What is the Healthy Communities Initiative?
Promoting Healthy Cycling in your local community > What is the Healthy Communities Initiative?
Through the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health the Australian Government is providing $71.8 million over four years from 2009-10 to support Local Government Areas (LGAs) in delivering effective community-based physical activity and healthy eating programs, as well as developing a range of local policies that support healthy lifestyle behaviours.
The Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity in Australia by maximising the number of at-risk individuals engaged in healthy lifestyle programs. The program targets individuals not predominantly in the paid workforce and at risk of developing chronic disease.
The HCI is providing two types of grants:
National Program Grants
The HCI is providing $6.52 million in National Program Grants to enable organisations to expand their healthy lifestyle programs nationally, particularly to a majority of the LGA's participating in the Healthy Communities Initiative.
The National Program Grants have been awarded to six organisations, all of whom train community members and/or qualified fitness or health professionals to deliver the program in their local communities. AustCycle was granted $1 million to June 2013 to roll out the AustCycle program in to all remaining states and territories.
Grants to Local Government Areas (LGA’s)
The HCI is also providing grants to 92 LGA’s in rural/ remote, regional, outer-metropolitan and metropolitan areas over three years to support the delivery of HCI programs. .
A Healthy Communities Co-ordinator within each LGA will oversee and coordinate the implementation of the HCI program within their LGA.
For more information on the HCI program or to see which 92 LGA's were awarded grants visit http://www.health.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/Content/healthy-communities
