Health experts meet in Canberra to discuss the politics of public health
Public Health Association of Australia
Nearly 500 health experts are gathering in Canberra and online this week to explore the role of politics in preventive health initiatives, including the influence of unhealthy industries on government policies.
The Preventive Health Conference, themed ‘Prevention is Political’, runs from Monday 28 – Wednesday 30 April. Sessions include:
- Unmasking the Hidden Influences: The Commercial Determinants of Health (April 30, 3:00-4:00PM); experts will expose the tactics that the gambling, tobacco, and unhealthy food industries use to influence policy and behaviour
- Indigenous Health is Political: Challenging Systems, Building Solutions (April 30, 9:00-10:30 AM); First Nations speakers will explore how Indigenous health is inherently political, drawing on their experiences
- Reframing obesity: The intersection of food, physical activity, and beyond (April 29, 1:30- 3:00 PM); international and local speakers will unpack the complex factors that cause obesity, and how to navigate political and commercial influences
The three-day conference is organised by Australia’s peak body for public health, the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA).
Media are invited to attend in person or virtually and can view the full program here. Media can also request interviews with PHAA CEO, Adj Prof Terry Slevin or speakers via the PHAA media team. All plenary sessions are recorded and will be available for three months after the conference.
WHAT: Preventive Health Conference 2025
WHERE: Hyatt Hotel, Canberra ACT, Ngunnawal Country
WHEN: 9am Monday 28 April until 5pm Wednesday 30 April
About us:
About the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)
We’re Australia's peak body for public health and we advocate for the health and wellbeing of everyone in Australia. We strive to prevent, rather than cure, illness and disease.
Our campaigns and advocacy span numerous public health issues from environmental health, immunisation and pandemic control, through to tobacco, gambling, physical activity, junk food marketing, preventive mental health, health education and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Our 2,000+ individual members represent over 40 professional groups interested in the promotion of public health. We also have branches in every State and Territory.
Learn more at phaa.net.au
About Vote for Public Health
VoteForPublicHealth.com is the Public Health Association of Australia’s official election platform, where we outline seven priorities for Australia’s 2025 election:
• Establish a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control
• Invest in prevention to save lives
• Act on obesity to help more Australians maintain a healthy weight
• Invest in First Nations people’s health to close the gap
• Protect our health by acting on climate change
• Reform gambling so people lose less
• Introduce universal oral health care through Medicare
These seven areas are based on evidence and contributions from our collective membership of more than 2,000 public health professionals.
We are pressing all parties and candidates contesting the 2025 Federal Election to take sustained steps to make Australia healthier and are urging all eligible voters to consider the health of our community when casting their ballots.
Contact details:
Paris Lord, PHAA Communications and Media Manager, 0478 587 917, [email protected]
Jasmine Lykissas, PHAA Communications Officer, 0481 159 618, [email protected]