Municipal public health planning

Page contents: Amendments to the Health Act | Bushfire-affected municipalities | New public health planning laws | Further information

Amendments to the Health Act

Recent amendments to the Health Act 1958 mean Councils are required to prepare a Municipal Public Health Plan within 12 months of the last local council general elections – that is by 27 November 2009. Plans will cover the period November 2009 to November 2013.

• New requirements address the development, implementation and evaluation of Municipal Public Health Plans. 
• As far as is practicable Councils should prepare a new plan or amend their existing plan to ensure consistency with the new requirements by 27 November 2009.  

Bushfire-affected municipalities

The Department recognises that a significant number of councils are involved in the bushfire recovery effort and that this will continue over the coming months. We understand that Councils servicing bushfire affected municipalities or that have diverted resources to such areas may have difficulty meeting this timeline or making significant changes to their plans. These councils are encouraged to contact their DHS regional public health manager at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss these matters.

New public health planning laws

The amendments are intended to facilitate the smooth transition to new public health planning laws that will come into effect on 1 January 2010 under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.

They are also designed to bring all Councils onto the same planning cycle based on a synchronised, four-yearly cycle linked to the general election cycle, in preparation for implementing the new laws.

A factsheet about the new requirements was forwarded to councils in March 2009.

Further information

For further information councils should contact their DHS Regional Public Health Manager.