Public Health Association of Australia

Public Health Association of Australia
Name	Public Health Association of Australia
Abbreviation	PHAA
Formation	1988
Type	Non-profit organisation
Headquarters	Canberra
Region served	Australia

Public Health Association of Australia is a national not-for-profit professional body representing practitioners and advocates working in public health across Australia. It engages with policy, research, education and practice to improve population health, drawing on expertise from jurisdictions such as New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. The association liaises with international bodies and stakeholders including the World Health Organization, the Australian Medical Association, and universities such as the University of Sydney and the Australian National University.

History

The association was established in 1988 with roots in state-based organisations like the New South Wales Public Health Association and predecessors connected to the University of Melbourne and Monash University. Early collaborations involved agencies such as the Commonwealth Department of Health, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and the National Health and Medical Research Council. Key historical interactions included dialogues with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, and the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference. Influential public figures and institutions—such as the Australian Parliament, the High Court of Australia, the Indigenous health networks linked to the Aboriginal Medical Service, and advocacy groups like the Salvation Army—shaped its agenda. Over time it formed partnerships with international organisations including UNICEF, the World Bank, the Global Fund, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Organisation and Governance

Governance is overseen by a national board with representatives drawn from state branches in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and affiliated groups at institutions like the University of Queensland and James Cook University. The structure aligns with non-profit governance practice exemplified by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and follows constitutional arrangements similar to those used by the Australian Red Cross and the Cancer Council Victoria. Senior officers have engaged with policy processes at the Australian Parliament House and with statutory bodies such as Medicare and the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The association has formed advisory links with peak bodies including the Public Health England successor organisations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Membership and Professional Development

Membership draws professionals from clinical settings affiliated with hospitals such as Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, academic staff from the University of New South Wales, Curtin University, La Trobe University, Flinders University, and research institutes like the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. It offers credentialing, continuing professional development and pathways similar to those of the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian College of Nursing. Partnerships extend to specialist societies including the Australasian Epidemiological Association, the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, and the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association. The association supports students linked to institutions such as Macquarie University and Griffith University and collaborates with peak organisations like the Consumers Health Forum and the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association.

Programs and Advocacy

Advocacy covers areas such as communicable disease control, non-communicable disease prevention, Indigenous health, environmental health, and health equity. Campaigns have intersected with national inquiries and frameworks produced by bodies like the Productivity Commission, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The association has engaged on policy issues addressed by ministers who sit on the COAG Health Council and worked alongside peak groups including the Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Lung Foundation Australia, and Cancer Council Australia. It has lobbied on matters influenced by international agreements and actors such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the Climate Change Authority.

Publications and Research

The association disseminates policy statements, position papers and briefings drawing on evidence produced by research entities including the Kirby Institute, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the Lowy Institute for International Policy, and the Grattan Institute. Publications reference epidemiological data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation reports, and academic output from publishing houses linked to Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Collaborative research has involved centres such as the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, the Menzies School of Health Research, and the Burnet Institute, and intersects with journals including the Medical Journal of Australia and the Lancet.

Conferences and Events

Annual conferences convene delegates from state and territory health departments, universities, research institutes and NGOs such as Oxfam Australia, Médecins Sans Frontières Australia, Amnesty International Australia, and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Venues and partner institutions have included the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and university campuses at the University of Western Australia and the University of Adelaide. The association has run thematic symposia on topics linked to global health forums including the World Health Assembly, the Pacific Islands Forum, and regional meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation health working group, attracting speakers from institutions such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Category:Public health in Australia Category:Medical and health organisations based in Australia