With COVID-19 devastating lives and livelihoods around the globe, health experts are looking for lessons for a better, more equitable tomorrow, where food and job security, people-focused urban design and access to healthcare are not reliant on country of origin, cultural background or postcode.
Over five weeks, VicHealth’s Life and Health ReImagined webinar panels looked at the lessons from the pandemic, investigating urban design, healthier work environments, sustainable food systems and jobs, and how the social determinants of health – housing, income, and location – are intrinsically linked to health outcomes.
CroakeyVoices took up the discussion with panelists, incorporating snippets from panel discussions, to highlights some of the key points and flesh out some of the creative solutions for a better tomorrow.
- ACTU assistant secretary Liam O’Brien says Australia holds the world record when it comes to insecure work, with “one in ten workers going to work while sick because many insecure workers don’t have access to sick leave”.
- The Community Grocer Founder, Russell Shields, argues Australia needs to move away from the food rescue model to feed people, arguing “our community markets model provides fresh, diverse produce at highly discounted prices in a farmers market environment”.
We also hear from:
- Dr Rachel Carey, Lecturer in Food Systems, University of Melbourne
- Farhat Firdous, Multicultural Strategic Engagement Coordinator for Gippsland, Latrobe Community
- US urban planner Anna Muessig, Associate Gehl in San Francisco
- Cr Jackie Fristacky, City of Yarra Councillor
- Cr Seema Abdullah, Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor
- Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director UCL Institute of Health Equity
- Sharon Friel, Professor of Health Equity, Director Menzies Centre for Health Governance, School of Regulation and Global Governance
- Anna Peeters, Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health and Director of the Institute of Health Transformation at Deakin University
- Nicola Roxon, Former Federal Health Minister
- Kellie Horton, Executive lead, Policy Development Office, VicHealth
Contact CroakeyVoices via:
Email: cate.carrigan1@gmail.com
Twitter: @CroakeyVoices @CateeC
This podcast is part of Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the #HealthReImagined project. Bookmark this link to follow our coverage.
