WHO country cooperation strategy at a glance: Australia

HEALTH SITUATION Australia’s population has one of the highest l ife expectancies globally. In 2015, l ife expectancy was 84.8 years for females, and 80.9 for males. The country also benefits from an established universal healthcare system, strong regulatory capacity, and demonstrated resilience to health security threats. However, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain one of the greatest challenges to Australia’s health. NCDs are increasingly common due to l ifestyle factors and an ageing population. In 2014–2015, an estimated 11.2 million adults (63%) were overweight or obese; and more than 11 mill ion Australians (50%) had at least one of eight conditions of chronic disease. Australia also faces challenges in health inequity, as people with socioeconomic disadvantages are often associated with poorer health outcomes. This includes subpopulation groups such as indigenous people, people with mental i llness and those living in remote areas. Despite the high life expectancy, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have a l ife expectancy of around 10 years less than the non-indigenous, and the proportion of indigenous people with disabilities is almost double non-indigenous people. Identifying and responding to mental health needs and increasing demands on the health budget are also challenges for Australia’s health-care system. HEALTH POLICIES AND SYSTEMS Australia’s universal health-care system combines free access to public hospital services and subsidized access to medical services/pharmaceuticals. Higher subsidies are given to those using services more often or those with lower incomes. The health system is structured around three levels of care: Preventive services; Primary and community health care; and Specialist and acute care in public/private hospitals and associated specialists. Australia continues to have strong regulatory capacities for medicines, medical products, vaccines, health workforce, health services, and quality and safety of healthcare. There are also information systems in place to ensure well-informed and effective health policy. Through a robust health system, an all-agencies and all-hazards approach to emergency management, a national incident room and a national medical stockpile, Australia remains well prepared in responding to potential emergencies such as the HIV/AIDS outbreak in the 1980s to more recent threats such as pandemic influenza. Australia is a leader in many areas of public health, including tobacco control. It was the first country ever to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products. Through additional measures such as strong tobacco taxation and anti-smoking campaigns, Australia has achieved one of the lowest national adult daily smoking rates globally (14.7% age-standardized, December 2015). COOPERATION FOR HEALTH Australia is an active WHO Member and contributes to shaping health agendas by sharing its experiences and learning from other countries to address health challenges and leverage new, cost-effective technologies. It is currently host to 46 WHO collaborating centres, working directly with WHO to promote health within the region and globally. Australia’s aid programme under DFAT includes the Health for Development Strategy 2015–2020, which invests in countries’ core public health capacities and combats health threats that cross national borders. This approach helps to establish country-level systems that are responsive to people’s health needs and to strengthen regional preparedness for emerging threats. The Australian Government is committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs through maintaining strong international engagement and coordination by advocating for the agenda’s effective integration in WHO, the broader United Nations System and other key fora. Australia http:// www.who.int/countries/en/ WHO region Western Pacific World Bank income group High-income Child health Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%) () Diphtheria tetanus toxoid and pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds (%) (2016) 94 Demographic and socioeconomic statistics Life expectancy at birth (years) (2015) 80.9 (Male) 82.8 (Both sexes) 84.8 (Female) Population (in thousands) total (2015) 23969 % Population under 15 (2015) 18.7 % Population over 60 (2015) 20.4 Poverty headcount ratio at $1.25 a day (PPP) (% of population) () Literacy rate among adults aged >= 15 years (%) () Gender Inequality Index rank (2014) 19 Human Development Index rank (2014) 2 Health systems Total expenditure on health as a percentage of gross domestic product (2014) 9.42 Private expenditure on health as a percentage of total expenditure on health (2014) 32.96 General government expenditure on health as a percentage of total government expenditure (2014) 17.31 Physicians density (per 1000 population) (2015) 3.496 Nursing and midwifery personnel density (per 1000 population) (2016) 12.566 Mortality and global health estimates Neonatal mortality rate (per 1000 live births) (2016) 2.2 [2.0-2.4] Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1000 live births) (2016) 3.7 [3.5-3.9] Maternal mortality ratio (per 100 000 live births) (2015) 6 [ 5 - 7] Births attended by skilled health personnel (%) (2013) 99.3 Public health and environment Population using safely managed sanitation services (%) (2015) 74 (Total) Population using safely managed drinking water services (%) (2015) 99 (Urban) Sources of data: Global Health Observatory May 2017 http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.cco WHO COUNTRY COOPERATION STRATEGIC AGENDA (2018–2022) Strategic Priorities Main Focus Areas for WHO Cooperation STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1: Enhancing health security  Strengthen national systems against infectious disease threats and support regional emergency preparedness, surveillance and response including compliance with the International Health Regulations (2005) and the regional implementation of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.  Australia will continue to play a key role in regional and global health security, in particular through supporting implementation of the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies and efforts to address antimicrobial resistance.  WHO will support Australia in protecting the health of Australians, as well as facilitate the provision of Australia’s expertise in health security to other countries – with a focus on adaptation of best-practice principles to national contexts and through support for capacity-building activities for other countries in the Region. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2: Promoting people-centred health systems and universal health coverage (UHC)  Exchange information and expertise to build people-centred health systems and public health capacity, with a focus on health systems policy towards UHC.  Australia will provide leadership in people-centred health systems and services in areas such as ehealth, health technology assessment and tobacco control, including sharing expertise with other countries and contributing to development and implementation of regional action frameworks.  WHO will facilitate collaboration between Australia and other countries in areas of health systems policy where Australia’s technical expertise and experience can benefit other countries. WHO will also facilitate the exchange of information between Australia and other countries in areas of shared interest and priority. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: Strengthening health regulation  Support regulatory strengthening for health services, health workforce, radiation, food safety and health products and technologies.  Australia will share expertise in building robust standards and strengthening regulatory systems across a range of areas, including in national improvements in the safety and quality of health care and registration and accreditation of health workers.  WHO will facilitate collaboration between Australia and other countries in health regulation, leveraging Australia’s experience to support strengthening regulatory systems in other countries, in line with best practices. WHO will also facilitate dissemination of information, best practices and experiences between Australia and other countries, drawing on existing global and regional networks of national regulatory authorities. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4: Working together to support WHO in its efforts to achieve organizational excellence  Build on the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the Organization is fit for the future.  Australia will work alongside WHO in support of organizational development at regional and global levels to continually improving WHO’s impact in countries and strengthening WHO’s leadership and convening role for health. Please note that the 3rd generation CCS 2014-20g finalize © W orld Health Organization 2018. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. This publication does not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of WHO. WHO/CCU/18.02/Australia Updated May 2018