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Background

Following is a brief summary of the establishment of the National Public Health Partnership:

• 1995
  Chief Health Officers across the country commence discussions about the need for a national approach to public health leading to a proposal being put before the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC);

• October 1995
  The AHMAC consider the development of a national policy framework and plan for action for public health, in joint venture between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories and refer the matter to the Chief Health Officers for further development and discussion;

• Early 1996
  Preliminary consultations with relevant stakeholders;

• May 1996
  Agreement reached in principle to the concept of a proposed National Public Health Partnership(NPHP) between the Chief Health Officers of the Commonwealth and States and Territories, the Chair of the Council of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Director of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW);

• June 1996
  The meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) supports the exploration and development of long-term arrangements for system wide reform in relation to public health;

• July 1996
  Commonwealth and all State and Territory Health Ministers endorse the concept of a Partnership as the framework for nationally coordinated action to improve and strengthen public health efforts in Australia;

• August 1996
  A working Group of Chief Executives (known as the G9) conducts a workshop to progress the development of the Partnership;

• September 1996
  Consultation undertaken with key stakeholders on the basis of a discussion paper which outlined the proposal for a NPHP;

• October 1996
  Australian Health Ministers agreed to enter into a National Public Health Partnership for Australia as detailed in the discussion paper;
  The NPHP Group, the body to oversee the development and implementation of the NPHP work program,is established by the AHMAC;

• December 1996
  The first meeting of the NPHP Group takes place;

• February 1997
  The AHMAC endorses the Memorandum of Understanding developed by the NPHP Group to underpin the Partnership, setting out the roles and responsibilities of all the Partners;

• February 2003
  A new Memorandum of Understanding signed by Health Ministers to ensure continuation of the NPHP for another five years, from 2003-2007, inclusive.