Operation Blue

• Making a donation
• Offering program sponsorship
• Writing letters to the editor (eg. NT News, The Australian)
• Writing letters of support or complaint to Asthma Australia and Federal Minister for Health
• Contacting your local Federal MP or Senator
• Sharing our story as widely as possible, especially across social media

YOUR SUPPORT IS VALUED

POINTS OF NOTE

• Commonwealth funds to AFNT have dropped over five years from $160k to $42k.The allocation is from an annual pool of $2.1M.
• This has been a decision of Asthma Australia (AA) – an amalgamation of Asthma Foundations from QLD, NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and SA. It has no WA or NT representation, yet it has unilaterally determined how money for the nation-wide Asthma Management Program is spent
• The reduction in funds is not due to poor services or incompetent management. Asthma Australia CEO says: “Asthma Foundation Northern Territory is highly regarded for the quality of services that their asthma educators provide and the fact that they provide spirometry, which is a real gap in the market…..We would only want to see that continue.
• Asthma Australia Strategic Plan 2022-2024 says

“Asthma Australia is the nation’s peak asthma body and everything we do is dedicated to improving the lives of over 2.7 million Australians who live with asthma.”

“we know we can and must do better to ensure everyone can access appropriate services.”

These statements contrast with AA removing funds for existing and proven programs. Because of where they live, there are Territorians being deliberately blocked from services that have been provided for years. It is difficult to see how the removal of support is improving lives.

• Enabling visits to remote and regional centres allows AFNT to deliver precisely what the Asthma Management Program Final Evaluation Report found: “People with asthma are looking for a service which is less formal, more personalised and flexible so as to suit their personal circumstances”.
• Prior to 2018, Commonwealth funds supported face-to-face outreach to regional and remote parts of the NT. This is important when people first experience asthma and need accurate assessment and full instruction on devices, medications, monitoring and management. Face-to-face contact strengthens the personal and knowledge base for effective telephone and digital Interactions.
• AFNT has borne the costs to maintain face-to-face services in anticipation that AA would eventually restore funds for such a fundamental service to remote and regional NT. It has stubbornly refused. Nor has AA provided any plan for addressing the looming gap in services. AA has existed for 5 years and has not presented any replacement model.
• Funds for the Asthma Management Program are tax-payer dollars aimed at reducing the impact of asthma in the community. AFNT has consistently and significantly contributed to reducing the impact of asthma in the community over 40 years and yet the means for doing this has been severely reduced.
• Face-to-face visits are critical to compensate for a range of factors that put communities at a disadvantage: remoteness, limited transport, lack of health infrastructure (e.g. medical practitioners), language differences, available resources, and the unreliability or complete absence of telephone networks and digital services.

AFNT fighting funding cuts

Read and listen to interviews around AFNT's reduction in Commonwealth funding here https://rb.gy/cledwi

Letter of support from Prof Anne Chang to Minister Butler.pdf

Letter of support from Prof. Anne Chang to Asthma Australia.pdf

Letter of support from NTG Dept of Health_Letter to Asthma Australia.pdf