Category: Public Health
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Behind the thinking of the government response to the Murphy Report
Malcolm Baalman A government ‘Impact Analysis’ document quietly released by the ‘Office of Impact Analysis’ (OIA) a few days ago provides some explanation of the origin of Prime Minister Albanese’s new minimalist approach to gambling reform. The policy statement by the PM last week failed to meet any of the…
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My battle to counter second-hand smoke in strata buildings in NSW
Alisa Vartuli Change often starts from the ground up, but meaningful and lasting change also requires leadership and collaborative action. Nowhere has this been clearer to me than in my own home. When my young family moved into a strata building, I never imagined we would face a health challenge…
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WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States
World Health Organization Note: This statement, published on 24 January 2026, is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of…
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Eight ANZJPH articles that made headlines in 2025
Hollie Harwood Each year over 1.1 million readers visit and download articles from the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH). While our journal citations measure impact, they don’t capture one of ANZJPH’s unique strengths – the way that our evidence-based articles influence policy and practice, support advocacy,…
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2025 brought big break-throughs for public health
Terry Slevin As 2025 winds down towards a holiday season, it’s time to reflect on the year that was for public health issues. 2025 will be long remembered as the year that Parliament created the national Centre for Disease Control from the current interim version. After decades of advocacy…
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Reflections on SA Population Health Conference 2025
Eva Kemp, Sharon Kemboi, Honoka Nishida, and Lynne Lagahit The South Australian (SA) Population Health Conference is getting bigger each year. Held on 24 October, this year’s conference had 78 abstracts and 140 attendees. Some of the PHAA SA Branch student representatives reflected on their experience and shared what they…
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Playing the long game: 40 years of Quit
Thomas Kehoe Australia is lauded for its leadership in the global fight against tobacco. This is exemplified in passing new tobacco control interventions to tackle tobacco induced disease, which began on 1 July. Measures include graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and sticks, and a ban on menthol and other…
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Reflections on Australian Public Health Conference 2025
Allana O’Fee, Robert Nersisyan, Khushi Makwana, and AnnMarie Eke-Uka Our Australian Public Health Conference was this year held on Dharawal Country / Wollongong in September. Around 400 delegates discussed public health challenges around the conference theme ‘leadership and collaboration to connect a divided world’. Scholarship winners Allana O’Fee, Robert Nersisyan,…
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Save UTS Public Health School and strengthen health education
Ximena Tolosa, Andrea Britton, Jesse Hoopes, Md Saiful Islam, Lisa Sharwood, Sandra Steele, Andrew Japri, Peter Black The PHAA One Health Special Interest Group (SIG) stands with the Australasian Epidemiological Association, the Medical Journal of Australia and other institutions in opposing the proposed closure of the School of Public Health…
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Improving access to healthy local food in regional and rural communities
Stephanie Godrich, Rebecca Lindberg, Kate Wingrove, and Cherie Russell Australia’s national food system is fragile. Climate disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic show how quickly crises or disasters result in people being unable to find food. This is particularly true for those in regional and rural areas. Our national food system…
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How my PHAA internship awakened my voice in public health
Mahnoor Muhammad Growing up in Australia as a second-generation migrant Pakistani woman, I’ve always carried two worlds with me. At home, I was surrounded by vibrant culture, language, and food. Outside, I often noticed the gaps, health advice that didn’t reflect our diets, systems that weren’t built with people like…
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From heartache to healing: managing loneliness & loss
Tania Dey, Anders Magnusson, and Deborah Forsythe Grief is a universal experience. Yet, it is challenging to identify those grieving. Research suggests that when someone dies, four to 10 people are impacted, so it is not just one life that changes – but many. About five to 10 per cent…
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Pushing back against public health threats in Aotearoa New Zealand
Luke Garland and Cadence Kaumoana The Public Health Association of New Zealand (PHANZ) has released four policy position statements, reaffirming our commitment to a fairer, healthier Aotearoa New Zealand. These statements reflect PHANZ’s vision of Hauora mō te katoa – oranga mō te ao (“Good health for all – health equity in…
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Productivity Commission report reveals “nuts” Budget barrier
Productivity Commission report reveals “nuts” Budget barrier PHAA Media release 14 August 2025 The Productivity Commission’s interim report, Delivering quality care more efficiently, released overnight, has highlighted a glaring barrier in the Federal Budget process which hampers investment in prevention, Australia’s peak body for public health says. “The saying goes that…
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Act quickly ahead of our journal’s 1 Aug publishing fee rise
Anne Brown and Kathya De Silva Amid rising costs and persistent pressures in academic publishing, peer-reviewed journals face increasing challenges in upholding standards and delivering high-quality service to their scholarly communities. Our official publication, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH), is not immune from those pressures.…
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Ahead of proposed social media ban for young Australians, are there other protections?
Rebecca Raeside, Melody Taba Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, recently addressed the National Press Club outlining how their office will be implementing the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it now comes into effect this December (delayed from October). The legislation prevents under 16-year-olds from having social media accounts,…
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Dala ng Agos ng Pagbagago (Swept up in change): Elevating the stories of Filipino international health workers
Penelope Smith and Juhani Capeding What happens when the people who care for the world’s health are forced to leave their own communities behind? Every year, on average 13,000 Filipino health workers migrate in search of opportunity not just for themselves, but for their families. In Australia, many find new…
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In the settler colonial state, how do we incorporate decolonisation into curriculum meaningfully and successfully?
Shayal Prasad and Penelope Smith with Gem Allinson, Holly Donaldson, Dr Kath Francis, Isabelle Haklar, Angela Semanda, and Kesang Thrinlek In the following piece, we use the terms First Nation Australians, Indigenous People and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander as per the PHAA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to…
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Help shape the future of public health research
Have your say on what public health research matters most. Professor Luke Wolfenden Improving public health requires the generation and use of research to inform the decision making of policymakers, practitioners, and the community. At the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH), we want to use our…
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A year to celebrate historic public health wins
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, PHAA CEO As 2024 staggers to a close, Australia’s public health community has several reasons to feel a sense of achievement. It is time to reflect on what has probably been the best year for advancing public health causes in at least a decade. The good…
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Early interventions crucial for children’s mental health: Prof Sharon Goldfeld
PHAA The inaugural Preventive Mental Health Symposium, which happens in Melbourne and online on 12 March, marks the first time experts from the mental health and public health sectors get together to discuss ways to protect and promote mental wellbeing. It’s hosted by the Public Health Association of Australia, in…
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Mental and Dental: How systems thinking can transform oral health
Dr Silvana Bettiol, Associate Professor Archana Pradhan, and Professor Steve Kisely The increasing global challenge of mental health disorders poses a substantial burden on public health worldwide. Today, it accounts for approximately 5% of the worldwide disease burden. Those affected face an increased vulnerability to physical multimorbidity, encompassing conditions such…
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How do NGOs counter industry influence in the commercial determinants of health?
Dr Belinda Townsend, Dr Katherine Cullerton, Professor Sharon Friel, Tim Johnson, Dr Rob Ralston, Professor Jeff Collin, Liz Arnanz, Rodney Holmes, Jane Martin, and Professor Fran Baum Industry uses a wide range of strategies to promote their products and influence government regulation, including lobbying and political donations, funding research, co-opting…
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Safety must trump profit when it comes to consumer products
Dr Catherine Niven, Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Health Services Professor Kirsten Vallmuur, Chair of Trauma Surveillance and Data Analytics, Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation & the Jamieson Trauma Institute Are you one of the millions of Australians that think businesses are legally required to ensure their products are safe…
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Learn from different worldviews, says PHAA Mentor of the Year, Professor Rob Moodie
By Rob Moodie, PHAA Mentor of the Year Rob Moodie, Professor of Public Health at the University of Melbourne, was recognised for his commitment to mentorship at the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference. We chatted to him about his career and the importance of mentorship in public health. What was…
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“A career in public health can transform people’s lives”: Introducing Tan Nguyen, PHAA Fellow
By Tan Nguyen, PHAA Fellow Tan Nguyen was awarded a PHAA Fellowship during the recent Australian Public Health Conference in Hobart. We talked to him about his passion for public health and career to date. What was your reaction to receiving the PHAA Fellowship? I am really honoured to be…
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Reflections on the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference
Elise Rivera, Health Promotion SIG Travel Award Recipient This submission was written prior to the Voice referendum on 14 October 2023. It was a great privilege to be awarded the PHAA Health Promotion Special Interest Group’s Travel Award 2023 and attend the 2023 Australian Public Health Conference in Hobart.…
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A Voice to Parliament is a human right for Australia’s First Peoples
Honorary Assoc. Prof. Leanne Coombe, Policy and Advocacy Manager, PHAA I began writing this blog on the anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday 13 September 2007. Australia was one of only…
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“Trebilco Cresent”; A tribute for a wonderful PHAA leader
Adj Prof Terry Slevin, PHAA CEO A giant of public health, Peter Trebilco (1927 – 2017), now has a street in northwest Canberra named in his honour. It’s in the new suburb of Denman Prospect, which commemorates activism and reform. Here’s the story behind that fitting tribute (coloured in yellow,…
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A chance to check-in and ask R U OK?
A PHAA member Content warning – this blog contains discussion of suicide Today is R U OK? Day. I want to share my recent experiences and encourage people to not wait to check-in on people they know. One recent evening while watching recordings from the Preventive Health Conference 2023,…