The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has today opened the second Elder Care Support National Yarning Circle in Adelaide, bringing together frontline workers, health leaders, and policymakers to lead a culturally grounded and community-driven reform of aged care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Hosted on Kaurna Country, this year’s Yarning Circle builds on the success of the inaugural 2024 event, celebrating the growing national Elder Care Support workforce and their critical role in reimagining care for older First Nations peoples.

Source: NACCHO Media Release email 29/4/25

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The Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) is an Australian Government Department of Health & Aged Care initiative, administered by the various Rural Workforce Agencies across the nation. 

The scholarship program offers financial assistance to successful applicants providing primary health care in the ACCHS sector, non-government organisations and private practice for training and upskilling purposes, within the following fields:

• medical
• nursing
• midwifery
• allied health
• dental
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health professionals

To find out further details, visit your local Rural Workforce Agency: 

NSW - Rural Doctors Network

NT - Rural Workforce Agency NT

QLD - Health Workforce QLD

SA - Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Inc

TAS - The People Project Tasmania

VIC - Rural Workforce Agency Victoria

WA - Rural Health West

Congratulations to our past president Tan Nguyen on being a finalist at the Value-Based Health Care Congress 2025 for his poster “Retrospective Analysis of a New Model of Victorian Public Oral Healthcare Integrating Artificial Intelligence Technology”.

Value-Based Health Care Congress 2025 People's Choice Poster Prize Voting

The Australian Centre for Value-Based Health Care Awards Program recognises achievements in transforming the Australian system for VBHC, highlighting initiatives that redefine healthcare around the outcomes that matter to people and communities for the cost of achieving those outcomes.

Join the VBHC movement by voting for the deserving finalists to win the People's Choice Poster Prize VBHC Congress Award!

VIEW THE POSTERS IN FULL HERE

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE

The Public Health Association Australia Health Promotion Special Interest Group (PHAA HP SIG) is once again offering a fantastic opportunity to recognise achievements in health promotion.  In 2025, they are proud to offer a travel scholarship and several awards to honor outstanding contributions in research and practice.

The scholarship is for the PHAA HP SIG Travel Award, which will provide support to attend the PHAA Preventive Health Conference in 2025.  You can read about the experience of last year's awardee here.

Awards available are:

Australian Public Health Conference Travel Award: made to  outstanding PHAA members who have made significant contributions to the advancement of health promotion at national, state or community levels.

The Early Career Award (Practice): one award to an outstanding PHAA member who has contributed significantly to the advancement of health promotion practice and who is in the first 10 years of their career (or has been involved in health promotion for more than 10 years but has completed a PhD within the last 5 years).

The Early Career Award (Research): one award to an outstanding PHAA member who has contributed significantly to the advancement of health promotion research and who is in the first 10 years of their career (or has been involved in health promotion for more than 10 years but has completed a PhD within the last 5 years).

The Individual Award for Service (Practice): one award to an outstanding PHAA member who has contributed significantly to the advancement of health promotion practice over a long period of time (minimum 10 years).

The Individual Award for Service (Research): one award to an outstanding PHAA member who has contributed significantly to the advancement of health promotion research over a long period of time (minimum 10 years).

Nominees for each award must provide a:

• Completed nomination form (linked below) 
• A brief Curriculum Vitae
• One nominator’s report (500 words maximum)

The closing date for award applications has been extended to 21 February 2025. Winners will then be announced by late March. For more information please refer to the guidelines provided in the nomination forms.

250205 - HP SIG - Conference Travel Award 2025.pdf

250205 - HP SIG - Award for Service (Research) Award 2025.pdf

250205 - HP SIG - Award for Service (Practice) Award 2025.pdf

250205 - HP SIG - Early Career (Practice) Award 2025.pdf

Source: PHAA email 6 February 2025

MEDIA RELEASE 17 DECEMBER 2024

Members of the Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association Ltd (ADOHTA) and Dental Hygienists Association of Australia Limited (DHAA) overwhelmingly supported and passed the special resolution to establish a new peak professional association to represent and support Oral Health Practitioners (OHPs), including Dental Hygienists, Dental Therapists and Oral Health Therapists, in Australia.

The new association will be called Oral Health Association of Australia Ltd (OHAA).  It is anticipated that the OHAA will take over full operation from ADOHTA and DHAA on 1 July 2025.  It will offer streamlined and fit-for-purpose services, high-quality CPD, and significantly enhanced representation for OHPs in Australia.

More importantly, the OHAA unifies OHPs under one umbrella and strengthens the profession's capacity to support excellence in innovative models of care that improve oral health in the community. The new OHAA leadership combines the talents of two highly regarded peak bodies, now better equipped to drive meaningful change. This change will focus on addressing the longstanding neglect of oral health needs in the community. Through coordinated efforts in advocacy, workforce training, and public education, the OHAA is well-positioned to make a lasting impact to improve the oral health outcomes of all Australians.

The ADOHTA and DHAA would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our fellow board directors, the project team Towards One Professional Association (TOPA) Working Group, external stakeholders and the many members of both associations who provided their advice and support over the past five years leading to this momentous milestone for the profession.

--ENDS--

Media Contact: 

ADOHTA: Michell Weekes executive@adohta.net.au  M: 0409 210 104

DHAA:  Bill Suen bill.suen@dhaa.info M: 0412 831 669

Access the PDF of this Media Release here.

The International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) is currently seeking responses for their tenth global survey (sponsored by Oral-B) "Prevention: What's Best for the Patient?" to assist their understanding of global practices and beliefs around preventive care. 

As with previous surveys, no personal information is collected and a summary of the findings will be published on the IFDH website. 

Complete the survey by Friday 13 December 2024.

COMPLETE THE IFDH SURVEY

The International Association for Disability & Oral Health (iADH) are calling for for interest of the positions for the member of International Advisory Committee (IAC) and Educational Committee (EC) of iADH in 2024-2026. 

The iADH are looking for motivated candidates who can support the association on its mission and vision and implementing the strategic plan. Applicants must be a paid‐up member and have held iADH membership for the past three (3) consecutive years.

IAC Position & Application Information

EC Position & Application Information

View the information above and send applications to: secretary@iadh.org by Monday 16 December 2024.

The Victorian Oral Health Alliance (VOHA) recently sent the Pre-Budget Submission 2025-2026 to the Federal Minister for Health and Treasurer. 

VOHA represents a membership of key oral health professionals, consumer and community health organisations that provide public oral health care. 

"The central focus of VOHA's 2025-26 Victorian Pre-Budget Submission is to urgently address and reduce the unacceptably high rates of preventable hospital admissions for oral health conditions in Victoria. Immediate government action is essential, as Victorians—especially younger children, the elderly, and rural communities—continue to endure debilitating dental conditions that could have been otherwise prevented.

For decades, funding for Victoria’s public dental system and early intervention initiatives has been neglected, leading to a state of decay in which the population's oral health continues to deteriorate.¹ For too long, oral health has been viewed in isolation from the rest of the body, resulting in gaps in policy and funding that further contribute to these issues This submission outlines a series of evidence-based interventions, diverse in scope, timeframe, and budget, that will not only reduce preventable hospitalisations but also improve the overall oral health of those vulnerable Victorians above.

Each of our proposals has been specifically designed to align with two significant government policies.

1. Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF)’s Early Intervention Investment Framework².

2.Victorian Action Plan to Prevent Oral Disease³."

Read the VOHA Pre-Budget Submission 2025-2026.

The Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer invites you to share your experience with recruiting allied health professionals in the ACT during  2024 to inform the National Occupation Shortage List (previously known as the National Skills Priority List).

Jobs and Skills Australia conduct this research and publish the results each year. 

To participate click on this link to register your interest, then you will be sent a personalised survey link to complete.

Helpful Information

• The survey will take around 5-10 minutes and will ask you for the number of vacancies advertised, the number of vacancies filled, your opinion on skill supply, demand, recruitment challenges and any evidence to support your experience if available.
• You will also be required to include your contact details.
• You will need to complete a separate survey for each profession you want to comment on.

The survey is open until COB 7 March 2025. Thank you in advance for sharing your expert opinion.

Stay up to date with the latest clinical news via the Clinical Leadership Newsletter here.

Source: Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer email 18 November 2024.

Commissioned by the Australian Government, the independent Scope of Practice Review Final Report "Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce" was released on 5 November 2024. 

The Review was led by Professor Mark Cormack, supported by the University of Queensland and an Expert Advisory Committee that included patients, health experts and representatives from peak professional bodies, including ADOHTA.

The Final Report includes 18 recommendations across four key reform areas: 

1. Theme A - Workforce design, development, education and planning
2. Theme B - Legislation and regulation
3. Theme C - Funding and payment policy
4. Theme D - Enablers and other key considerations

We were pleased to contribute feedback during the Review process with the Final Report containing a direct quote from ADOHTA:

The Minister for Health and Aged Care The Hon Mark Butler MP said:

"This review validates the frustrations of so many of our incredible health professionals: the health system does not enable and support them to consistently deliver the care that is within their skills, training and experience.

This is not a case of a single profession missing out. The review tells us that virtually all health professions are held back by restrictions and barriers that are unrelated to their skills, training and experience."

You can learn more about the Review, Final Report and Media Release here:

FINAL REPORT

EXTRACT OF FINAL REPORT

DPT HEALTH AND AGED CARE MEDIA RELEASE

Sources:

• Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce, Scope of Practice Review - Final Report, October 2024.
• The Hon Mark Butler MP Minister for Health and Aged Care Media Release 5 November 2024.
• Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) Healthcare in Brief 8 November 2024.