The national public health performance project: How do we know whether Australian public health services are performing?

Public health in Australia can boast success stories in many areas, including immunisation, tobacco control, cervical cancer screening, prevention of HIV–AIDS, and prevention of SIDS. However, these successes have not been translated into increased investment in the public health sector. Expenditure on preventive and promotional services, as a proportion of total health expenditure, has remained static over the last 30 years. There has been only a minor increase in the ‘community health’ category, a classification that includes some public health activities but also a range of personal care services.