Getting Australia’s Health on Track 2024 - Launch & webinar

The Australian Health Policy Collaboration (AHPC), led by the Health Policy Team at Victoria University’s Institute for Health and Sport are hosting an online launch event for their latest publications, Getting Australia’s Health on Track 2024 and Australia’s Health Tracker 2024: Chronic Conditions by Socioeconomic Status.

Australia’s Health Tracker 2024: Chronic Conditions by Socioeconomic Status spotlights the country’s staggering health divide. The 40% of people who live in Australia’s most disadvantaged communities continue to experience significant and increasing rates of preventable health conditions. This needs to change. 

Getting Australia’s Health on Track 2024 presents a suite of implementable policy proposals aimed at improving health outcomes in communities experiencing high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. Increasing evidence suggests that place-based approaches, tailored to the specific needs and strengths of local communities, are the best way to achieve this change. The Getting Australia’s Health on Track 2024 proposals aim to reduce health inequities in disadvantaged communities via four key policy objectives:

• Enhanced community capability through multisectoral collaboration and place-based, community development.
• Healthier environments through the appropriate use of planning, regulation and legislation.
• Investment in tailored preventive health initiatives.
• Equitable access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare.

This third instalment of Getting Australia’s Health on Track complements the priority policy actions identified in the previous editions:

Along with the latest Health Tracker data, this series is a valuable resource for advocates and policymakers at all levels of government working to improve population health and reduce health inequities across Australia.

Event speakers 

Keynote speaker

A GP in the western suburbs of Melbourne, keynote speaker Dr Mukesh Haikerwal AC is widely regarded as a national leader in the health sector, known for his passionate advocacy of accessible and affordable health and social care services. 

Panel discussion

Our panel speakers, Dr Erin Lalor AM, Tracey Johnson and Professor Tim Gill led the expert working groups who informed and guided the development of Getting Australia’s Health on Track 2024. They will discuss the policy proposals as well as the importance of structural support for place-based and community-led initiatives in improving the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged communities.