WORKSHOP 1: 

Indigenous Excellence: Strengthening Sovereignty and Action Toward a Nicotine-Free Future

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 
 

Hosted by: Australian National University
Facilitated by: Associate Professor Raglan Maddox - Australian National University

Co-Presenters:

• Mr Danny Allande, Tackling Indigenous Smoking Team Manager - Na Joomelah, La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council

• Dr Christina Heris, Research Fellow - Australian National University

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Description:

This workshop will advance strategies to eradicate commercial tobacco and nicotine harms by creating communities of practice and confronting the politics of prevention and industry interference. Indigenous communities have long resisted industry influence, demanding stronger policies and community-driven action.

Building on the outcomes of previous Indigenous tobacco control symposiums, this workshop will move beyond business-as-usual discussions to a Tobacco and Nicotine Eradication Framework, focusing on practical actions that dismantle the industry’s grip on communities. It will explore commercial tobacco and nicotine influences, from industry lobbying to policy reversals, and will equip participants with strategies to counter industry interference, strengthen Indigenous self-determination, and embed prevention as a long-term, sustainable priority.

This workshop will move beyond discussions on incremental change to develop a commercial tobacco and nicotine eradication framework and resources, focusing on:

• Truth-telling and decolonisation – Recognising and addressing the historical and ongoing harms of commercial tobacco and nicotine, and ensuring Indigenous narratives lead the way in policy and research.

• Indigenous program and policy solutions – Strengthening Indigenous-led laws, policies, and programming.

• Youth & future generations – Ensuring a nicotine-free future through prevention.

• Sustaining action – Embedding long-term Indigenous-led prevention strategies.

• Industry accountability – Countering tobacco and nicotine industry interference.

Participants will develop Regional Indigenous Nicotine Eradication Roadmaps, outlining policy and advocacy priorities that ensure Indigenous sovereignty and leadership drive prevention efforts at all levels.

 

Learning Objectives:

Participants will develop a locally tailored, Regional Indigenous Nicotine Eradication Roadmap, mapping out strategies to:

• Shift prevention narratives to centre self-determination and sovereignty to eradicate commercial tobacco and nicotine related harms.

• Embed long-term preventive health approaches that withstand political cycles and commercial interests.

• Secure stronger policy protections from industry interference.​​​​

WORKSHOP 2: 

Co-Design for Preventative Health: Key Components and Practical Applications

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 
 

Hosted by: Hunter New England Local Health District; University of Newcastle; Flinders University Caring Futures Institute
Facilitated by: Dr Alison Brown - Hunter New England Population Health / University Of Newcastle

Co-Presenters:

• Ms Nayerra Hudson, Program manager - Hunter New England Population Health / University of Newcastle

• Ms Samantha Morgillo - Flinders University Caring Futures Institute

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Description:

Co-design plays a crucial role in improving preventative health outcomes by ensuring communities, particularly priority population groups, are actively involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of health services and programs. However, there is limited practical guidance on how to implement co-design whilst continuing to navigate the political landscape. Effective co-design requires amplifying the voices of diverse communities, ensuring their needs and perspectives shape health services and address the social determinants of health. Co-design enables sustainable, contextually relevant solutions through better understanding the problem. This approach fosters shared ownership, empowering communities to take responsibility for their health outcomes and ensuring long-term impact. This workshop aims to cover co-design principles, methods for integrating co-design into project governance, and practical examples of co-design in action.

 

Duration & Structure:
Introduction (15min) – Participants develop a clear understanding of:

• key co-design principles 

• co-design spectrum

• how to identify co-design partners/establish governance

Activity 1: Reflection (10min) - Participants identify:

• where they lie on co-design spectrum

• current/future co-design partners

Governance (2min) - Participants reflect on importance of governance

Activity 2: Introductions - Participants:

• introduce themselves/work

• share experiences of co-design, using Activity 1

Activity 3: Strengthening co-design (20min) - Participants consider:

• partners to strengthen co-design

• how/when to engage through governance

Case studies (20min) - three case studies provided outlining how co-design partners engaged to develop:

• program content for consumers

• intervention implementation strategies

• web-based platform for designing programs/initiatives 

Discussion (10min) - Opportunity for Q&A with panel members 

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the key components of co-design in the development of preventative health action;

• Determine the practical considerations of implementing of co-design (establishing governance that facilitates co-design, identifying co-design partners);

• Apply co-design in the development of preventative health action; Strengthen current approaches to co-design.

WORKSHOP 3: 

Embedding Evaluation Capacity in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: Insights from the Indigenous Evaluation of Aboriginal Programs (ILEAP) project

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 
 

Hosted by: The Sax Institute
Facilitated by: Dr Sumithra Muthayya - Sax Institute

Co-Presenters:

• Dr Tiffany Sandell, Post Doctoral Fellow, Evaluation - The Sax Institute;

• Ms Amber Baker, Manager, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Program - Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation;

• Ms Anne-Marie Mepham, Chronic Disease Coordinator - Orange Aboriginal Medical Service

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Description:

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) offer culturally appropriate primary care programs, utilising innovative approaches to prevention to improve Aboriginal health. These programs are rarely evaluated, resulting in little or no evidence of their effectiveness, making it difficult for ACCHSs to improve their own practice and inform policy and practice.

This workshop will share findings on the Indigenous-led Evaluation of Aboriginal Programs (ILEAP) project, which mobilised the expertise of ACCHSs to:

• Evaluate the reach, acceptability, and impact of two programs.

• Co-Develop outcome-focused evaluation tools for continuous monitoring and improvement.

• Strengthen evaluation capacity through staff training, mentoring a dedicated team member, and fostering organisational expertise in evaluation processes.

From three sites:

• Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing Service, supporting mental health, social connection, and cultural wellbeing.

• Orange Aboriginal Medical Service’s Wraparound Care Model, which coordinates holistic care for chronic disease clients.

• Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Initiatives, supporting health and wellbeing

A panel consisting of ACCHS staff, and evaluators will share their evaluation capacity-building journeys, offering firsthand reflections on how participating in evaluation shaped their skills in embedding sustainable evaluation of programs to improve practice. Participants will engage in discussion, share insights, and explore practical strategies for embedding culturally informed evaluation practices in other Aboriginal primary care settings.

 

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Understand how Indigenous-led evaluation builds evidence for ACCHS programs.

• Explore strategies for embedding evaluation capacity within teams.

• Learn about outcome-focused evaluation tools for continuous improvement.

• Hear firsthand experiences from ACCHS staff on their evaluation journey.

• Discuss challenges, successes, and next steps for sustainable evaluation.

WORKSHOP 4: 

Maximising the policy impact of health data on prevention

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 
 

Hosted by: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Facilitated by: Dr Vanessa Prescott - Australian Institute Of Health And Welfare

Co-Presenters:

• Ms Amy Young, Head, Population Health Group - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

• Ms Michelle Gourley, Head, Burden of Disease and Mortality Unit, Population Health Group - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

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Description:

High quality and timely data on health determinants and associated health outcomes is critical for evidence-based decision making and to inform preventive health initiatives that are both impactful and targeted.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) publishes a range of data on preventive health in Australia each year. To maximise the policy impact of this data, the AIHW is keen to collaborate with stakeholders in the research and policy arenas on knowledge translation activities.

This workshop will present and discuss the latest data from the AIHW on preventive health, demonstrating our data visualisation tools to support user needs and examples of how this data has been used in policy and planning. Two key reports include: 

• The National Preventive Health Monitoring Dashboard which monitors progress against the targets set out in the National Preventive Health Strategy (NPHS) 2021–2030 and the National Obesity Strategy 2022–2032. 

• The Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024 which provides national estimates of the burden due to over 200 diseases and 20 modifiable risk factors. 

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Table groups will discuss the following:

• How is AIHW health data currently being used in your sector (advocacy, research, policy). What are the public health benefits? What else is needed for decision making and to drive change towards better outcomes (e.g. data availability, use cases)?

• How can this work maximise its impact?

• How can the AIHW work together with peak bodies, the research sector and policy makers to help better translate health data into action?

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding the role of the AIHW and recent work in preventive health

• Understanding key findings from the Australian Burden of Disease Study and Australia’s progress against targets set out in the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030

• Understanding how health data can be used for decision making and examples of knowledge translation activities

WORKSHOP 5: 

Scaling-up chronic disease prevention initiatives in community settings with equity

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 
 

Hosted by: University of Newcastle
Facilitated by: Dr Anna Rayward - University of Newcastle

Co-Presenters:

• Associate Professor Rachel Sutherland, MRFF Research Fellow - University of Newcastle

• Dr Jannah Jones, Research Fellow - University of Newcastle

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Description:

The content and activities of this workshop will help address the growing calls for an equity approach to permeate throughout implementation and scale-up of health promotion programs, policies and practices, to improve health outcomes and promote health equity globally. 

Format: 

1. Presentation on main concepts and current evidence in the scale-up field and consideration for achieving equity during scale-up.

2. A case study about the scale-up of a nutrition intervention in schools will be presented to highlight the processes, research and evaluation methods use in scale-up.

3. Two parts:

   • Presentation on frameworks and planning tools and their application in the field of scale-up.

   • Group activity: participants will be provided with a case study of a chronic disease prevention program and will use this to complete The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool (ISAT). This tool will enable participants to assess the program’s current scalability and identify gaps in knowledge about domains or areas which may require focus/change to improve scalability.  Participants will then discuss the lowest scoring domain for their project, determine whether similarities were identified across groups and think of possible solutions or ideas of how they may address this scalability issue.

4. Presentation on how participants can map identified barriers and select appropriate scale-up strategies for their initiative using existing methods and taxonomies

 

Learning Objectives:

• Develop an understanding of the importance of scaling-up chronic disease prevention initiatives.

• Learn practical approaches to implementation and scale-up processes, research and evaluation.

• Understand the common indicators for scale-up process, outputs/outcomes and results/impacts and methodologies used to monitor and evaluate scale-up.

• Learn techniques to map scale-up barriers using existing taxonomies to guide the selection of appropriate scale-up strategies. 

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WORKSHOP 6: 

Putting mental health promotion and prevention on the political radar - the role of the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition in Mental Health

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Date: Monday 28 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 

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Hosted by: Prevention United

Facilitated by: Dr Stephen Carbone - Prevention United

Co-Presenters:

• Dr Jaelea Skehan, Director - Everymind

• Professor Nicola Reavley, Deputy Director Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing - University of Melbourne

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Description:

In this highly interactive workshop we will use a real-world case study of the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition (W&PC) in Mental Health to consider the barriers and solutions to advocating for greater government action in mental health promotion and preventive mental health. Encouraging governments to increase action and investment in preventive health is challenging. Getting them to focus on preventive mental health is even harder! The (primary) prevention of mental disorders has received significantly less attention among public health professionals and governments alike compared to the prevention of 'physical health' conditions like infectious disease, injury, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and other chronic illnesses. Yet there is growing scientific evidence to show that it is possible to enhance people's mental wellbeing and reduce their risk of experiencing common disorders such as depression and anxiety conditions through a proactive focus on promotion and prevention. Getting this issue on the policy agenda is therefore vital. 

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The workshop will be facilitated by senior experts in the field of preventive mental health working in Australia. In the first 30 minutes, the presenters will discuss their involvement in establishing the W&PC as a vehicle to advocate for greater government action and investment in mental health promotion and preventive mental health. They will outline who is involved in the coalition, what it aims to achieve, how it came to be formed, and what it has achieved to date. They will also discuss the challenges the group has faced, and the lessons learned that can be used to guide the work of others interested in playing a role in this field. This will be followed by a 60-minute interactive group activity in which participants will be invited to critically reflect on this information and participate in a planning exercise to help the W&PC enhance its approach to advocacy.

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Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn what preventive mental health is, why it's important, and what's involved (interventions and systems infrastructure)

• Participants will learn about the work of the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition in Mental Health, an informal group of like-minded organisations, advocating for greater government action and investment in preventive mental health and mental health promotion

• Participants will discuss and apply the principles of effective political advocacy through a group activity

WORKSHOP 7: 

Using systems thinking to co-design a capability-building strategy for the Australian prevention community

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Date: Tuesday 29 April

Time: 9:00am - 10:30am AEST 

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Hosted by: The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre and Deakin University

Facilitated by: Dr Mishel Shahid - The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre

Co-Presenters:​

• Ms Nadia  Mastersson, Head Prevention - The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. A Centre of the Sax Institute

• Professor Steven Allender, Professor of Population Health - Deakin University

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Description:

This workshop is a key step in collaboratively developing a systems thinking capability-building strategy to strengthen Australia’s chronic disease prevention workforce. Systems thinking is a useful approach to addressing the complex, interconnected challenges that drive chronic diseases. As systems thinking becomes more integrated into prevention efforts, building the workforce's capability requires innovative, tailored strategies that are informed by real-world needs and perspectives.

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This interactive and practical workshop will bring together policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to identify drivers of systems thinking within their contexts and collaboratively map out components for strengthening systems thinking capabilities. Participants will gain practical experience in applying systems thinking to the complex problem of strategic planning for capability building. The insights generated will help shape a broader strategy that will guide The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre’s national efforts to enhance systems thinking capabilities in Australia’s chronic disease prevention workforce.

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At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will contribute to ensuring that the strategy meets the real-world needs of the national prevention workforce, while gaining practical experience with systems thinking tools that can inform their own strategic planning efforts.

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Learning Objectives:

• Engage in and experience how system thinking tools can be used innovatively to inform strategic planning.  

• Contribute to the development of a national strategy for building systems thinking capability within the prevention community.

• Receive a guide to systems thinking approaches and tools in chronic disease prevention policy and practice.

WORKSHOP 8: 

Advocating for national policies and what to do when there’s inaction – Why hasn’t Australia developed a National Physical Activity (PA) Action Plan and does it matter?

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Date: Tuesday 29 April

Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm AEST 

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Hosted by: UNSW

Facilitated by: Mr Peter Mccue - UNSW

Co-Presenter: Dr Sam Cassar, Lecturer - CQU​

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Description:

Evidence clearly states that physical inactivity has many negative economic, health, social and environment consequences. Epidemiological data suggests inactivity is high across the world, including in Australia and current academic discourse suggests developing national physical activity (PA) policies may help address the problem.

Australia has advocated for the development of a National PA plan/policy for more than 30 years with limited success. In the absence of a national intersectoral PA plan, national sector specific plans, State and/or Territory cross sector plans and/or sector specific plans and local council plans have been developed and implemented with minimal impact on population level PA.

More recent research proposes that public policy literature can offer new insights to challenge the existing prevention ‘narrative’ in relation to advocating for policy action. 

Format:
The workshop will begin with a series of brief presentations (30 minutes) to interrogate:

• the case for the development of an intersectoral national PA plan

• advocacy efforts undertaken to date to navigate the prevailing politics

• examples of PA policies that have been developed in Australia in the absence of a national plan

• insights from political science and public policy to challenge the prevailing prevention 'narrative'

Participants will then work in groups with guided activities (60 minutes) to examine:

• Proposed national physical activity action plan content

• Relevant public policy evidence considerations to inform content and policy development

• Lessons that can be learnt from allied health partners, is there another way?

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Learning Objectives:

• Analyse the political and policy dynamics influencing physical activity advocacy in Australia - Participants will be able to identify key political and policy factors/influences to developing a national physical activity plan and explore strategies used to navigate these challenges.

• Examine successful physical activity policy examples and potential alternative approaches - Participants will learn from existing state, territory, and local physical activity policies across Australia and identify lessons that can be scaled or adapted to advocacy. 

• Think more politically based on the theory and evidence about actionable strategies for advancing national physical activity policies - Through group exercises, participants will consider content for a national physical activity action plan, discuss potential alternatives, and policy lessons.