The Consumers Health Forum welcomes the new Shadow Health Minister, Chris Bowen, and thanks Catherine King for her commitment to consumers during her long service in the shadow health portfolio.

“Mr Bowen brings an impressive record to his new portfolio and we look forward to working with him,” the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum, Leanne Wells, said.

“It is encouraging to see that he has wasted no time setting out his key priorities including countering obesity and mental illness and closing the gap of Indigenous health disadvantage.

“We have identified obesity as one of our key priorities and we urge Mr Bowen to give serious consideration to the other two of our three top priorities --- building an integrated primary health system and developing a universal dental health scheme.

“His work as Shadow Treasurer marks Mr Bowen as an individual of thought and action.  The pressing needs in Australia’s health system provide abundant scope for this parliamentary term to work in a bi-partisan and cooperative fashion to address the many pressing issues we need to tackle in healthcare if we are to continue to meet the community’s expectations of our health care system.

“We also congratulate Julie Collins on her reappointment as Shadow Minister for Ageing and Seniors and on her new responsibility for the Women portfolio.”