This is the first perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. While the gains won in selected areas of public health in Australia over the last decade should be acknowledged, the nation continues to fall short of the aspirations expressed in its prevention policies. Sporadic and disjointed implementation are perennial issues. The governance, organisational and funding requirements for effective prevention need to be addressed. The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 and the Australian Centre for Disease Control are current opportunities for improving the leadership and coordination of implementation across sectors and agencies.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

This is the fourth perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. Despite successfully lowering smoking rates, tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable illness and death in Australia. Reducing smoking prevalence to no more than 5% by 2030 could be readily achieved with continued tobacco control policy innovation. Australia has the opportunity to once again be a global leader in tobacco control by adopting world-first polices that strictly limit where and how easily tobacco is sold.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

This is the third perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. Preventing illness is a core part of what general practice does. Over the past 10 years, screening for cancer, prevention of heart disease and immunisation have all increased. However, assessment and referral of patients with overweight and unhealthy behaviours has remained too infrequent due to high workload, inappropriate funding and poorly developed information systems.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

This is the second perspective in a series of four reviewing the past decade in preventive health. First Nations peoples have long practised holistic, community-led approaches to health and wellbeing. This paper explores how the National Preventive Health Strategy (NPHS) can better embrace Indigenous strengths and knowledge to improve health outcomes. By privileging First Nations leadership, cultural governance, and meaningful partnerships as core business in health policy, the paper highlights opportunities to create a more inclusive and effective approach to preventive health – one that supports self-determination and long-term wellbeing for communities.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

The rising use of e-cigarettes in many parts of the world is a public health concern, including Australia. Health professionals are important for supporting e-cigarette cessation, so we reviewed and summarised data on the facilitators and barriers to the support they can provide. We found that, although a sense of responsibility, intention and environmental resources act as facilitators, lack of knowledge, training, and competing priorities impact the capacity of health professionals to support e-cigarette cessation in Australia.

Many Australians rely on Medicare-subsidised services for managing chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), but their use of such services remains unclear. We analysed Medicare-subsidised service use among Australians prescribed opioids for CNCP, revealing high use of primary, allied health, and specialist services compared with the general population. The findings highlight the need to address sociodemographic disparities and improve specialist service accessibility for uninsured and regional/remote Australians to better meet the needs of those with CNCP.

The large state-wide after-action review (AAR) of the COVID-19 public health response by NSW Health revealed important practice points to support future operational responses. It identified the importance of collective and systematic reflection, enabling the workforce to learn from past experiences and improve future responses. This process highlighted the value of involving multidisciplinary teams and considering the psychological needs of the workforce, setting a precedent for better preparedness in public health emergencies.

Children from low-socioeconomic communities are more likely to have health and development problems when starting school for the first time. We analysed medical records of children from five schools in a rural, low-socioeconomic community of NSW to quantitatively describe their healthcare needs and to inform school entry health check programs and school-based healthcare. The prevalence of health and developmental concerns and challenges to accessing care indicates the need for school entry health check models that provide ongoing support to families.

Improving oral health has taken centre stage at a global level; but in Australia, the public voice has been absent from such discussions. Here, we quantify opinions of working-age Australians on the essentiality and affordability of oral health care and show that, although it is considered essential, there is a clear barrier to accessibility due to unaffordability, particularly for disadvantaged groups. Universal oral health coverage principles need to be implemented for all Australians to receive equitable oral health care.

The multidisciplinary public health workforce and its education have evolved over time, with government reforms driven by social initiatives. Recent polycrises – natural and man-made disasters and crises – shed light on the strengths and weakness of the Australian public health effort and therefore its workforce education. Multidisciplinary public health competencies must drive public health education and training with accredited degrees to ensure internationally transportable qualifications and a future-proofed workforce.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

The increasing use of e-cigarettes (vaping) among young people has sparked debate about their potential role in smoking initiation. Prospective cohort studies suggest that vaping increases the risk of starting cigarette smoking, while some repeated cross-sectional studies have argued that vaping might be reducing smoking rates, citing an increasing vaping trend coinciding with a decreasing smoking trend. Our 'perspectives article’ demonstrates how these coinciding trends may have been misinterpreted.

Artifical intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise healthcare and public health globally, but do its risks outweigh its potential? Here we outline the issues of AI and provide examples of where it could be successful. Advances in AI technologies must consider ethical implications and regulations while undergoing further research and experimentation to fulfil its potential; otherwise health inequalities will be exacerbated and advances in AI will fail to serve the best interests of individuals and communities worldwide.

This article belongs to the collection: A Decade of Insight: 10th Anniversary Collection of Public Health Research & Practice.

A strong public health workforce is crucial for protecting and promoting population health and responding to public health emergencies. Over 35 years, the New South Wales Public Health Training Program has trained more than 220 public health professionals, who have contributed to critical population health initiatives. This sustained investment demonstrates how strategic workforce development can build essential public health capacity, ensuring communities have skilled professionals ready to address complex public health challenges.