Appendix 4
Selected recommendations from previous
parliamentary reports
The following recommendations made by previous Parliamentary
committees have direct relevance for the committee's inquiry into the Torres
Strait region
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Water,
Environment and the Arts
Selected recommendations contained in the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Water, Environment and
the Arts, Managing our coastal zone in a changing climate The time to act is
now, October 2009
Recommendation 13
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government take
urgent action to protect Australians from the threats of dengue fever and
chikungunya virus. The knowledge gaps identified by the National Climate Change
Adaptation Research Facility research plan with regards to the relationship
between climate variation and vector-borne disease should be urgently
addressed. The Australian Government should:
- undertake research into the relationship between climate change
and vector-borne disease
- produce modelling to allow for advanced early warning of
impending threats from vector-borne disease
- continue to work towards producing a structured national
framework for dealing with mosquito outbreaks in Australia
- increase biosecurity measures to better protect against
chikungunya virus entering Australia
Recommendation 17
The Committee recommends that the Department of Climate
Change, in collaboration with the Queensland Government, CSIRO and Indigenous
communities in the Torres Strait, undertake a major study into the
vulnerability of the Torres Strait to the impacts of climate change and provide
assistance in the development of an adaptation plan.
Recommendation 18
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government give
the five recommendations calling for information, studies and data, as proposed
by the Torres Strait Regional Authority, early and urgent consideration with a
view to their implementation.
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing304
Selected recommendations contained in the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, Regional health
issues jointly affecting Australia and the South Pacific, Report of the
Australian Parliamentary Committee Delegation to Papua New Guinea and the
Solomon Islands, March 2010.
Recommendation 2
The Committee recommends that collaborative research be
undertaken into the sexual networks that exist in the Torres Strait Treaty
zone, that includes the collection of data on the levels of Sexually
Transmitted Infections, including HIV, on both sides of the border.
Recommendation 3
The Committee recommends that the Australian government
facilitate forums for leaders in the region to come together at regular intervals
to discuss HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, and, in particular, to seek ways to
lessen the social stigma of talking about the disease.
Recommendation 5
The Committee recommends that the Australian government
partner with non-government organisations and communities to find nutritional
solutions that promote healthy eating and redress malnutrition, in affected
areas in the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea.
Recommendation 6
The Committee recommends that the Australian government
encourage and support further institutional partnerships and/or reciprocal
exchanges between the School of Medical and Health Sciences at the University
of Papua New Guinea and Australian universities.
Recommendation 7
The Committee recommends that the Australian government make
efforts to link Igat Hope with counterpart organisations in Australia to
strengthen their advocacy potential.
Recommendation 9
The Committee recommends that the Australian government
support additional health communications officer positions in the Torres Strait
and treaty villages of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.
Recommendation 10
The Committee recommends that the Australian government
install additional rainwater tanks in treaty villages in the Western Province
of Papua New Guinea.
Recommendation 11
The Committee recommends that any new health facility that
the Australian government helps construct should provide for staff
accommodation and ongoing maintenance, in consultation and partnership with the
local community.
Recommendation 12
The Committee recommends that the Australian government, in
conjunction with the Papua New Guinean government, facilitate more creative and
inclusive forums in which locals on both sides of the treaty zone border can
engage on health and other treaty related issues with each other and with
government officials of both nations.
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