John Cornwall (South Australian politician)
| John Cornwall | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 January 1935 Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Veterinarian, politician |
John Robert Cornwall (born Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 1 January 1935) was a Labor member of the South Australian Legislative Council for 14 years, from 1975 to 1988. He was a senior member of the front bench for most of his political career.
John Cornwall studied at Queensland University graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in the 1950s. He ran veterinary practices in Mount Gambier and in Adelaide from 1961 to 1975.
Dr Cornwall served for more than six years in the State Cabinet, first as Minister for Environment and Lands in 1979, and then as Minister of Health and Community Services in two John Bannon governments, from 1982 to the end of 1988.
In the 1980s state health Ministers faced a number of challenges, among them Commonwealth-State financial arrangements under a new Medicare agreement, the structure of the State's health care delivery system, and questions about social justice and equity in public health. Dr Cornwall tightened central government control on hospital administration to improve public accountability and allow hospital services to be shared across the system to better meet patient needs and reduce waiting times.
Dr Cornwall fostered a new approach to health care in Australia that was inspired by the Health For All agenda of the World Health Organisation in the 1970s. It championed people increasing control over and improving their health, and viewed health status as inextricably linked to social well-being and economic conditions.
Dr Cornwall championed the development of health and community services for disadvantaged groups, such as women's health services, Aboriginal health services, child and adolescent mental health services, and child protection services. He developed a community-based system of health care that linked health care services to specific population or geographic areas, with funding granted on the basis of the needs of those areas. As part of these reforms a proportion of health care funds were reallocated from hospitals into areas of social disadvantage, resulting in better access to health services for people in social need.
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