioural issues.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
6. Smoke-free communities
‘Smoking’ in this report refers to the use of
cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco
industry products. Smoke-free communities
are places where the access and use of
cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco
industry products is rarely seen.
Smoking remains the single greatest preventable cause of
death and disease. Australian research suggests that up
to two-thirds of people who smoke will die from their
smoking. On average, 559 Tasmanians die each year from
tobacco use.
Tobacco control action aims to improve the health, social
and economic wellbeing of Tasmanians by creating smoke-
free communities, preventing young people from taking up
smoking, and supporting those who smoke to quit.
Our actions to date have made considerable progress.
More Tasmanians are becoming smoke free. Fewer
retailers are selling tobacco and more local councils are
establishing smoke-free areas.
Our evidence base is growing, as we are trialling new
and innovative community-based projects that aim to
improve access to smoking cessation support for people
in priority populations. New laws have been introduced
to further regulate the sale of smoking products.
There is more work to do. Tasmania has the second
highest smoking rate in Australia, while the growing use
of e-cigarettes has the potential to reverse gains made
in reducing smoking in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Tobacco Control Coalition is
developing the next Tobacco Action Plan, which
will guide our action.
31
32
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
We will:
• strengthen tobacco control laws to reduce the visibility and availability
of smoking products, and regulate new and emerging tobacco industry
products
• deliver a Smoking Prevention Package for Young People to encourage young
people to be smoke free
• deliver media campaigns to increase public awareness of the health risks
of smoking, prompt quit attempts and address relapse
• strengthen efforts to support Tasmanians from priority populations to
quit smoking through community-led, culturally appropriate approaches
that are tailored to families, social networks, workplaces and local
communities
• implement initiatives within our health systems to support both staff and
patients to be smoke free, including antenatal interventions, enhanced
brief intervention practices, and support for sites to become smoke free.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• fewer Tasmanians take up smoking
• more Tasmanians quit smoking
• fewer pregnant women in Tasmania smoke.
Preventing smoking in young people
The Government has committed to fund a Smoking
Prevention Package for Young People, which aims to
reduce smoking prevalence among young people in
Tasmania. It will focus on preventing students’ uptake
of smoking through school -based peer -led initiatives,
encouraging smoke -free environments, further
developing and promoting the Smoke Free Generation
… be a part of it! website, and supporting young people
who smoke to quit. There will also be a strong focus
on educating young people, parents and schools on the
harms of e -cigarettes and action to discourage their use.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
7. Reducing alcohol harm
Reducing harmful alcohol consumption will
benet individuals, families and communities.
Drinking alcohol at risky levels is a major cause
of preventable disease and illness and impacts
communities by contributing to issues such as road
accidents and community and family violence.
The Tasmanian Government is committed to raising
awareness of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The
Government supported the Australia New Zealand
Food Ministers’ Meeting decision in 2020 to mandate
red, black and white pregnancy warning labels on
alcoholic beverage bottles, from mid-2023.
Factors that protect against alcohol-related harms
include social connection, education, safe and secure
housing, and a sense of belonging to community. Factors
that increase the risk of alcohol-related harms include
high availability of alcohol, social disconnection, unstable
housing and socioeconomic disadvantage.
A range of responses is needed to reduce and minimise
harms from alcohol. These include health promotion,
prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery-
focused approaches.
Healthy Tasmania will support communities to prevent
and respond to alcohol harms. This will complement
other actions in the Tasmanian Drug Strategy.
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34
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
We will:
• promote the national guidelines to reduce the health risks of drinking
alcohol, to support informed decisions about alcohol consumption and
promote better public understanding of alcohol-related harms
• support the implementation of the Tasmanian FASD Action Plan in
response to, and aligned with, the National FASD Strategic Action Plan
• build the capacity of communities to prevent, identify and respond
to alcohol-related harm, and promote healthy alternatives to alcohol,
especially in priority populations
• reduce children’s exposure to alcohol advertising
• promote healthy events guidelines to ensure alcohol-free alternatives
are widely available.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• more Tasmanians are aware of the national alcohol guidelines
• fewer Tasmanians drink alcohol at risky levels
• Tasmanian children have less exposure to alcohol advertising.
Supporting Good Sports
The Good Sports program is funded in
Tasmania to change the drinking culture
that can sometimes accompany sport and
to support community efforts to reduce
risky drinking. There are around 500 Good
Sports clubs in Tasmania, which are using
the program’s free tools and resources to
build a policy around alcohol management,
smoking regulations, mental health, illegal
drugs and safe transport.
Tasmania’s Redpa Football Club was
awarded 2019 Good Sports Club of the Year.
The club has been working towards shifting its culture from one
where alcohol was a key part of events to a proud family -friendly environment.
The club is happy, healthy, and connected – on and off the eld.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
8. Climate change and health
Climate change and health are closely linked.
Tasmania is forecast to experience rising
temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, more
storms, longer re seasons, more hot days and
more heat weaves. These all have implications
for the health of Tasmanians. For example, there
is a clear link between heat and illness, with more
emergency department presentations, especially
for children and older people during heatwaves.
A changing climate can affect access to nutritious food,
clean air and water, and the liveability of communities.
It can also affect mental health and wellbeing by causing
worry and anxiety about the future.
According to the World Health Organization, the
most vulnerable and disadvantaged people will
disproportionately feel the health impacts of climate
change. We need to anticipate adverse events and
intervene early to protect those who are most susceptible.
Lifestyles that continue to rely on car use and the
consumption of highly processed foods not only
increase the risk of developing chronic diseases, they
also contribute to climate change through increased
greenhouse gas emissions.
We will work together to prevent and mitigate against
the potential impacts of climate change on our health.
We can do this by reducing emissions from food and
energy production, reducing air and waste pollution and
increasing active transport such as more cycling and walking.
These actions can improve our health and our planet.
Better access to Tasmania’s natural environments and
the creation of more liveable, connected spaces can also
improve mental health, increase physical activity and
contribute to a sense of belonging.
Work is already well under way to reduce emissions
through the Climate Change (State Action) Act 2008 and
Tasmania’s next Climate Change Action Plan.
In 2019, a Climate Change and Health Roundtable
identied priorities and areas for action for Tasmania.
There is ongoing research and action on air quality,
active transport, improving the walkability and liveability
of local communities, and ways to realise the wider
benets of a healthy and sustainable food supply.
There are opportunities for different sectors to work
together across government and with communities to
protect Tasmanians from the impacts of climate change,
including enhancing Tasmania’s natural open spaces and
the built environment, improving access to fresh food,
encouraging people to be more active and keeping the
air and water clean.
Acting on climate change will result in immediate and
direct benets for the health of Tasmanians now as
well as for future generations. These actions will reduce
the risk factors for chronic disease and improve the
liveability of our communities.
A healthy and
sustainable
food supply
Fewer deaths
from extreme
heat
Less heart and
lung disease
Less illness
Better physical
health
Better
mental health
The health benets of taking action on climate change
35
Adapted from BMJ 2016, Health and climate benets: co-benets.
36
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
What is liveability?
Liveability means living in communities that are safe, inclusive
and environmentally sustainable, with affordable housing and
easy access to places of work, schools, public open spaces,
shops, health and community services and recreation. A
liveable community also has convenient public transport and
infrastructure to support walking and cycling.
As Tasmania grows, we have an opportunity to plan our
communities in a way that creates healthy, sustainable, liveable
and connected spaces.
We will:
• raise awareness about the links between climate change and health, and
ways communities can take action and respond to climate change
• create more liveable communities that improve health and wellbeing and
tackle climate change. This includes active living strategies and supporting
local food production, as well as actions to support good water and air
quality
• support actions that protect priority populations from the impacts of
climate change, such as bushres, extreme heat and cold weather events.
We will know we’ve been successful when:
• liveability rankings for Tasmanian communities improve
• there is increased awareness about the links between climate change
and health
• public policy recognises that action on climate change has co-benets
for health and wellbeing
• there are fewer emergency department visits and hospitalisations due
to extreme weather events.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Governance
To achieve our vision, we need genuine
community engagement and shared decision-
making at the heart of our governance.
We listened to the community and heard the need
for Healthy Tasmania to develop a more inclusive
governance model.
The principles of our governance will include:
• community representation and input into planning
• clear accountability and monitoring of progress
• coordination of effort across tiers of government and
across agencies
• a responsibility to ensure communities are left
stronger and better after engaging in our funding
processes and program development.
State Government
The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing has
overall responsibility for the Healthy Tasmania Five-Year
Strategic Plan. The Minister sits on the Premier’s Health
and Wellbeing Advisory Council, alongside the Premier.
One of the major roles of the Premier’s Health and
Wellbeing Advisory Council is to provide advice on
cross-sector and collaborative approaches to improving
the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians.
The Department of Health will work with other agencies
and with the community to develop and monitor yearly
action plans under Healthy Tasmania.
Our governance model will have the following
components:
• The Heads of Agencies Deputy Secretaries Group will
provide high-level oversight and sponsorship.
• A Planning and Implementation Group will provide
community and government representation in
developing and monitoring yearly action plans.
• Working Groups, such as the Research and
Evaluation Working Group and the Communications
Working Group, will be responsible for specic
priorities or actions.
• Healthy Tasmania will provide the opportunity
for genuine community engagement and shared
decision-making through Community Forums, the
Healthy Tasmania Fund, our partnership with Health
Consumers Tasmania, and the use of citizen science
approaches in our action research.
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is when members of
the public participate and collaborate
in scientic research. It offers diverse
perspectives on problems and solutions,
allows researchers to monitor policy and
program implementation, provides new
data sources, and increases communities’
support for action to improve health.
Through citizen science, the community
can clearly see how health scientists
generate evidence about problems
and solutions.
37
38
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Healthy Tasmania Governance Model
Heads of Agencies Deputy Secretaries Group
Planning and Implementation Group
Government Community
Research
and Evaluation
Working
Group
Communications
Working
Group
Other
Working
Groups
Local government
The involvement of local government is critical to support
future preventive health efforts at the community level.
Local government has a high level of engagement with
communities, knows their needs, and has responsibility for
many factors that can impact on health and wellbeing.
Local government is already playing a key role in supporting
community health and wellbeing. We will formally recognise
the role of local government as a part of the preventive
health system, and provide an authorising environment,
strategic direction and resources to support local
government to contribute to preventive health actions.
We will strengthen the partnership between the
Department of Health and local government, including
clarifying our respective roles and responsibilities for
health and wellbeing.
As part of the Future of Local Government reform, we will
consider resourcing local government for local health and
wellbeing action plans.
Australian Government
The Australian Government shares a signicant
responsibility for preventive health. It has worked with
states and territories to develop important strategies,
including the National Preventive Health Strategy. The
Australian Government also funds Primary Health
Networks, which assess the healthcare needs of
communities and fund health services to meet those
needs. We will work closely with the Australian
Government to align with the National Preventive Health
Strategy so Tasmania can benet from any investment.
Primary Health Tasmania
Primary Health Tasmania is a non-government, not-
for-prot organisation focused on connecting care
and keeping Tasmanians well and out of hospital. It is
one of 31 similar organisations under the Australian
Government’s Primary Health Networks Program.
Primary Health Tasmania works with communities to
understand health needs, supports primary healthcare
providers to deliver care, and funds services to address
gaps. We will partner with Primary Health Tasmania to
ensure we act in a coordinated way to help communities
access local data and to join up our funding and actions
where we can.
Health Consumers Tasmania
Health Consumers Tasmania aims to empower the
community to have meaningful input into Tasmania’s
health system, so it better meets their needs.
It does this by:
• f acilitating community conversations to identify
what health and wellbeing services people need and
working with them so they can have their voices heard
• s upporting the health system to listen and act on what
the community is telling them.
We will work with Health Consumers Tasmania to
consult with communities about preventive health
activities that will make a difference in their communities.
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Measuring progress
We are committed to understanding our impact
on the health and wellbeing of our community.
We already have many measures that help us
understand the health of Tasmanians, but there
are things we still do not know. By working and
learning with the community and others to ll in
the gaps, we can respond to new and emerging
knowledge and use this to guide our actions.
We are working with the University of Tasmania, The
Australian Prevention Partnership Centre and the
Tasmanian Collaboration for Health Improvement
to implement a research and evaluation framework
to measure Healthy Tasmania’s success and support
improvements in our future actions.
The framework shows how we will measure progress
towards achieving Healthy Tasmania’s vision. We will
monitor short- and medium-term progress so we can
review and, where necessary, improve activities to keep
doing better. The framework will allow us to detect
differences between population groups, enabling us to
respond more effectively to their needs.
The evaluation seeks to answer the following questions:
• Are the rates of chronic conditions and their risk
factors improving?
• Is there a reduction in the gap in rates of chronic
conditions and their risk factors between population
groups?
• Are the places where Tasmanians live, learn, work and
play more supportive of health and wellbeing?
• Do all Tasmanians have better access to the resources
they need for health and wellbeing?
• Are more Tasmanians as socially connected across the
life course as they would like to be?
The evaluation also seeks to understand how we are
working together to do this. For example:
• What actions best support community-led decision-
making in health?
• What approaches best support intersectoral
collaboration in health?
• Have we built greater organisational workforce
capacity for health promotion?
We will produce a baseline report of Tasmania’s current
health and wellbeing status so that we can monitor
changes. An interim evaluation report will be delivered in
2023–24 and a nal report in 2026–27.
The research and evaluation framework is an
accompanying document to support this strategy.
The types of measures we will
use to assess how the Healthy
Tasmania Plan is working include
the proportion of Tasmanians who:
• smoke
• eat the recommended amount of fruit and
vegetables
• do enough physical activity for good health
• are living with multiple chronic conditions
• regularly participate in sport and active
recreation
• use active transport
• have access to safe water and green space
• are condent to use health information
• drink alcohol at safe levels
• report being in good health
• report feeling lonely or socially isolated
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Next steps
Our early priorities are to:
• nalise the research and evaluation
framework by February 2022
• e nsure funding agreements are in place
for relevant election commitments by
February 2022
• nalise and implement the governance
framework by March 2022
• d evelop a communications and
engagement strategy by March 2022
• nalise the rst year Healthy Tasmania
Action Plan by April 2022
• r eview and launch the new Healthy
Tasmania Fund by June 2022
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Appendix 1
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Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Appendix 2
The policy landscape
Healthy Tasmania will be implemented in the context of
a diverse policy landscape, with a number of key state
and national priorities.
State
Our HealthCare Future: Advancing Tasmania’s Health
It Takes a Tasmanian Village: Child and Youth Wellbeing
Strategy
Strong Families Safe Kids
Department of Education Child and Student Wellbeing
Strategy
Tasmanian Active Ageing Strategy 2023—2029
Oral Health Promotion Strategic Plan 2017–2022
Tasmanian Women’s Strategy 2022–2025
National
National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030
Draft National Obesity Prevention Strategy
National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions
Australian National Diabetes Strategy
National Strategic Action Plan for Heart Disease and Stroke
COAG Health Council ve actions to limit the impact of
unhealthy food and drink on children
Priority populations
Cultural Respect Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Health 2016–2026
Aboriginal Cultural Respect in Tasmania’s Health Services
Community Consultation Report 2018
Improving Aboriginal Cultural Respect Across Tasmania’s
Health System Action Plan 2020–2026
Tasmanian Closing the Gap Implementation Plan
Health literacy
Tasmanian Health Literacy Action Plan 2019–2024
Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights
National Statement on Health Literacy – Taking action to
improve safety and quality (Australian Commission on Safety
and Quality in Health Care)
26TEN Tasmania: Tasmania Strategy for Adult Literacy and
Numeracy 2016-2025
Mental health and wellbeing
Rethink 2020: A state plan for mental health in Tasmania
2020–2025
The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan
Active living
Tasmanian Walking and Cycling for Active Transport Strategy
Getting Australia Active III: A systems approach to physical
activity for policy makers
Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines
Sport 2030
Tasmanian Sport and Active Recreation Strategy
WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030:
more active people for a healthier world
2050 Vision for Greater Hobart
Hobart and Launceston City Deals
Eating well
Food Relief to Food Resilience: Tasmanian Food Security
Strategy 2021–2024
Australian Breastfeeding Strategy: 2019 and Beyond
WHO Code: International Code of Marketing Breastmilk
Substitutes and Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulas
(MAIF) Agreement
INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity/
Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring
and Action Support)
NOURISHING Framework (World Cancer Research Fund)
Smoke-free communities
Tasmanian Tobacco Action Plan: reducing the use of tobacco
and related products 2022–2026
Smoke Free Young People Strategy 2019–2021 (Tasmania)
No One Left Behind: An action plan to achieve a smoke free
Tasmania 2018–2021
National Tobacco Strategy 2022–2030
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Reducing alcohol harm
Tasmania Drug Strategy 2021–2027
National Alcohol Strategy 2019–2028
National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Strategic
Action Plan 2018–2028
Climate change and health
Climate Change (State Action) Act 2008 (under review)
Climate Action 21: Tasmania’s Climate Change Action Plan
2017-2021 (under review)
Healthy Tasmania Five-Year Strategic Plan 2022–2026
Working together to build a better future after COVID-19
Healthy Tasmania will contribute to achieving the following Premier’s
Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council recommendations:
Recommendation 8: Comprehensively update regional land use strategies
Recommendation 30: Commit funding for various mental health and
community capacity building initiatives
Recommendation 31: Ensure that the Food Security Strategy: expands the
school lunch pilot to include community involvement; adopts a place -based
approach; includes strong links to agriculture and hospitality; and can be scaled
up to meet increases in need
Recommendation 32: Develop a comprehensive Tasmanian housing strategy that includes: population
growth and settlement planning; sustainable housing (energy and water efciency); and alignment of essential
social and economic infrastructure
Recommendation 34: Implement a range of measures to improve digital inclusion, which means having access
to the internet and devices, the nancial means to get online and the condence to use the internet safely
Recommendation 35: Fund community -led, place -based recovery activities and give priority to activities that
increase community connection, including collaboration across community organisations
Recommendation 36: Establish scholarship funding to support community leadership
Recommendations 38 –42: Develop a sustainability vision and strategy for Tasmania.
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