The inaugural members of the Preventive Health SA Council have been selected, marking a significant milestone in the roll out of landmark legislative reforms that have enshrined preventive health as a key pillar of the state’s health system.

Experts with hundreds of years of combined experience across public health policy, service delivery and research, Aboriginal health, and general practice have been appointed, alongside Preventive Health SA Chief Executive Marina Bowshall, to deliver strategic advice to the State Government about preventable health issues.

The Preventive Health SA Council will serve as the key advisory body to Preventive Health SA, an independent Government agency that focuses on obesity prevention, tobacco and vaping control, mental health, suicide prevention, reduction in the use of alcohol and other drugs, and the determinants of health.

This agency was formed alongside the implementation of the Malinauskas Government’s landmark Preventive Health SA Act 2024.

The inaugural members of the Preventive Health SA Council bring diverse skills and perspectives on how to address non-communicable health conditions and risk factors such as obesity, tobacco, vaping, some mental health conditions, suicide, alcohol and other drugs, as well as social, economic, environmental and personal influences on health.

Experienced public leader David Pearson has been appointed as the inaugural chairperson of the Preventive Health SA Council.

Mr Pearson is experienced in public leadership, is the CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and he played a key role in establishing Preventive Health SA as a member of the agency’s Establishment Advisory Board.

Other appointees include the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) Chief Operating Officer and Health Policy Centre Director, Professor Caroline Miller, and Flinders University’s Head of Public Health, Professor Richard Edwards.

An epidemiologist determined to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, Associate Professor Courtney Ryder, has also been appointed along with Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council Aboriginal Corporation CEO Mr Scott Wilson, and educator, community engagement specialist and Co-Director of Kuddiya Consultancy Company Mr Roger Thomas.

Other appointees include:

• Dr Michelle Atchison, a psychiatrist specialising in the treatment and management of psychiatric conditions arising from trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Dr Alison Edwards, an experienced regional general practitioner and advocate for rural healthcare.
• Mr Todd Harper, CEO of Cancer Council Victoria and former CEO of VicHealth.
• Professor Jacqueline Bowden, a behavioural scientist, Director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction at Flinders University, and former Deputy Director of the Health Policy Centre at SAHMRI.

The Preventive Health SA Council fulfills a key component of the Preventive Health SA Act 2024, ensuring the agency itself remains evidence-informed, expert-led, and committed to delivering innovative action that reduces the burden of non-communicable health conditions while also improving health equity outcomes.

Some of the key achievements delivered by Preventive Health SA so far include:

• Strengthening tobacco and e-cigarette legislation including strengthening penalties, outlawing vaping stores, and strengthening smoke-free areas, as well as introducing effective campaigns to reduce tobacco smoking and vaping – work that saw the Australian Council on Smoking and Health award an A+ rating to South Australia for its strong response to tobacco and vaping issues.
• Delivering more than $15 million in grant funding to community-based organisations to facilitate prevention and health promotion efforts.
• Supporting mental health services and outreach in drought-impacted areas, as part of the Malinauskas Government’s $73 million drought assistance package.
• A ban on junk food advertising on public transport.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

I welcome the appointment of the inaugural Preventive Health SA Council, who bring a diversity of expertise and perspectives to what are complex public health issues.

The Malinauskas Government is proudly investing in evidence- and expert-led ideas, initiatives and policies to address non-communicable public health risks like obesity, vaping, smoking, alcohol and drug use, and other health risks.

I look forward to working with the members of the Preventive Health SA Council in continuing to address preventive health conditions in South Australia.

Attributable to Preventive Health SA Chief Executive, Marina Bowshall

I’m excited at the establishment of the Preventive Health SA Council and look forward to working with the inaugural members.

The formation of the inaugural Preventive Health SA Council is a positive step to ensure a variety of voices are around the table, helping us to effectively deliver on the measures outlined in the Preventive Health SA Act 2024.

We want to meet the needs of South Australians and target relevant preventive health objectives and the Preventive Health SA Council will be an important advisory mechanism to help the Preventive Health SA team and our partners focus on good outcomes.