ICYMI: a column from the Croakey team

ICYMI: focus on justice and children’s rights, and the latest global health and public health news

Melissa Sweet
Melissa Sweet
Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Climate emergency, ICYMI, Social determinants of health, Housing, Justice and policing, Gambling, Indigenous health, Child health, Infectious diseases, Mpox, Global health, WHO, Health inequalities, Public health

Welcome to a column for those who don’t have time or inclination for Twitter-scrolling.

This week, we bring news from the campaign to stop the criminalisation of young children, more evidence of housing as a critical health concern, and highlight the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working for change on multiple fronts.

Scroll to the end to find out about upcoming events that look interesting.

#RaiseTheAge

This week Douglas Smith, Indigenous Affairs reporter at the The Advertiser newspaper in Adelaide, wrote about his experiences of being targeted by police as a child, and the traumas this causes. Cheryl Axleby, Co-Chair of the Change the Record coalition, tweeted that she hoped such truth-telling would increase awareness of the need to raise the age at which young people can be detained. While hundreds of thousands of Australians have signed petitions in support of the #RaiseTheAge campaign, the Queensland Government has been accused of “hypocrisy” for voting against a bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility on the same day that it committed to an historic treaty with First Nations people.

Global health

Read the article on new names for Monkeypox variants

Read about cycling in The Netherlands

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: creating change

Read more about Hobart City Council’s decision to relocate a statue of a surgeon and politician William Lodewyk Crowther, who in 1869 mutilated the body of an Aboriginal man, William Lanne.Read the latest news on Victorian treaty developments

Read the climate stories. Read about the Junba Project.

Public health

Read the Congress statement on pokies Watch the wellbeing webinar

Housing and health

Read the article on increased rent for public housing in remote communities in NT

Events

See previous editions of #ICYMI, and catch you next week…

Please consider emailing this article to your networks

Social media platforms are suppressing the sharing of news; we are asking readers to support public interest journalism by sharing it through other means.

A protest against salmon farms in southern lutruwita/Tasmania on 1 February 2025. Photo by Mitchell Ward

Political priorities out of step with communities’ concern for the environment

March 27, 2025

Health reform remains a work in progress.

Everyone knows about the cost of living crisis. But what about “the cost of leaving” crisis?

March 27, 2025

Australia increases foreign aid but situation for global health remains precarious

March 27, 2025

Air pollution is a health hazard. Photo by Melissa Sweet

An open letter to federal election candidates, on the importance of clean air

March 27, 2025

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Croakey has, over some years, provided a platform for debate about health policy, planning, funding and services. There aren’t enough places for these debates, and important issues affecting the health of our community risk going unexplored. Croakey helps to fill this hole. Viva Croakey!

Sebastian Rosenberg

Senior Lecturer, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney

It was great to be able to collaborate with the Croakey team for the COVID-19 CaLD Community Think Tank. The event was aimed at hearing from those working in multicultural and community organisations about the challenges they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic but to also capture lessons learnt and strategies that have enhanced engagement and to share those lessons. By working with Cate and the Croakey team we were able to capture those insights and to disseminate them in a timely way which is critical during a pandemic. The resulting article captured all of the key messages in a format that was relevant and tailored to the relevant audiences. The team were easy to connect and work with and I would certainly look to repeat the partnership again.

Associate Professor Holly Seale

School of Population Health at the University of New South Wales

Croakey provides outstanding public interest journalism that challenges the status quo through an ethical and decolonised lens.

Professor Rebecca Ivers

School of Population Health, UNSW

Croakey – like a sore throat spreading amongst friends – helps to spread healthy ideas rapidly through the blog and the Twittersphere. Thank you Croakey.

Michael Moore

Public health leader

Croakey – it’s a constant in my life. It’s my first ‘go to’ place on the web. It changed how I viewed news. It took expressing an opinion to a new level. I love the way Croakey pulls out something new or puts a different twist on an old idea. The diversity of authors and timeliness of posts are very much appreciated. Bring me more of this!

Dr Melissa Stoneham

Public health leader

Croakey Health Media has been a valuable partner of the Global Health program at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, for the last few years. I greatly appreciate Croakey’s contribution to our educational program and the efforts to inspire and engage youth to improve health systems.

With Dr Melissa Sweet’s outstanding supervision, our students have contributed to various media projects on the pressing issues facing Australian society, such as the climate and health dialogue before the 2022 Federal Election, and climate and housing issues for people with mental health. I can see that addressing health inequity is a clear focus of Croakey’s.

The coverage of Indigenous voices in climate and health conversations at Croakey is notably much stronger than the other mainstream media. I would be more hopeful of achieving a sustainable health future for all if we had more health media like Croakey.

Associate Professor Ying Zhang

University of Sydney

One of my favourite things about Croakey is the active engagement of so many people with a passion for equity and public health.

Dr Melissa Sweet

public health journalist and Croakey founder

Croakey Health Media is an outstanding service and team. They covered our 2023 Planetary Health Equity Hothouse Policy Symposium, generating incredible communication about complex issues in easily digestible ways and with massive reach. We are incredibly lucky to have Croakey Health Media – access to reliable, quality public interest journalism is vital for democracy. I would highly recommend this service and team.

Professor Sharon Friel

Director, Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, ANU – #HothouseSymposium (2023)

Croakey once again delivered, providing professional, polished content for our 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting. Thank you.

Andre Khoury

Head of Communications and Public Affairs, RANZCOG

ICYMI: focus on justice and children’s rights, and the latest global health and public health news

Related Posts

Political priorities out of step with communities’ concern for the environment

Everyone knows about the cost of living crisis. But what about “the cost of leaving” crisis?

Australia increases foreign aid but situation for global health remains precarious

An open letter to federal election candidates, on the importance of clean air

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