Priscilla Robinson The CODE Update is a new regular feature on the Intouch blog to keep readers informed of COVID-19 … More
Category: Uncategorized
Preventive approaches needed to improve child and youth health and wellbeing
Tracey Oorschot and Jane Frawley Child, youth, Indigenous and social policy advocates have campaigned for improved health and wellbeing of … More
Public Health in Queensland – a state election wrap
Paige Preston and Letitia Del Fabbro #QldVotesHealth #5percentforprevention #Qldvotes With only a few days left before the October 31st Queensland … More
Fact or Fiction? Debunking the myths around e-cigarettes
Michelle Jongenelis, Christina Watts and Maurice Swanson E-cigarettes have clearly made their way into Australian society. So, what’s the … More
International Safe Abortion Day 28th September – why do we keep celebrating it?
Suzanne Belton In the late European summer of 2018, I visited beautiful Portugal to meet with a lot of … More
We need to become healthier, faster
Terry Slevin The Australian Government is currently consulting on its National Preventive Health Strategy. The most important message they … More
New bushfire season prompts renewed call for action on climate
David Templeman, President of the Public Health Association Australia, former Director General of Emergency Management Australia With the start … More
Victoria may not set the gold standard but its COVID numbers far from fail on a global scale
Terry Slevin Listening to much of the commentary as Victoria has battled to get on top of its second … More
Timely COVID warning for millions of hay fever sufferers
With the arrival of spring, millions of Australians will experience the familiar sneezing, runny eyes and itchy throat associated with hay fever. As was experienced when COVID-19 took hold earlier this year in the Northern Hemisphere, with warming weather and higher pollen counts there’s a growing concern that the symptoms of coronavirus may be confused with hay fever.
Strengthening the public health workforce
Joel Negin A strong, effective public health workforce has been critical to Australia’s successes in preventing the worst of COVID-19. … More
ACT offers hope in national campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility
Toni Hassan The ACT government has committed itself to raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 in … More
Message to Territorians: don’t throw petrol on the fire, vote for climate action this Saturday
Rosalie Schultz Extreme heat is a critical health issue for Territorians, and its effects on our health are only worsening … More
Alcohol and young Australian women: a not so healthy mix
Increasingly, young women have become a higher risk group due to a combination of factors. A new study just released in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health aims to fill the gap from previous research, and in particular the alcohol related harm that may increase from ‘pre-loading’ and heavy episodic drinking (HED) amongst young Australian women.
Last to know: the European Union knows more about our trade talks than we do
In the negotiations for an Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement at present underway, the European Union is pushing for longer monopolies on medicines for its pharmaceutical companies.
Three things happened that show we need parliament urgently
Peter Tait Two things happened in late July that makes me worry for the future of the public’s health in … More
Where are all the public health workers?
Terry Slevin Significant gaps in the size, training, structure and credentialing of the public health workforce have been exposed as a … More
Smoking rates falling among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Christina Heris and David Thomas Following a history of being paid or provided with rations of tobacco, smoking is … More
Boris Johnson: could he really be a champion for public health?
Jane Martin and Alexandra Jones The United Kingdom’s ground-breaking obesity strategy, launched recently by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is close … More
Mental health and adaptation to climate change
Dr Fiona Robards, Co-Convenor Mental Health Special Interest Group, PHAA Climate change presents an existential threat. It is almost unbelievable … More
The false dichotomy of public health and the economy
Louisa Gordon Six months into the COVID-19 crisis and Australia is faring well on a global scale. Contributing factors … More
COVID Wars: Do we have the resources to take up the public health battle?
Terry Slevin, PHAA CEO On 25 January 2020, Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, made a public announcement that Australia had … More
Those who ‘pay the piper’ damage our health
Malcolm Baalman Should political donations from industries which sell harmful products, and then lobby governments vigorously to give them favourable … More
Nice to get a win for public health
Dr Ingrid Johnston and Professor Simone Pettigrew We often say in public health that it’s a long, hard game. … More
Let’s make the handshake history
As many Australians are emerging from lockdown and returning to workplaces, sporting activities and social meeting places, there’s a distinct nervousness and unease about how we greet our friends and colleagues after such a long time apart. For most people, the traditional hug and kiss are certainly off-limits until further notice. Many months of public health warnings and 20-plus hand washes a day, together with the rigorous use of hand sanitizer, has put the humble handshake onto the back-burner, at least for the time being.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration must do better.
Almost 2 years after complaints about numerous hangover products were submitted to the TGA they have finally published one outcome. The TGA agreed there was insufficient evidence to support claims related to hangover relief. This important result is buried in an obscure section of the TGA’s website, has not been publicised, and has yet to be applied to the many other products complained about.
Blame and COVID-19?
We remain in the midst of the world’s worst health crisis in a century. Millions of cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed around the world and hundreds of thousands of deaths have ensued. So, who should we blame? Well, I think a more important question is, where does blame get us?
Australia’s leading cause of preventable, non-genetic disability is not required to carry a warning: is that about to change?
Food safety ministers are being urged to prioritise the health of families and the community when they meet on 17 July to vote on an effective pregnancy health warning for alcohol products. Alcohol is the leading cause of preventable non-genetic developmental disability in Australia. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects between 2-9% of babies born each year.
COVID-19 policy responses show why political literacy is a public health issue
The adage “never discuss politics or religion” is invariably proffered to us with well-meaning intent at some point during our life. If anything, when it comes to public health issues, we need to be discussing politics more, not less, and certainly not avoiding it altogether.
It’s time to stop locking up 10 year olds
Many Australians would no doubt be shocked to learn that our current laws in every State and Territory allow children as young as 10 years old to be arrested by Police and sentenced to prison by Courts. That’s a primary school child, removed from their family, school and everything familiar to them, and locked in a cell. As a parent, it’s when your own child reaches the age of 10 that the horror of this possibility becomes real.
Standing against the slide to fascism: what can public health do now?
It is said that democracy is a frail flower in need of constant nurturing. Having decried our slip toward fascism (in Croakey and the Public Health Association of Australia blog) I thought it useful to think about actions the public health movement might take to stand up for democracy.
Black Lives Matter protests should proceed – safely
Two hugely important public health objectives – Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 have been framed as competing imperatives. They are not. The Black Lives Matter movement in Australia seeks to highlight the deplorable circumstances of disadvantage and discrimination experienced by Australia’s First people.
We don’t know if breastfeeding is rising or falling in Australia. That’s bad for everyone
As the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all too well, good health policy depends on prior planning, decisive action, and a willingness to spend money. But there’s another area where Australia’s willingness to plan and spend has fallen far short: monitoring breastfeeding rates.
Coordinating a response to bushfire and climate change crisis
By David Templeman, former Director General of Emergency Management Australia and President of the Public Health Association Australia As states … More
Chronic disease, health equity and COVID-19
One in two Australians has a chronic disease or condition such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or cancer. Chronic disease is driven – and made worse – by social and economic inequities; disadvantaged communities and groups experience higher rates of chronic disease and poorer health outcomes