Our CEO Yvette Waddell joins the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Australian Federal Minister for Health and Key leaders from Vision 2020.

Sydney Australia, 12 September, 2019: Key eye health and vision care representatives were in Canberra yesterday, meeting with the Minister for Health Greg Hunt and the Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt to discuss issues relevant to the sector in the lead up to 2020.

The delegation included Vision 2020 Australia CEO Judith Abbott along with representatives from several member organisations, including Dr David Andrews from RANZCO, Jennifer Gersbeck and Shaun Tatipata from The Fred Hollows Foundation, Yvette Waddell from BHVI, Lyn Brodie from Optometry Australia, Dr Dawn Casey from NACCHO and Professor Hugh Taylor from IEH at the University of Melbourne.

The agenda was headlined by discussions around the next steps in the implementation of Strong eyes, strong communities – the five-year plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Eye health, including COAG Health Council engagement. Minister Hunt reiterated the commitment to ending avoidable blindness by 2025, as part of Australia’s Long Term National Health Plan, and was supportive of a 2020 National Eye Health Survey. Also discussed was the opportunity for Australian Government leadership in the international eye health space.

The meetings were very positive, with both ministers showing a genuine desire to engage with the sector and a willingness to collaborate to help find solutions to key issues in eye health and vision care.