Advocating for investment in prevention is tough in an environment where the acute end of healthcare dominates headlines and political attention. As The Zap reported this week, Australia is going backwards when it comes to the proportion of health funds being allocated to public health.
However, advocates for a National Healthy Air Strategy are pushing ahead with efforts to engage political support, as reported below by Dr Sharon Campbell from the Centre for Safe Air, and Amy Lewis from the Safer Air Project.
“Across different sectors and areas of expertise, there is a shared recognition that improving air quality is a critical opportunity to protect health, and make communities more accessible and inclusive,” they say.
Sharon Campbell and Amy Lewis write:
Getting the best evidence into the hands of decision makers – and enabling national policy reform – takes patience, tenacity, a lot of hard work and a smidge of good luck.
These elements came together at Parliament House, Canberra, for two events on 27 and 28 October, demonstrating federal parliamentary support and awareness of the call for a National Healthy Air Strategy.
Breathing clean air is fundamental to life, yet many people in Australia are routinely exposed to unhealthy air in the places they live, learn, work, travel, play and age. Poor air quality impacts a host of acute and chronic health conditions, and challenges the capacity of our already overstretched healthcare system.
While Australia has comprehensive frameworks for managing water and food safety, we have a fragmented approach to air quality policy across multiple portfolios and levels of government.
Solutions for safer air need to be comprehensive and synergistic, and a National Healthy Air Strategy could provide a coordinated and efficient framework to address air quality risks across all environments. It is a critical public health gap (as previously reported at Croakey).
Support for a national strategy comes from organisations signing up to the call, but also from political support and understanding.
Parliamentary events
The first event to support the call for a National Healthy Air Strategy was a reception for the Parliamentary Friends of Clean Air Quality.
This recently formed Parliamentary Friends group, co-chaired by Victorian Labor Senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah and Independent MP Dr Monique Ryan, aims to provide a forum for parliamentarians to meet relevant stakeholders and experts related to improving air quality in Australia.
The event was co-hosted by the Safer Air Project and the Centre for Safe Air, bringing together parliamentarians and representatives of some of the 100-plus organisations that have signed the call for a National Healthy Air Strategy, including advocacy and community groups, peak bodies, universities and medical institutes, medical colleges and industry partners.
Guests met with Ryan and Ananda-Rajah, along with Independent MP Nicolette Boele, Labor MPs Louise Miller-Frost, Dr Mike Freelander and Amanda Rishworth, as well as Dr Amanda Cohn, a Greens Member of the NSW Legislative Council.
Dr Monique Ryan told the gathering that the number of organisations that have signed on to the call for a strategy was extraordinary, and that she’s shared many conversations about this important issue, stating “the Government is listening”.
The event also heard from Dr Amanda Cohn, who chaired the recently released NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Clean Indoor Air.
The report’s 38 recommendations call for state and national action, including a dedicated Air Quality Minister, to stop the “roundabout” of responsibility for clean air. The report also reinforced the need for national leadership to improve the air in the places we live, learn, work and travel.
Seeing a diverse range of organisations come together in support of a National Healthy Air Strategy is extremely encouraging.
Across different sectors and areas of expertise, there is a shared recognition that improving air quality is a critical opportunity to protect health, and make communities more accessible and inclusive.
Dr Amanda Cohn and Dr Monique Ryan speak with Plum Stone, from The Safer Air Project. Photo: Amy Lewis, The Safer Air Project
Prevention matters
To further support the call, the Safer shared air 2026 conference was held the following day, bringing together representatives from health, research, government, industry and the community to discuss: “What could it take to turn the evidence on indoor air quality into national action?”
Hosted by the Safer Air Project, in conjunction with AIRAH, the Centre for Safe Air, and Public Health Action Network, the conference explored indoor air quality as a preventative health strategy, what Australia is doing to improve it, and the steps needed to deliver a National Healthy Air Strategy.
Minister Rebecca White. Photo by Sylvia Tang, AIRAH
In an engaging and enlightening first session, attendees again heard from Dr Monique Ryan, who demonstrated her clear support, saying: “Preventative healthcare more than pays for itself in every respect…and something like a National Healthy Air Strategy is a brilliant investment in our future.”
Attendees also heard from Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women, Rebecca White, who assured those attending that “the Government is committed to working with you…to create safer, healthier spaces for everybody”.
Attention turned to health and community advocates, where Professor Brendan Crabb AC from the Burnet Institute made the case for cleaner indoor air as both an everyday public health measure and protection against future pandemics.
Ben Harris from the Australian Health Funds Council explored the investment case for prevention, while Mark Brooke from Lung Foundation Australia drew on lessons from engineered stone and tobacco control, arguing for coordinated government action and clear responsibility for air quality.
The second session of the day considered Australia’s current approach, hearing from Dr Amanda Cohn on the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry report, Safe Work Australia’s new model code of practice for managing biological hazards at work, and Associate Professor Suman Majumdar on the findings from the Pathway to Clean Indoor Air project.
The final session focussed on how Australia can bring a National Healthy Air Strategy to fruition.
Attendees heard from Professor Fay Johnston from the Centre for Safe Air, discussing the role of leadership, partnerships, evidence and implementation, and Dr Bronwyn King AO from Air Club, who shared stories on international action towards safer air.
“One of the key challenges in every country is that this issue impacts all portfolios but is owned by none,” she said.
Next steps
You can add your voice to the unprecedented coalition of over 100 organisations representing universities, medical research institutes, health practitioner colleges, unions, peak bodies, patient organisations and industry.
These organisations are united behind a single objective: the development and implementation of a National Healthy Air Strategy for Australia.
You can also send a message to your local Member of Parliament, highlighting the need for a National Healthy Air Strategy to reduce the acute and chronic health impacts, boost productivity and create safer shared places.
About the authors
From L: Dr Sharon Campbell and Amy Lewis
Dr Sharon Campbell is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Environmental Health Research team at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research (University of Tasmania). She specialises in the human health impacts of climate change. Her research interests include climate-related extreme events such as heatwaves and poor air quality, and the impact of these events on healthcare systems and vulnerable populations. With a background in public health policy, Sharon concentrates on the translation of research into policy and practice, emphasising the communication of research and public education. She is working with the Centre for Safe Air to develop a call for a National Healthy Air Strategy.
Amy Lewis is a communications professional and safer air advocate with more than 25 years’ experience in communications, marketing and design. In recent years, her work has increasingly focused on health equity, indoor air quality and equitable access to shared spaces. She co-founded the Safer Air Project with Plum Stone, working to create safer, healthier indoor environments for everyone. This work is informed by lived experience of chronic illness and family experience of solid organ transplantation and immunocompromise, giving Amy a particular interest in making healthcare, workplaces, education and other shared spaces safer and more accessible for people at increased risk from respiratory infections.
The authors declare that this work is being conducted strictly in the public interest. We confirm that no author stands to financially benefit from the implementation of this work.
Feature image caption details
L-R back row: Brett Fairweather (It’s Engineered), Prof Fay Johnston (Centre for Safe Air), Ben Harris (Australian Health Funds Council), Adj Prof Rebecca Haddock (Asthma Australia), Mark Brooke (Lung Foundation Australia), Dr Cath Latham (Heart Foundation), A/Prof Suman Majumdar (Burnet Institute), Dr Bronwyn King AO (Air Club).
L-R front row: Prof Brendan Crabb AC (Burnet Institute), Dr Amanda Cohn MLC (Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council), Hon Rebecca White MP (Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women), Plum Stone (The Safer Air Project), Anne Wilson (Emerge Australia), Amy Lewis (The Safer Air Project). Photo by Sylvia Tang, AIRAH.
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