The Morrison Government has made a glaring omission after trying to play catch up on preventive health with the announcement of the Expert Steering Committee for the National Preventive Health Strategy.

Labor welcomes the announcement of an Expert Steering Committee for the National Preventive Health Strategy after the Coalitions disastrous de-funding of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency in the 2014 Budget.

But the Morrison Government has excluded two key groups who have a critical role to play in the Expert Committee for the National Preventive Health Strategy; nurses and pharmacists.

Nurses and midwives make up over half of the health workforce.

Community pharmacists support 450 million patient visits per year.

With such strong roles in Australias health care system it is imperative that they both have a voice at the table with the twenty three other Expert Committee members.

With just under half of all Australians having a chronic condition, there has never been a more important time to get preventive health policy right. Australia spends 1.34 per cent of total health expenditure on prevention, which has gone backwards under the Liberals.

Nurses and pharmacists must have the opportunity to provide input on Australias preventive health strategy and Minister Hunt should expand the Expert Committee as soon as possible.