Consumers Health Forum of Australia

Consumers Health Forum of Australia
Name	Consumers Health Forum of Australia
Formation	1986
Type	Non-profit advocacy group
Purpose	Health consumer representation
Headquarters	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Region served	Australia

Consumers Health Forum of Australia

The Consumers Health Forum of Australia is a national non-profit consumer advocacy organization representing health care users across Australia. It engages with Australian institutions such as the Parliament of Australia, Department of Health and Aged Care (Australia), Therapeutic Goods Administration and stakeholders including Australian Medical Association, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association to influence policy, regulation and service delivery. The organisation interacts with international bodies like the World Health Organization, Commonwealth Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and regional partners such as the Pacific Islands Forum.

History

The organisation was established in 1986 during a period of health reform discussions involving the Hawke Government, Health Insurance Commission (Australia), and state health departments in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Early engagements included consultations with bodies such as the Medicare Benefits Schedule administrators and the National Health and Medical Research Council, and it sat alongside peak groups like the Australian Council of Social Service and the Consumers' Association of Australia. Over ensuing decades it responded to policy debates initiated by the Keating Government, Howard Government, Rudd Government and Morrison Government, participating in inquiries led by parliamentary committees including the Senate Community Affairs References Committee and contributing submissions to reviews by the Productivity Commission. It has liaised with sector peaks such as the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia during reforms to primary care, pharmacy arrangements, aged care restructures following Royal Commissions, and digital health rollouts like My Health Record.

Mission and Governance

The organisation's mission emphasises consumer representation, patient safety and health literacy, aligning with frameworks used by World Health Organization patient engagement guidance and standards promoted by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Governance is conducted via a national board and advisory structures reflecting models used by organizations such as the Grattan Institute and the Australian National Audit Office report expectations; governance instruments reference best practice articulated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and incorporate stakeholder engagement approaches similar to those employed by Cancer Council Australia and Mental Health Australia. Leadership has included chairs and chief executives drawn from public health, legal and consumer advocacy backgrounds, working with advisory panels representing cohorts served by bodies like Carers Australia, National Mental Health Commission and consumer representatives from state peak bodies.

Programs and Advocacy

Programmatic work spans health literacy, access to medicines, primary care navigation and aged care advocacy, paralleling initiatives by Healthdirect Australia, NPS MedicineWise, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association and Palliative Care Australia. Campaigns have addressed access issues related to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, rural and remote health inequities affecting populations in Northern Territory and Western Australia, and telehealth expansions involving stakeholders such as Telstra Health and state health departments. The organisation convenes forums, workshops and consumer roundtables similar to events hosted by the Public Health Association of Australia and engages in co-design processes reflecting methods used by Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine and the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association.

Policy Positions and Campaigns

The organisation has taken positions on Australian policy debates including advocacy for reform of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee processes, stronger consumer rights within the Aged Care Royal Commission outcomes, and improved safety standards promoted by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. It campaigned on issues intersecting with bodies like the Australian Digital Health Agency regarding My Health Record, supported measures consistent with recommendations from the National Mental Health Commission and pressed for alignment with international commitments under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control when addressing public health measures. Policy submissions have been made to inquiries by the Productivity Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and parliamentary committees such as the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport.

Research and Publications

The organisation produces consumer-focused reports, policy briefs and submissions akin to publications from the Lowitja Institute and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, synthesising evidence from sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Menzies School of Health Research, and university research centres such as University of Sydney and Monash University. Outputs cover topics linking to international evidence from the Commonwealth Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and it collaborates on research projects with institutes like the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne. The organisation also issues consumer guides and toolkits to support navigation of systems overseen by entities like Medicare and professional regulators such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams include membership, philanthropic support, project grants and commissioned work, interacting with funders and partners similar to Australian Communities Foundation, Ian Potter Foundation, and government grant programs administered by the Department of Health and Aged Care (Australia). Partnerships have involved alliances with clinical peaks such as the Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners, research collaborations with the University of Queensland and programmatic links to community organisations including National Rural Health Alliance and Women's Health NSW. The organisation maintains relationships with media outlets like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and policy interlocutors including think tanks such as the Grattan Institute to amplify consumer perspectives.

Category:Health advocacy organizations in Australia