Painaustralia welcomes Greg Hunt reappointment

After a turbulent week in August, Painaustralia welcomed the re-appointment of Hon Greg Hunt MP to the role of Health Minister under Prime Minister Morrison’s Ministry. CEO Carol Bennett said Painaustralia looks forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Hunt on chronic pain, an issue that impacts one in five Australians.

“Chronic pain is without a doubt one of the most significant issues facing Australia. Today, Painaustralia welcomes the reappointment of Hon Greg Hunt MP to the role of Health Minister, a role in which he has made many advancements for chronic pain,” Ms Bennett said.

“We are also pleased to note that in his first press conference as Prime Minister, Mr Morrison has recognised the challenges of chronic illnesses in our country. Chronic pain is common, often unaddressed link across the spectrum of chronic conditions, and we must address pain as a vital part of reducing the burden of chronic disease and illness in Australia,” Ms. Bennett said.

The Coalition Government has committed to addressing chronic pain, including funding a National Action Plan on Pain Management to improve quality of life for the millions of Australians living with pain, their families and carers.

“We have been pleased to see Minster Hunt’s leadership in addressing chronic pain as a national health priority – one of the leading causes of disability, absenteeism and forced early retirement in Australia.”

A national action plan is an important step towards enabling better awareness, and increased access to prevention and early intervention, treatment and support, and research and evaluation.

“These are the key components to ensuring quality of life and limiting the escalating social and economic costs of unmanaged pain. Chronic pain costs our economy more than $34 billion per year including; health costs, social security benefits and lost productivity. Pain impacts the wellbeing and mental health of millions of Australians, disrupting families and weakening our communities.

“Pain is also common to many chronic conditions and its impact spans the health, disability and ageing systems. But if proactively addressed, we can significantly reduce the burden of disease. Painaustralia looks forward to working with Minister Hunt, the Australian Government and our members and partners to progress this important work,” Ms Bennett said.