This page records the details of the weekly Croakey e-bulletin (subscribe here), and some of the wider impacts of our work. See our readership figures here.
See our comprehensive list of Twitter lists to follow for news on Indigenous health, climate and health, COVID, public health and more.
2022
We record our social media analytics using Buffer and Twitter Analytics. The figures below are for total impressions across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
January to November: 9,134,695 impressions
Impact Reports
2022
Impact Report – September 2022
January 2023
Week ending 27 January: Coinciding with Invasion Day, our bulletin this week has a strong focus on the importance of justice for health.
Contributors stress the need for local community leadership and knowledge in various contexts, from disaster preparation and response efforts to rural health.
A number of our stories highlight connections between the Voice to Parliament and better health outcomes.
A peak Aboriginal health organisation is among those urging Australian governments to step up COVID-19 management, reports Alison Barrett. Public health leader Adjunct Professor Tarun Weeramanthri provides a detailed statement on why he supports calls for a re-set of pandemic policy.
Read our latest article in the #WorldInTurmoil series, a collaboration between Croakey and the World Federation of Public Health Associations, in the lead up to the World Congress on Public Health in May, putting a spotlight on the impact of conflict on health systems.
Heatwaves and other climate matters are also in focus, while Jade Bradford reports on lessons from the Kimberley floods. Remy Shergill from the Climate and Health Alliance has some tips for contributing to an Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care consultation on sustainable healthcare.
Our latest ICYMI column also has details of a stack of consultations likely to be of interest to Croakey readers.
Don’t miss the new e-publication, The Hiking Wrap, in which Dr Lesley Russell presents an ode to the joys of walking.
We are delighted to introduce a new member of the Croakey team, David Morgan, who takes on the role of Chief Operating Officer and writes about his “passion for community engagement, justice and equity for all”. He brings more than 35 years of experience in the not-for-profit and community sectors as a senior executive.
Live tweeting
Members of the Croakey team attended Invasion Day and Survival Day events around Australia.
The Chair of Croakey Health Media, Professor Megan Williams (pictured below, left), spoke about the importance of cultural safety on a panel at the Yabun Festival, on Gadigal land in Sydney.
This Twitter thread includes photos from the march and rally in nipaluna/Hobart, organised by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
#CroakeyEXPLORE
Croakey launched a new e-publication featuring articles and photographs by contributing editor Adjunct Associate Professor Lesley Russell, celebrating the joy of walking and connecting with nature.
Croakey’s managing editor Alison Barrett took the reins of @WePublicHealth to share a road trip with a focus on #RuralHealthMatters.
Thanks to the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association for featuring Croakey articles in your weekly bulletin – our stories on alcohol policy reform, a Voice to Parliament, general practice reform and COVID control.
Week ending 19 January: ‘Polycrisis’ is the word, this week and no doubt into the future as well. It features prominently in two reports released to coincide with the World Economic Forum meeting now underway in Davos, Switzerland.
The WEF’s latest global risks report describes polycrisis as “a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part”.
A new report from Oxfam, ‘Survival of the Richest: How we must tax the super-rich now to fight inequality’, says a polycrisis – including climate breakdown, an energy and cost-of-living crunch, increasing poverty, and the pandemic – has brought huge new wealth to a tiny elite.
The reports may be useful for Croakey readers seeking to engage with national consultations now underway on poverty, development of a Measuring What Matters framework, and media diversity.
A consultation process is also underway for the 2026 National Census. Joe Ball looks at what can be learnt from how other countries have included LGBTIQA+ communities in their data collection.
In our lead stories this week, Jennifer Doggett investigates human rights failures by Australian governments, and also finds that a review of a digital industry code on misinformation fails to address public health concerns. Meanwhile, global health leader Professor Ilona Kickbusch stresses the importance of tackling the digital determinants of health.
Ahead of the Sydney WorldPride festival, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler is encouraging eligible participants – especially those from rural areas – to be vaccinated against mpox.
Make sure to follow @WePublicHealth this week, where Alison Barrett is tweeting on #RuralHealthMatters.
Week ending 12 January: Welcome to Croakey 2023. We hope you’ve had some summer break, with time away from the worries of the world, work and screens.
As has too often been the case, the beginning of the year brings news of climate-related disasters, this time the devastating floods affecting communities across the Kimberley in Western Australia.
In our lead story, Alison Barrett speaks with a range of health experts about the impact of the floods and the importance of planning for future climate disruption.
Amid the spread of misinformation about a Constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, we share the Public Health Association of Australia’s 2021 statement in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Charles Maskell-Knight provides an in-depth analysis of the Aged Care Star Ratings system that was released at the end of last year – and concludes that it needs a complete overhaul.
While we await the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report, researchers at the Grattan Institute have drawn upon the chequered history of health reform to develop six tips to help ensure future reform efforts are effective.
Don’t miss Dr Ruth Armstrong’s engaging story of a road trip in an electric vehicle. As well as sharing amazing views of stunning Country, she offers plenty of practical tips for taking an EV on a long-distance drive, including how to deal with “range anxiety” and “pargers”.
Following so many tragic drownings this summer, we report five evidence-based ways to keep safe in the water.
Join us in using the hashtag #NSWvoteshealth2023 ahead of the NSW election, as we put a focus on health equity and health in all policies – including the importance of housing for health and wellbeing.
Please note that the final stories in this bulletin are from our Summer Reading series – republication of articles from 2022.
Thanks to the AHHA for featuring Croakey articles in your weekly bulletin – our reports on the WA floods and a critique of the aged care star rating system.
In the first few weeks of January, we continued our summer publishing schedule, re-publishing key articles from 2022, including this Croakey Professional Services article sponsored by CATSINaM: ‘A moment of truth: Indigenous nurses and midwives welcome long-awaited apology’.
December
Week ending 22 December: Our final article for 2022 is titled “Ten things we’ve learnt this year”. Please have a read, and let us know of other reflections you may like to share.
We also bring some pandemic lessons learnt, from the World Health Organization’s Director of Health Promotion, Dr Rüdiger Krech.
Don’t miss the CroakeyVOICES podcast from the recent Healthy Environments and Lives Network conference (#HEAL2022) with a focus on clean energy and First Nations communities.
We also report on a landmark agreement from COP15 negotiations to guide global action to protect nature and biodiversity.
During the summer break, we are republishing a selection of our articles from 2022.
Political impact
Most Australian politicians, in federal, state and territory Parliaments, now receive a copy of the weekly Croakey News bulletin. We have provided this service to help maximise the impact and reach of our work.
Congratulations
Tashy Ubeyratne, who undertook a project with Croakey as part of her Masters of Public Health at the University of Sydney, is pictured at her graduation ceremony, together with Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott. The project involved helping to organise and cover a webinar on climate and health ahead of the Federal election.
Presentations
Throughout the year, Croakey Health Media members gave presentations relating to our work, and also live-tweeted many events.
See the Twitter thread summarising the presentation.
See the Twitter thread summarising this event’s discussions.
See the Twitter thread summarising the launch.
Week ending 16 December: An unjust legal system, a housing crisis, harmful food systems, and inequitable access to mental healthcare.
This week we shine a spotlight on several critical health concerns requiring urgent government attention in 2023.
As we ponder the real-life impacts of toxic online platforms, another “policy renovator’s delight” is the regulation of digital platforms and the associated dissemination of disinformation and misinformation.
Don’t miss Alison Barrett’s special investigation for the #HealthyCOP27 series, which raises some critical reflections for health ministers, advisors and departments.
We report on the World Health Organization’s new manual to assist countries in designing and implementing a health-promoting tax on sugary drinks, which is also a useful resource for health advocates.
Jennifer Doggett goes behind the headlines on changes to the Better Access program, and also reports on The Lancet special edition on racism and ethnic equity in science, medicine and global health.
We also publish the foreword by Professor Marcia Langton AO in ‘Minum Barreng: The Story of the Indigenous Eye Health Unit’, a new book exploring the history of efforts to improve eye health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Make sure to download your copy of a new report compiling the #SpeakingOurMind series of articles, privileging the voices of lived experience.
Our appreciation to all who engaged with the inaugural #CroakeyFundingDrive. Don’t miss our compilation of the #PetsOfCroakey.
We are also grateful to those who contributed to our recent open news conference with the theme #HealthEquityMatters2023. We will pursue these discussions in the New Year.
Apologies this bulletin is running a day late; we’ve had some technical difficulties.
Making news
Our articles have been shared in newsletter and publications from The Public Interest Journalism Initiative, Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association, and the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. The Public Health Association of Australia also cross-published one of our articles on primary healthcare reform.
A Tweetbinder analysis of the #WellbeingBudget2022 hashtag, which was established and curated by Croakey, can be seen here. Some excerpts follow below. 
Week ending 8 December: As we draw near to the end of the year, our thoughts are turning to what lies ahead in 2023.
In January, some readers will be polishing off submissions to the Treasury’s Wellbeing Budget consultation, or perhaps finalising a pre-Budget submission (due 27 January).
Our bulletin this week identifies many issues requiring attention in the New Year.
COVID has not gone away, as we are reminded by those sharing often distressing stories about the debilitating impacts of Long COVID, reported by Jennifer Doggett in our lead story.
Also in the spotlight is primary healthcare reform, steps towards a National Health and Climate Strategy, and an overview of the latest Family Matters report.
As the COP15 biodiversity summit opens in Montreal, the United Nations has urged governments to stop the destruction of nature, while doctors in lutruwita/Tasmania call for Federal action to protect globally significant takayna/Tarkine rainforest.
Continuing our #HealthyCOP27 series, Jade Bradford explores wide-ranging health concerns associated with industrial developments in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, while Associate Professor Ying Zhang reflects on her first COP experience.
Don’t miss this year’s final, bumper edition of The Health Wrap, and another engaging story from the #HEAL2022 conference about “engaging with climate complexity”.
Make sure to download your copy of a new report about the journey, work and outcomes of the Aboriginal Kidney Care Together – Improving outcomes Now (AKCTION) program.
Thanks to @WePublicHealth, we also cover National Skin Cancer Action Week and the World Conference on Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion.
Finally, heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported our inaugural #CroakeyFundingDrive. Please spread the word about our offer of a free subscription to this bulletin – available until midnight on Sunday.
You are also invited to our open news conference this Sunday evening, and our end of year #CroakeyCatchUp on Thursday, 15 December. 
