It gives me great pleasure to inform all EHA members throughout Australia that the national Board has re-established EHA back into the state of Victoria. Victoria is now open for EHA business!
I congratulate all members of the national Board, as well as the national Executive Officer, for this significant achievement. The unannounced departure of the original Victorian Branch some 2 years ago left EHA in an unenviable position and our consolidation and recovery since has been quite costly in terms of time, expense, progression of projects and achieving timely outcomes for members.
EHA is once again a cohesive and truly unified national organisation with strong ties between the state members and with the national body. We have now achieved reunification with the breakaway WA group and have now re-established in Victoria. This is most significant because EHA is a full member of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) and when I am representing EHA at the IFEH Council meeting at the World Congress in Las Vegas in July I can proudly declare that EHA is the only national professional organisation representing environmental health practitioners in Australia.
The EHA Board has a long standing and open invitation for EHPA to rejoin EHA even as an associate member. Unfortunately this has not been favourably considered by their Board to date. Nevertheless all EH practitioners in Victoria will be invited to rejoin EHA, at their convenience, and we are optimistically anticipating a constant trickle of new membership applications from here on in.
The 39th EHA National Conference in Adelaide from 15th – 17th October 2014 is shaping up as another exciting and worthwhile event on the national environmental health calendar. The EHA (SA) Board is working overtime to ensure that the conference meets the high standards of previous recent national conferences. I look forward to welcoming many of you to this event which will hopefully include some of our Victorian colleagues.
In closing, I again offer my congratulations to the hard working national Board for weathering the storm, righting the ship and proudly steaming into port to do business again in Victoria. Well done!
Mark Dwyer
National President EHA Ltd
Queensland
President's report - Vince Stephens
“The only job security you have today is your commitment to Continuous Personal Development”.
Ken Blanchard
Author of ‘The One Minute Manager’
Greetings Member,
Currently, we are preparing the Program for our Annual State Conference. As you are reading this article, the Program will be completed and the preparations for the Conference will be finalised.
This year, the Theme – Collaborate and Innovate – acknowledges that Environmental Health Officers are not the only profession interested in or working towards a healthier community and environment. With the development of new industries and the massive growth in the resource sector, the Conference Committee have secured Keynote Presenters from these areas and they will share how they are contributing to the protection and improvement of public health and the environment.
This year, we have already conducted the following Training Courses - Advanced Food School and Public Health School with a Noise Management Course coming up in July and the Disaster Management Course being presented in Townsville in August, just prior to the State Conference. As you can imagine, the EHA (QLD) INC Board have been very busy in providing all the resources and opportunities for members to maintain their skills and knowledge.
The new EHA (QLD) INC Web Site http://www.ehaqld.org.au/ makes it easier for you to register and pay for all Training Courses, so there is no reason to miss out. The web site also tracks your attendance at Conferences and Training Courses and automatically accumulates your CPD (Continual Professional Development) points. Personal growth and development in your chosen profession does secure your future as an Environmental Health Officer.
As the South Westerly winds blow and we shiver through the remaining months of winter, remember we are gathering in Toowoomba for the State Conference from 7th-10th September 2014. I look forward to welcoming you to my home town during the Spring Carnival of Flowers.
Keep well,
Vince
New South Wales
President's report - Jody Houston
The EHA (NSW) INC Board
The NSW Board’s Planning and Strategy Meeting occurred in February, the next face to face meeting is scheduled for September 2014, to have your input or say on direction or focus for 2014, please send via email to nsw@eh.org.au or your local member representative. The annual state conference will be held in Mudgee, NSW, on 30 and 31 October 2014 and all Environmental Health professionals are welcome. In NSW the change of government continues to have an impact on the Environmental Health profession with continued reviews of legislation and departments.
Local Government
An Independent Local Government review has been ongoing for the past 2 years and the panel have provided recommendations to the Minister for Local Government and the Premier to consider. Amalgamations are listed as one of the recommendations and over the next few years the affects of the changes are likely to impact council EHOs with regards to funding and resource allocation as well as potential amalgamations. Click here for the final report and a link to the Independent Local Government Review Panel. In conjunction with the Independent Local Government review is a review of the legislation, information on the Local Government Acts Taskforce, further information from the NSW Department of Local Government is here.
State Government
The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) have recently been through major restructures where by a number of staff reductions have occurred. Services have been streamlined and cost savings continue to be at the forefront.
NSW Environment Protection Authority
NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the EPA is to be held into the performance of the regulatory authority. The inquiry comes after controversies over EPA’s performance including its management of coal dust pollution in the Hunter, the mercury and other toxic chemical contamination in the Botany Hillsdale region and its alleged failure to protect koala habitats in the Royal Camp State Forest. Further information on the inquiry from the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) is here. The EPA statement is here.
NSW Food Authority
The Food Regulation Partnership between state and local government continues. EHA (NSW) INC is represented on the Food Regulation Forum that meets 3 times per year. The first meeting both the Vice President and President attended was in Bankstown, South Western Sydney. The next meeting is scheduled for July in Merimbula on the South Coast of NSW.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) are currently undertaking a review of licensing in NSW. EHA (NSW) INC is preparing a submission to the draft report, some significant recommendations have been made that affect the profession, further information here.
NSW Health
The Environmental Health Branch works in collaboration with the Public Health Network of 16 Public Health Units across NSW comprised of the Health Risk Policy Unit, Aboriginal Environmental Health Unit, Water Unit, Regulatory General Environmental Health Unit. Further information is here. NSW Health have launched a Hepatitis C Awareness Campaign, further information is here. EHA (NSW) INC has been involved in the review of the Skin Penetration Guidelines for Local Government and continues to represent on the Emergency Management training review as well as assisting with affiliation and relationships between Local Government and NSW Health Environmental Health Officers.
South Australia
President's Report - Alex Stedman and Helen Psarras
2013/14 has been a busy year for environmental health in South Australia. The much anticipated ‘Public Health Act 2011’ has celebrated its first birthday and is being recognised as a useful tool in our arsenal. In particular South Australian EHO’s are now able to take action against persons who pose a real or perceived risk to public health once certain requirements have been met. This has essentially allowed us to follow up all those niggly little issues that are next to impossible to foresee and capture in legislation without it becoming excessive and unwieldy.
Thus, as a profession, we have been sharing our experiences of the new tools increasing familiarity and confidence. Environmental Health Australia’s Special Interest Groups, the LGA and Legal associations have all proven invaluable at providing forums for these discussions with events well attended. Whilst this knowledge sharing has been a boon for EHO’s, it has resulted in a saturation of the training sphere and has reduced the opportunity for EHASA to hold formal events. In response the board are investigating niche markets and needs which may be filled best by our organisation.
EHASA are seeking to review the current AFSA pads with a view to incorporating risk classification systems into the useful tool. Driven by recent changes in South Australian food inspection recommendations and a realisation that many agencies both in here and interstate are crying out for a classification tool, a committee of professionals are assessing all options and hope to recommend changes shortly. We anticipate that this tool will allow agencies to justify inspection frequency, intensity and charges in a simple, straightforward and defensible manner.
Recent grants from the LGASA have allowed EHASA to pursue its knowledge base projects. Aimed at collating the best of all council policies, procedures and practices and placing them online for use by EHO’s. The project aims to support all EHO’s in the provision of their work. This, coupled with regular feedback and improvement will result in standardised methods of responding to the common issues which will allow each of us greater time to invest in alternative actions such as education, assessment or review. This project is currently collecting data which will be published online later in 2014 or early next year.
Classification of EHO’s has raised its head, with several reports over recent years indicating a bottleneck within the profession when older officers begin to retire with insufficient new professionals to fill this space. EHASA has commenced discussions with educational professionals and union representatives investigating opportunities to recognise the increase in officer responsibility and educational requirements and ensure that the profession remains attractive to high quality officers in the future. Whilst in its infancy this project is likely to raise significant interest over the following year.
Whilst it will surprise no one within the profession, EHO’s within South Australia have been acting in a highly professional capacity for years if not decades. Recent changes to legislation have recognised and enshrined this. It is a vote of confidence for professional officers on the part of lawmakers and the court and we should be proud of this trust and work to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities provided to us as a profession. Through information sharing, the hosting of forums, improvements to information on our website, training and representation of members, EHASA aims to continue to raise the image of the profession and ensure its attractiveness to future professionals.
Tasmania
President's Report - Mark Dwyer
Since the last national newsletter in November 2013 the Board has conducted three (3) successful and well attended professional development seminars in December, March and June for EH practitioners throughout the state.
The key topics discussed at the December and March seminars included the school based immunisation project, environmental consultant website tour, trade waste issues of concern, dealing with dead whales on public beaches, National enHealth Workforce Working Group update, asbestos issues, Primary Produce Safety Act (PPSA) 2011, the Heat Health Plan, drinking water quality guidelines, ready to eat meats survey results and tattoo working group update.
The June seminar was a very useful workshop facilitated by the EPA and with the focus on Level 1 activities and councils’ roles and responsibilities for regulating these activities under the provisions of the Environmental Management & Pollution Control Act 1994.
The Board also arranged a training course on Maintaining Infection Control Standards in Office Practice Settings which was, in fact, a useful training course on infection control practices in skin penetration businesses. It was the same course that was organised to be run in Tasmania in 2013.
The Board has developed and introduced a policy for considering the provision of financial support for members undertaking significant environmental health projects or presenting papers at major conferences. The Funding Assistance Program for Members is a tangible means of recognising members who ‘step up’ for public and environmental health / the profession and is a beneficial way of reinvesting back in the profession.
Graduates from the University of Tasmania’s Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health) course continue to find employment within local government around the state. Recent graduates include Madeline McKinnell (Central Coast Council), Cassandra Loring, Tara Patmore (Glenorchy City Council) and Jessica MacRae (Hobart City Council).
The new Tasmanian website now provides members with the on-line capability to personally manage their CPD points, book for attendance at seminars, training and conferences and access information from other member states and at a national level.
The 2014 state conference, ‘Environmental Health: Focusing On Fundamentals’, is scheduled for 17 – 19 September to be held in Launceston. This year the conference will feature a food safety workshop as well a technical tour, Get To Know (GTK) sessions and another broad range of presenters on topics of relevance. The new Minister for Health, Michael Ferguson MP, has agreed to attend and open the conference.
Victoria
President's Report - Susan Bennett
EHA has re-established itself in the state of Victoria following a two year absence which resulted from the unannounced pulling away of the original EHA Victorian Branch and that subsequently morphed into EHPA.
EHA is again the only national professional organisation representing environmental health practitioners throughout Australia. Do you want to know more? Contact details are as follows:
Local government issues – health plans, encroachments, amalgamations, carbon auditing
Communicable Disease - Immunisation
Workforce issues
There are also a series of both half and full day, pre and post conference workshops on Monday 25th and Thursday 28th August.
Workshop topics include:
Evidence Gathering for EHOs
Management of Hoarding in Domestic Residences
Assessing Acoustic Reports
Healthy Active by Design
Management of Mould
Risk Management for Regional Events
There’s something for everyone, including a gala dinner, so please join us!
Online registration and further information is available www.ehawa.org.au
Annual General Meeting
EHA (WA) Inc Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Monday 25th August 2014 at 5pm in Studio One, Crown Perth, Burswood. Six Board member positions will become vacant at the AGM. Nomination information has been sent to all members. Nominations for the Board close 5pm Monday 21st July 2014.
EHA (WA) - EHAA Amalgamation
All financial EHAA members have been successfully transferred in to EHA and they can now enjoy the benefits of being a member of EHA.
Regional Groups
All Regional Groups in WA have been invited to recommence a formal relationship with EHA. Formalizing the regional groups will allow for greater coordination amongst LGA’s in Regional WA and will help give the regions a voice to feedback into the EH industry.
EHA Workforce Skill Shortage Survey
Thank you to all members who participated in the online survey. Results will be aggregated into a report to be provided to the Australian Department of Health working group EnHealth for workforce planning and research purposes.
EHA (WA) Journal
'Environmental Health WA' is published in hardcopy and mailed to members twice a year. If you have an interesting article you would like to have included in the Journal please send to the editor wa@eh.org.au
FoodSafe
The review of FoodSafe is complete and work is progressing towards the production schedule to refilm the training DVD.
GREAT NEWS
Registration for the 39th National Conference is now open and available on the EHA SA website
The Conference organising committee and Environmental Health Australia (SA Branch) wish to advise that registration for the 39th National Conference to be held in Adelaide on the 15-17th October 2014 at Adelaide Oval is now open.
This year’s theme ‘Environmental Health – Howzat’ aims to celebrate the diversity of the Environmental Health Profession.
An exciting program is in store with presentations and case studies that address the topical and important issues facing today’s Environmental Health Officers.
Presenters from across the wider profession will share their skills and knowledge with the Environmental Health Community.
So, come and join your fellow environmental health professionals, share your experiences, celebrate our diverse role and the part we all play in protecting and developing our communities. Howzat!
Early Bird Registration is available until 31st August 2014.
Members $825.00 / Non Members $990.00
Animal Emergencies
Article and images provided by WSPA
Local government is at the forefront of emergency response and Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) will find themselves in situations where they need to manage animals in emergencies. Whilst each local community will have different needs, animals live in all communities and regardless of the types of disasters experienced in the local area, animal management needs to be included in disaster planning.
There was strong local government representation to discuss this topic at the Building Capability in Communities: A National Approach to Animals in Disasters workshop co-hosted by World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the Department of Agriculture/Australian Animal Welfare Strategy in September 2013.
This was the third annual workshop on the topic and at the workshop, delegates reflected upon progress over the past twelve months towards integration of animals into emergency management planning within many jurisdictions at state/territory and local government level.
Achievements include the formation of the National Advisory Committee for Animals in Emergencies and endorsement of the National Planning Principles for Animals in Disasters by the national Animal Welfare Committee in June 2013.
At the workshop, keynote speaker Victorian Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley spoke of the difficulty that many people have in leaving behind their loved and trusted animal companions in emergency situations. This is welcome evidence of a ‘changing mood’ within the Australian emergency management community in relation to the importance of animals to human safety in disasters.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of Victoria, the Hon Craig Ondarchie MP, reinforced the commitment of the Victorian government to protecting communities and their animals, recognising that “the human-animal bond means people will put themselves at risk in emergencies”.
WSPA and the Department of Agriculture/Australian Animal Welfare Strategy agreed to continue to support progress through the National Advisory Committee for Animals in Emergencies, and to ensure a mechanism is established to allow for communication with stakeholders more broadly prior to the workshop in 2014.
The main recommendations for local government from the workshop included:
State/territory and local governments are encouraged to make use of the National Planning Principles for Animals in Disasters to guide planning for animals in disasters.
Local governments are encouraged to cooperate and collaborate when planning for animals in disasters, especially in sharing resources, expertise and training opportunities.
First responders in disasters are encouraged to consider the human-animal bond in their messaging to the community in disaster situations.
State/territory and local governments are encouraged to involve first responders in disasters in the planning process for animals in disasters.
The National Advisory Committee for Animals in Emergencies will work to implement these recommendations and to encourage animal owners to accept responsibility for their animals in disasters. An action plan will be developed on the basis of the full gamut of findings and recommendations emerging from the workshop to ensure that we continue to make progress towards our vision: that animal welfare is accepted as core to emergency management and there are improved outcomes for animals in emergencies.
Animals in Disaster - Update
World Animal Protection (formerly known as WSPA) would like to share some exciting news following our commitment at the 2013 Building Capability in Communities: A National Approach to Animals in Disasters Workshop to keep stakeholders in the loop on developments with respect to protecting animals in disasters.
You have been included in this email update due to your interest/participation in the workshop. If you wish to opt out of these ad hoc progress updates, please reply to let us know.
We’re pleased to inform you that heads of departments responsible for emergency management have endorsed the National Planning Principles for Animals in Disasters through the Australia New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. This follows the endorsement of the National Planning Principles by animal welfare authorities of the Commonwealth and jurisdictions through the Animal Welfare Committee in 2013.
This means the future is looking brighter for animals in disasters in Australia.
We encourage all parties to consider the National Planning Principles for Animals in Disasters on the back of this high-level endorsement of their value in improving animal welfare and community resilience in disasters.
We continue to work with the National Advisory Committee for Animals in Emergencies towards our vision that animal welfare is accepted as core to emergency management and there are improved outcomes for animals in emergencies. The committee will next meet on Wednesday 20 August in Sydney.
News in Brief...
World Environmental Health Day - Friday 26th September 2014
The theme of the 2014 World Environmental Health Day is Addressing Environmental Health Inequalities.
How will you celebrate World Environmental Health Day on 26 September 2014?
Environmental Health University Course Accreditation
Bachelor of Environmental Health being offered by Griffith University has been accredited by Environmental Health Australia for a period of 5 years.
Pilot of Food Sampling App.
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has announced that MAV Technology and the Department of Health have developed a new food sampling app which will be piloted in June. The app streamlines the reporting process for local government EHOs.
After the pilot in June, the app will be rolled out to all councils in July. The app will be supported and maintained for 5 years.