Public Health

Council is the local public health authority for its area and functions under the SA Public Health Act 2011 (the Act) is prescribed to promote and to provide for the protection of the health of the public of South Australia and to reduce the incidence of preventable illness, injury and disability.

News and Updates

Health Beauty and Skin Penetration Newsletter Autumn Edition 2020

Health Beauty and Skin Penetration Newsletter Winter Edition 2020

Health Beauty And Skin Penetration Newsletter Spring Edition 2020

Regional Public Health Plan

The City of Mount Gambier Regional Public Health Plan 2021-2026 has been developed in accordance with the South Australian Public Health Act 2011.

This is the second plan, updating the Regional Public Health Plan 2015-2020, developed under the legislation which identifies that Council is the relevant local public health authority for its area. Under this Act Council is delegated functions to take action to preserve, protect and promote public health within its area.

The SA Public Health Act 2011 defines public health as:
1. Public health means the health of individuals in the context of the wider health of the community;
2. Without limiting the definition of public health in subsection (1), public health may involve a combination of policies, programs and safeguards designed –
- to protect, maintain or promote the health of the community at large, including
where one or more persons may be the focus of any safeguards, action or response; or
- to prevent or reduce the incidence of disease, injury or disability
within the community.

The City of Mount Gambier’s Regional Public Health Plan has been developed to align with the State Public Health Plan 2019-2024 and follows four key priority areas identified:

1. Promote:
Build stronger communities and healthier environments,
2. Protect:
protect against public and environmental health risks and respond to climate change,
3. Prevent:
prevent chronic disease, communicable disease and injury, and
4. Progress:
strengthen the systems that support public health and wellbeing.

Hoarding and Squalor

Hoarding and squalor symptoms include the acquisition of too many things, difficulty discarding, excessive clutter that interferes with the home environment occasionally with unsanitary conditions, all of which can cause distress.

If challenging living conditions such as these are negatively impacting you or someone you know, please see the above public health link to the hoarding and squalor website for further information.

Hairdressers, Beauty and Skin Penetration Facilities

Monitoring of hair, beauty and skin penetration businesses (e.g. acupuncturists, tattooists and body piercers) that are registered with Council, against the Department of Health Guidelines, forms part of the health prevention program conducted by authorised officers. This is undertaken with the use of an annual self audit and onsite inspections for high risk rated services. Business operators are requested to register with Council (see Public Health Forms) and provide service and contact details.

Communication with the local industry to provide updates and notification of trending issues when received by SA Health is an important step in health protection. Home based activity is included and a leaflet is available on Council’s Development Forms and Leaflet webpage to assist with Planning requirements, if any. These services are inspected to ensure that equipment/premises are hygienic and that appropriate procedures are in place to help protect the community and service providers from the spread of communicable diseases/conditions.

Service operators can display Council’s letter of registration acknowledgement introduced in 2016 which provides community awareness of those being monitored under the Act. A checklist for fit-out of a hair, beauty and skin penetration premise (see above Public Health Form section) has been created to assist with requirements under the relevant guidelines.

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