Submission to the Senate Committee on transparent advertising and notification of pregnancy counselling services


Enquiry into the Transparent Advertising and Notification of Pregnancy Counselling Services Bill 2005.

Opening Statement- Mrs Marie Coleman, Convenor NFAW Social Policy Committee. Appearing Thursday 22 June 2006.

The National Foundation for Australian Women is committed in its social policy activities to the promotion of good social policy which is evidenced based. We see sound public administration as critical to the effective implementation of public policies, and to that extent encourage Parliamentary scrutiny as well as promoting good governance.

We have in recent times commissioned research from the National Centre for Economic and Social Modelling, and have this month jointly commissioned research on women’s working wages and conditions, in a consortium with the Women’s Electoral Lobby and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission.

We have been closely following the debates about health financing and possible restructuring of the respective roles in health service provision of the Commonwealth and the States and Territories. In 2005 we published a report entitled What Are the Health Challenges Facing Australia.

We have been interested in the debates taking place in the framework of the Council of Australian Governments. In particular, we noted and welcomed the announcement from the February 25, 2006 meeting of a new National Health Call Centre Network, which would especially but not exclusively assist people in rural and remote areas of Australia. This proposal for a national telephone inquiry and counselling service- a triage system, is to be jointly funded by States and Territories and the Commonwealth, and would build on similar systems already operating in a number of States and Territories. We understand that the basic organisation structure has been established, and that the tender will shortly be let.



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