On behalf of Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQld), welcome to the dedicated microsite that provides information and instructions for individuals interested in submitting an application for a Board Member role.
About Health and Wellbeing Queensland
Health and Wellbeing Queensland is a state-wide health promotion agency which was established on 1 July 2019, under the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Act 2019.
The Queensland Government has established Health and Wellbeing Queensland as part of its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders and reducing health inequity.
The challenges to the health of Queenslanders are significant and complex. Our modern, sedentary lifestyles have resulted in lower rates of physical activity and higher intake of high energy foods, which together significantly increase the likelihood of people having an unhealthy body weight. Furthermore, while many Queenslanders are living longer due to gains in life expectancy – living longer can also mean spending more time with illness that is largely caused by chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers.
There is broad scope for prevention and health improvement as about one-third of the burden of disease in Queensland can be attributed to the combined effect of preventable risk factors, such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. These factors, combined with a growing and ageing population, are negatively impacting the quality of life of Queenslanders, the capacity of the health system and the productivity of the Queensland economy.
A further key challenge for Queensland is the significant health inequity that is related to a person’s socioeconomic status, the remoteness of where they live and whether they are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Health and Wellbeing Queensland is initially focused on reducing the burden of chronic diseases through targeting risk factors for those diseases, such as obesity, poor nutrition and low physical activity; and reducing health inequity .
Health and Wellbeing Queensland is a unit of public administration under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001; and a statutory body under the Financial Accountability Act 2009; and the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982 .
Purpose
Under the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Act 2019 the main functions of Health and Wellbeing Queensland are to:
Facilitate and commission activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing.
Develop partnerships and collaborate across government and with other entities such as businesses, industry organisations, community organisations, academia, local governments and individuals, to further its objective and carry out its functions under the Act.
Give grants for activities to further its objective or carry out its functions under the Act.
Monitor and evaluate activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing.
Develop policy, and advise the Minister and government entities, about illness prevention and promotion of health and wellbeing.
Coordinate the exchange of information about activities to prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing.
When exercising these functions, Health and Wellbeing Queensland will seek to use an evidence-based and place-focused approach to target investments and efforts in locations according to local need.
Vision
Established by the Queensland Government, Health and Wellbeing Queensland reinforces the Government’s objectives for the community around unite and recover and specifically to achieve the objective of safeguarding our health.
