8.1 Transforming social infrastructure to enhance quality of life
8.1 Recommendation Support Australians to enjoy a healthier, safer, more connected and fulfilled quality of life by facilitating targeted investment in the right physical and digital social infrastructure. Proposed sponsors: Department of Health, Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Department of Social Services, Australian Treasury Supported by: State and territory health departments, state and territory social housing providers, community housing providers, state and territory education departments | ||||
When this should impact: |
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| 8.1.1 Improve equity of access and facilitate safe, high-value, high-quality care for all Australians by accelerating the transition to digital health service delivery. This will help to achieve National Health Reform Agreement 2020-2025 goals. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments | |||
| Improve the value and quality of virtual health care services by developing digital health infrastructure transformation plans that identify and prioritise enhancements to existing hospitals, health services and primary care services. Proposed lead: State and territory health departments Supported by: Local health districts, primary health networks | |||
| Provide seamless connections to existing state and territory digital health capabilities through a program to increase primary health providers' digital capability. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments, Digital Technology Taskforce, Australian Digital Health Agency, primary health networks | |||
| Accelerate the adoption of high-quality virtual care across Australia by identifying and examining existing platforms, sharing successful digital health technologies, educating platform users and developing behaviour change programs based on learnings and practices. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments | |||
| Enable different digital health systems to work together and share meaningful information by developing a collaborative work program that integrates health services to provide targeted, patient-centred care across human services sectors, including disability, aged care and community welfare services. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supporting agencies: State and territory health departments, Australian Digital Health Agency | |||
| Improve digital health literacy for citizens and the health workforce through targeted education programs, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments, Australian Digital Health Agency, primary health networks | |||
| 8.1.2 Ensure Australia is always fully prepared for pandemics across all jurisdictions by preparing an effective national pandemic health infrastructure response program. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments | |||
| Ensure consistent readiness for pandemics by retaining and continuously improving COVID-19 pandemic infrastructure planning and preparations for emergency response hospitals, and make ongoing national arrangements to access private hospital infrastructure during pandemics. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments | |||
| Ensure appropriate supply of emergency facility materials by establishing national contracts with major supply chain providers for personal protective equipment (PPE), critical medical devices and other essential facility materials. Proposed lead: Department of Health Supported by: State and territory health departments | |||
| Progress the recommendations in the National Review of Hotel Quarantine to ensure Australia has appropriate quarantine infrastructure to respond to emergency situations, emergency evacuations or urgent scalability needs. Proposed lead: Department of Health (or other to be determined by National Cabinet) | |||
| 8.1.3 Deliver higher-quality school and early childhood education facilities that are well maintained and readily accessible to their communities by embedding place-based planning and asset management best practice. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: Department of Education, Skills and Employment | |||
| Enable more equitable access to early childhood education centres by facilitating cross-sectoral partnerships between centre operators and planning and transport departments to support better access and transport connectivity, especially in the planning of new centres. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: State and territory planning departments, state and territory transport departments | |||
| Continue to develop state asset registers that identify the quality, condition and performance of early childhood education facilities, including best-practice asset performance methodology (such as a Value Rating Tool), to inform evidence-based decision-making on future infrastructure investment. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: Department of Education, Skills and Employment | |||
| Extend the longevity of existing school infrastructure through long-term asset management plans to progressively address maintenance and refurbishment needs. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: State and territory treasuries | |||
| 8.1.4 Ensure Vocational Education and Training (VET) aligns with industry-specific skills building and jobs growth objectives by designing, delivering and operating VET infrastructure appropriately. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: Vocational Education and Training providers, Department of Education, Skills and Employment | |||
| Provide contemporary education facilities by investing in VET facilities that are appropriately located, integrated into the local area, fit-for-purpose and digitally enabled, and include contemporary industry equipment. Proposed lead: State and territory education departments Supported by: State and territory treasuries | |||
| Deliver industry-specific VET skills training and tertiary programs in targeted industry precincts by developing and implementing more industry partnerships and programs that share infrastructure and learning spaces. Proposed lead: State and territory economic development departments Supported by: Vocational Education and Training providers, universities | |||
| Ensure enduring skills development opportunities and jobs are created in line with the infrastructure pipeline by continuing to mandate industry-relevant onsite training facilities and skills legacy initiatives in infrastructure development programs. Proposed lead: State and territory economic development departments Supported by: State and territory infrastructure departments | |||
| Support workplace-based learning accreditation schemes in industry precincts by actively participating in developing micro-credential curricula and accreditation. Proposed lead: Vocational Education and Training providers Supported by: Industry representative groups | |||
| 8.1.5 Enable greater social and economic participation by designing programs to increase the supply and improve the quality of social and affordable rental housing. Proposed lead: State and territory social housing providers, community housing providers, National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Supported by: Department of Social Services, Australian Treasury | |||
| Expand the pipeline of well-located, high-quality social and affordable rental housing by prioritising and implementing efficient medium-to long-term financing programs. Proposed lead: National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, state and territory social housing providers, community housing providers Supported by: Australian Treasury, Department of Social Services | |||
| Improve housing quality by developing and implementing innovative efficient programs to reduce the maintenance backlog of social dwellings within their remaining economic life while recycling stock that has reached or passed the end of its economic life. Proposed lead: State and territory social housing providers, community housing providers Supported by: Department of Social Services, National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, Australian Treasury | |||
| Meet the Closing the Gap target for 88% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be living in appropriately sized housing by 2031 by: • addressing maintenance and utility deficiencies for existing and future housing stock • renewing life-expired housing stock and developing new housing stock • addressing tenure issues • providing infrastructure to prepare for land development. Proposed lead: State and territory social housing providers, community housing providers, Department of Social Services, Coalition of Peaks Supported by: National Indigenous Australians Agency | |||
| Support community housing providers by continuing to develop and implement programs that build capacity and capability. Proposed lead: State and territory social housing providers, National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Supported by: Department of Social Services, Australian Treasury | |||
| 8.1.6 Support mental and physical health through appropriate investment in green and blue and recreational infrastructure. Proposed lead: State and territory planning departments Supported by: Local governments | |||
| Improve health and wellbeing by developing an appropriate methodology for analysing public space performance, including green and blue infrastructure. Review methodologies used in Australia and develop place-based access benchmarks across geographies. Proposed lead: State and territory planning departments Supported by: Local governments | |||
