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Population Health Queensland

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Environmental Health Branch

The Environmental Health Branch is responsible for developing policies and programs that are related to the parts of human health that are affected by the physical, chemical, biological and social factors that are present in the environment [1]. Our focus areas are:

• food safety
• health impact assessments (including major projects)
• Indigenous environmental health
• environmental toxicology and health risk assessments of environmental hazards
• water and waste
• drugs, poisons and therapeutic goods.

Key functions

Regulation
(in the food safety, drinking, recycled and recreational water, drugs and poisons, pest management and general environmental health regulatory areas).

• Develop operational policies, guidelines, procedures and standards (within a national context) for Queensland.
• Develop regulatory policy.
• Coordinate regulatory implementation to ensure appropriate public health outcomes.
• Roll out new public health legislation, including the new Health Act and regulations, the Food Act and the Drugs and Poisons Act.
• Coordinate enforcement and the monitoring of compliance across Queensland.
• Issue relevant licenses for drugs and therapeutic goods and pest management.
• Coordinate authorities, delegations and appointments of regulatory officers relevant to each public health Act/Regulation
• Manage systems to support quality public health regulatory practice.

Advice

• Provide advice to the Minister for Health, public health units and other government agencies on the health risks of environmental hazards.
• Manage Queensland Health's response to environmental impact assessments of state significant projects.  These are projects that are identified under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.
• Develop frameworks and guidelines to enable Queensland Health to assist local governments meet their public health responsibilities.
• Take part in national and state groups to promote consistency in responses to environmental health issues in Australia and Queensland.
• Support public health responses to disasters and emergencies. 
• Coordinate programs to address environmental hazards (including animal management) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities.

Administration

• Develop and manage information systems for environmental health.  These systems need to manage:
    - enquiries and complaints
    - issuing of licenses
    - distribution of Queensland Health's environmental health policies and practices.

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Contacts

Telephone: +61 7 3328 9310
Facsimile: +61 7 3328 9354
Postal Address: PO Box 2368 Fortitude Valley BC Qld 4006
Street Address: 1st floor, 15 Butterfield Street, Brisbane Qld
Email: ehu@health.qld.gov.au

1. enHealth Council, National Public Health Partnership. What is enHealth? Downloaded on 14th September 2005.

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