Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
1622 COUNCIL Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Heart disease: Go Red for Women
Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) — My
question is to the Minister for Health, who is also the
Minister for Ageing, and I ask: will the minister inform
the house of the no. 1 cause of early death among
Australian women?
Hon. D. M. DAVIS (Minister for Health) — It is a
pleasure to take a question from a member for Southern
Metropolitan Region who is a good member; she is a
significant improvement on former members in that
position, Mr Thornley and Ms Huppert. Not wanting to
reflect on them, but one fled from the place and the
other was clearly a temporary member of this place. I
welcome Ms Crozier and the enormous contribution
she will make to this place. The matter she has raised
today is an important one. It concerns heart disease
among women, which is a significant cause — in fact it
is the no. 1 killer — of death among women. It kills
four times as many women as breast cancer does.
Today the Heart Foundation is asking women to take
up the fight against heart disease. It is an important day
as part of the Go Red for Women campaign. I know a
number of members in this Parliament are committed to
supporting that campaign. I certainly add my support to
that campaign, as most members of this chamber would
do. We know that the Healthy Heart Challenge, which
the Heart Foundation encourages, is an important step.
We know also that there are a number of warning signs
that women should pay attention to. They should have
their blood pressure checked and they should have their
cholesterol level checked, and they should do that with
their GP often. Equally there are other factors such as
waist circumference, diabetes and a history of heart
disease in the family that increase the risk of heart
disease.
A good factor, as the Heart Foundation points out
today, is that the disease is preventable. Actions can be
taken to prevent heart disease. I encourage Victorian
women to take those actions. I urge them to take those
tests to check for high blood pressure and cholesterol
levels and to take action from there.
The aim is to be active every day and to improve
nutrition, because we know that fruit and vegetables are
important in controlling the risk of heart disease, as is
improving knowledge of heart health and quitting
smoking — I note we discussed that in the chamber last
night. That is an important step, and lowering blood
pressure and cholesterol levels are also important.
I welcome the question from Ms Crozier. I add my
support to the Heart Foundation’s good work. I am sure
I speak on behalf of everyone in the chamber in
wishing it well with its work as an important
foundation. Its advocacy for heart health among all
Victorians and Australians is welcome. I wish today’s
activities great success.
Children: early childhood services
Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan) — My
question is for the Minister for Children and Early
Childhood Development. As the minister is aware, the
national quality framework, some aspects of which are
commencing on 1 January, will require early childhood
workers to get additional qualifications. Other than
funds carried forward from last year, what assistance
will the minister’s government be providing to support
early childhood professionals to upgrade their
qualifications?
Hon. W. A. LOVELL (Minister for Children and
Early Childhood Development) — I thank the member
for her question and the opportunity to talk on the
national quality framework and the fact that I am
chairing the ministerial council that is overseeing the
implementation of that framework. We all want to see
the highest quality of service in early childhood
education and care in Victoria. That is why we are
working towards the increased regulation of early
childhood services, which includes improved ratios and
better qualifications for early childhood teachers.
This budget has been a tough budget. We had to make
some hard decisions around projects that were funded.
As part of the funding that has come to the state to
implement the national partnership on early education,
there are seven key areas where funding can be
directed. One of those key areas is early childhood
qualifications. We are using money from our national
partnership funding — which is a specific purpose
payment that is given to the state to spend in the way
that it feels necessary to prepare for the implementation
of the national partnership on early education — to
fund qualification improvements and scholarships for
early childhood educators.
Supplementary question
Ms MIKAKOS (Northern Metropolitan) — I thank
the minister for her answer. It is interesting to note that
she is receiving money from the federal government,
because she is always complaining that the Gillard
government is not giving her enough money. It was
reported in the Age of Friday, 27 May 2011, that state
funding for workforce training programs — made
available, as I pointed out, in the forward estimates of
previous Labor budgets — was going to be redirected