Lily Pratt, PHAA Policy Officer
Each year, PHAA reviews many of its policy position statements, on matters ranging from Nuclear Weapons to Women’s Health. Our fantastic Special Interest Groups, in partnership with PHAA National Office, coordinate the policy review process, sharing their expertise to develop evidence-based, quality policy position statements.
Last week, we began publishing the draft new and updated policies for 2023 on the members-only section of our website, with the entire PHAA membership able to provide feedback to statements until Friday 30 June. This helps to ensure views from diverse perspectives form the policies that represent PHAA’s position as a whole.
We’ve had an excellent response so far from members during these early stages of the open review process, with several members already emailing with questions or feedback related to this stage. We encourage all members, no matter your expertise area or stage of your career, to provide feedback on the drafts available at this members-only, password-protected page.
Why is the policy review process important?
We aim to review and update each PHAA policy every three years to ensure policies are kept up to date with the latest evidence, are relevant to the current events, and remain accurate. The policies are reviewed by individuals and/or working groups from the Special Interest Groups responsible for that policy.
Which policies are up for review?
We’re reviewing a range of policies this year, including policy position statements on Abortion, Falls Prevention, Food Fiscal Policy, Rural Health, and more. Many have already been uploaded, but as more are submitted over the coming weeks, the members-only webpage will be updated.
What are policy position statements for?
There are many reasons why we have policy position statements. First, they are an evidence-based resource which can be used by any person, organisation, or government to help with developing or enacting policies on key public health issues. Second, they also assist PHAA in writing evidence-based submissions and advocacy letters to governments and other entities to advocate for the public’s health.
I’m not a subject expert; how can I contribute?
Even if you’re not an expert in a policy position statement’s area, you may have valuable ideas to provide. For example, if you have lived experience of a particular topic, spot something that doesn’t look right, find an inaccurate reference, or notice that a key area is missing from the policy’s actions – let us know!
We welcome all constructive feedback. Even if it’s not incorporated into the final policy position statement, it’s a useful exercise in reading and understanding policy-related documents (a great skill to develop early in your career).
Interested in viewing the draft policies and providing feedback? Log in to this members-only, password-protected page using your membership details.
To get in touch with us about the policies on the review page, email the Policy Team.
Are you interested in joining PHAA? Find out about membership benefits and how to join.
Image: Barney Yau/Unsplash
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